Dubai Watch Week: Highlights include Bvlgari with quote by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid

It started a decade ago as a small gathering for collectors and watchmakers, but now Dubai Watch Week has moved into the prime spot on the global watchmaking calendar. It is a place to view the latest innovations, explore rare designs and meet the creative minds behind them.

The biennial showcase opened on Wednesday in its new home in Dubai Mall’s Burj Park. The location makes the fair feel different to previous iterations – with views of Burj Khalifa and the city’s skyline – and signals its growing stature.

From the presence of watch-obsessed musician John Mayer to an unprecedented 90 brands exhibiting this year, it can be hard to wrap your head around all the announcements. So we've selected the highlights here.

Bvlgari: Octo Finissimo Mattar Bin Lahej Edition

Bvlgari delivers one of the most talked-about reveals with the Mattar Bin Lahej x Octo Finissimo, a limited-edition piece merging Italian modernism with Emirati cultural identity.

The Dubai-based artist engraves a quote from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, across the titanium case and bracelet, transforming the Octo into a philosophical statement piece. The quote reads: “The future will be for those who can imagine, design and implement it. The future does not wait, but it can be designed and built today.”

Flowing calligraphy adds emotional movement to the model’s sharp geometry, while Bvlgari’s immersive booth enhances the artistic context. According to chief executive Jean-Christophe Babin, the collaboration underscores the region’s growing influence and the maison’s commitment to meaningful cultural partnerships.

Hermes: Slim d’Hermes Hippocampe

Hermes presents one of the most refined metiers d’art showcases of the day with the Slim d’Hermes Hippocampe. Limited to 24 pieces per version, the watch showcases a seahorse illustration by artist Stuart Patience into a remarkable composition of engraving and leather marquetry.

Swift calfskin fragments, each trimmed to just 0.5mm, form a vibrant mosaic that gives the creature depth and texture. Paired with the ultra-thin H1950 calibre and housed in white gold, the Hippocampe captures Hermes’ vision of time as an emotional and artistic space.

Gerald Charles: Dazzling Dubai debut

Gerald Charles, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, is marking many firsts at Dubai Watch Week. The maison brings not only its largest-ever pavilion, a 159-square-metre architectural installation, to the event, but also its Geneva Atelier Museum to Dubai for the first time, allowing visitors to explore archival sketches and early creations from Gerald Genta’s hand.

Two immersive watchmaking rooms offer deeper engagement, including a dedicated space for the Maestro GC39 Jumping Hours and hands-on dial-hammering sessions with master artisans. The highlight is a one-of-one Maestro GC39 Remaster set with 60 baguette diamonds, created exclusively for the event and emblematic of the brand’s renewed creative ambition.

Girard-Perregaux: Laureato Three Gold Bridges

Girard-Perregaux honours the Laureato’s 50th anniversary with Laureato Three Gold Bridges, a limited-edition watch uniting two of its most enduring signatures. The new 41mm case refines the Laureato’s geometry, while the in-house GP9620 tourbillon calibre brings the famed Three Bridges architecture to the forefront.

With 418 polished bevels, including an astonishing 362 inward angles, the movement represents a peak in contemporary finishing. A diamond-set variant with 32 baguette-cut stones further amplifies the play of light that defines the Laureato’s identity. It is a compelling demonstration of GP’s dual mastery of mechanics and design.

Parmigiani Fleurier: Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante Arctic Rose

Parmigiani Fleurier extends its most philosophical complication with the debut of the Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante Arctic Rose. Launched in 2023, the Minute Rattrapante remains a world-first mechanism that allows the wearer to “add time” via two superimposed minute hands, activated through discreet pushers.

The 2025 Arctic Rose introduces a shimmering pale rose dial, the colours of which shift with the light, reviving a historically masculine shade associated with refinement in the 18th century.

Completed with Parmigiani’s signature Grain d’Orge guilloche and platinum-knurled bezel, the piece reflects the maison’s ethos of private, understated luxury and invites the wearer to inhabit time with intention rather than urgency.

Audemars Piguet: House of Wonders

Audemars Piguet – which is celebrating its 150th anniversary – transports visitors from Dubai to Le Brassus with the House of Wonders, a 1,000-square-metre travelling exhibition set in Burj Park.

Reimagining the manufacture’s 1875 headquarters as its entrance, the experience guides guests through sequential chambers such as the Clock Room, Gallery of Time, Mechanical Secrets and Astronomical Observatory.

Archival documents, rare complications and contemporary designs narrate the evolution of watchmaking before the journey culminates in the Lab, a forward-looking exploration of innovation. AP’s wider programme includes masterclasses and a panel with Dubai Future Foundation, emphasising the role of collaboration in shaping the future of Swiss watchmaking.

Van Cleef & Arpels: Brassee de Lavande

Van Cleef & Arpels delivers one of the fair’s most poetic unveilings with the Brassee de Lavande automaton, part of its Extraordinary Objects collection.

A dome of lacquered rose gold lavender springs opens to reveal a delicately animated butterfly, accompanied by a musical chime. Two white gold snails perched on the branches complete the pastoral tableau.

The automaton reflects the maison’s deep commitment to preserving rare crafts while merging mechanical ingenuity with storytelling. It is a moment of pure enchantment amid the technical density of the fair.

With its blend of technical breakthroughs, cultural collaborations and artistic expression, opening day at Dubai Watch Week 2025 sets a high bar for the days to follow.

If these first unveilings are any indication, the region is not just hosting global watchmaking, it is also officially part of the story.