ICYMI: Day 1 DWW2021 Highlights

There was no opening day rain for the 2021 edition of Dubai Watch Week. On the contrary, the skies were almost unrealistically clear and blue, and an occasional breeze rippled through the trees scattered throughout the area surrounding The Gate. It was a picture-perfect morning of near normalcy; a morning that felt as if the entirety of the watch community took a sigh of relief all at one time. 

Dubai Watch Week was back. And not via Zoom, nor via YouTube. People were back, hugging their old friends, swapping one another’s watches for wrist shots, posing for selfies in front of the various brand pop ups, and talking to one another – face to face – through their smiles and their laughter and in some cases, even their tears of joy. 

Today was a day to be thankful, to heal, and to remember, but also a day to listen, learn, and live. 

If you were not able to make it to this year’s event, here were a few highlights from the happenings on day one: 

Horology Forum:

The first of the day’s two panels was titled Alignment of the Fittest which set out to discuss online personas, offline personalities, and what happens when the person doing the posting is bigger than the brand they are posting about. Panelists included the always confident CEO of Breitling, Georges Kern, Influencer and watch personality, Anish Batt (who donned a killer orange double-breasted suit), and founder of Avenue Fifty Two, Lisa Rokny. The panel was moderated by Cyba Audi, communication strategist.

The afternoon session at Horology Forum was Epicurious Collectivist; which touched on the inclusivity of the worlds of photography, art, watches, and contained opinions from varying personalities. The panel also saw a “Head Coach” jacketed François-Henry Bennahmias of Audemars Piguet get cozy with moderator Michael Clerizo when Mike had a problem with his, well, mic. Check out the video on the Dubai Watch Week YouTube channel to see what this was all about. 

Creative Hub:

Breitling introduced their new Super AVI collection to the international members of the press after its release last week in Dallas, Texas, solidifying their reputation as a brand that understands aviation and its connection to timekeeping. 

Etc: 

Carpaccio and Gnocchi at the Cipriani pop up, limited-edition watch releases at the newly redesigned (and fabulous!) Brand Exhibition, a discussion about The Art of Fusion at the Hublot booth with CEO, Ricardo Guadalupe, an opening cocktail event, a movie about time, and the Bulgari X MB&F party. These happenings and many more were part of day one, and we are just getting started!