5 Things Everyone's Talking About after Dubai Watch Week 2023

The sun has set on another successful Dubai Watch Week, and along with jet lag and an unwelcome return to the real world, it's time to reflect on the lessons, highlights and hot topics from the week that was.

Stephen McDonnell

On paper, Belfast-based watchmaker Stephen McDonnell's talk 'The Trials and Tribulation of Watch Innovation' could have been a dry analysis of prototyping and movement development. After all, it's an area McDonnell is exceptionally qualified in; his most famous creation is the GPHG-winning Legacy Machine Sequential Evo, made by MB&F. And while McDonnell did talk at length about the technical side of developing the above movement, he also talked about so much more — philosophy, beauty found in function, attention to detail and mental health. Within a few hours of the talk airing, we'd spoken to nearly a dozen people who said it was the most emotional, meaningful and powerful talk on watches they'd ever seen. You should definitely watch it.

The Rain and the Recovery

The other big topic was, of course, the rain that briefly shut down the fair. Some 65.88mm of rain fell on Friday, the highest amount of rain to ever fall in Dubai. This unusual downpour may be linked to cloud seeding operations currently being conducted in the UAE. Regardless of the reason, the reality on the ground was that there was a lot of damage that needed to be cleaned up, and fast. In what can only be described as a Herculean effort, the DWW team managed to re-open doors only a few hours later, and by Saturday, it was like it never happen.

The Dufours

All rainclouds have a silver lining, and in this instance, it was Hands of Time: A Dufour Story. Journalist Wei Koh led another emotional discussion around watchmaking, this time with the living legend that is Philippe Dufour, and his daughter Daniela, who has, in recent years, started working in her father's workshop. This powerful conversation touched on family, race, legacy and the incredibly high standards of both Dufour senior and junior. What's even more remarkable was that this talk was a late addition to the programme, necessitated by scheduling changes caused by the previously mentioned inclement weather.

Van Cleef & Arpels

This year was the Poets of Time's first appearance at Dubai Watch Week, and by golly, they made an impression. Van Cleef & Arpels managed to recreate a slice of Paris in Dubai, offering a charming promenade through the city, complete with flower carts, windows filled with curiosities and rooms exploring the various worlds of the romantic brand's timekeeping. The cool, dark and effortlessly chic space served as a quiet reprieve from the bustle outside and managed to perfectly reflect the brand's values at the same time.

AP x AI

Audemars Piguet is a pioneer when it comes to collaboration — in fact, they held an entire panel on just that topic. But outgoing CEO François-Henry Bennahmias' latest cryptic collab isn't your run-of-the-mill endorsement deal. Bennahmias, alongside UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, His Excellency Omar Al Olama, announced that the Swiss watchmaker was partnering with the UAE government to develop a radical new AI partnership. Firm details were thin on the ground, but we're set to see what the first 'season' looks like in 2025, with Bennahmias assuring the audience that this AI technology would not be a watch itself, but rather something to augment or add to a Swiss made timepiece. It's also clear that this mysterious concept will also be manufactured in the UAE. Beyond that, your guess is as good as ours.

From big issues to major surprises, Dubai Watch Week 2023 delivered plenty of discussion and debate — which is exactly how it should be.