What makes Dubai Watch Week so special?
From a revenue standpoint, everything has already been decided by this time of year, so it takes the pressure off. Also, I believe the objective of the fair is not to make money, and that changes everything. You feel it at every level, the atmosphere is completely different.
I also like that the Seddiqi family invites other retailers. Yesterday, I was talking to Laurent Picciotto Chronopassion, Paris and we were discussing the latest watches that we had bought. He asked me if I was still purchasing and collecting, which I am. Then, we showed each other watches that we had acquired and had an interesting discussion about pocket watches, which are not so common today. And we reflected on how great it was that we still both have this passion and interest in watches. All this is to say that the collector's perspective is very present here. There is the business side, of course, but there is also this side of seeing watches and discovering them. When you are at a trade show purely for business, you are not in this mindset where you are looking at things from the point of view of a collector or enthusiast.
Can you tell us about your launch at Dubai Watch Week?
This new piece is an evolution. We started with the instrumental aspect of our watches being the initial strength. Then, we made the BR 05 which allowed us to evolve this square round shape and make it more urban and more elegant. Last year, we made our official entry into manufacturing thanks to the Kenissi movement, which was made specifically by Kenissi for Bell & Ross. So, that was important because we had already had forays into fine watchmaking, but it was always with small series, it wasn't industrial. Now, we have made this transition with the alliance of the design that characterizes Bell & Ross and a very reliable movement with a long power reserve of 70 hours, that is COSC-certified and comes with a five-year warranty.
The construction of this new watch allows us to play with materials. And this year, we decided to take things a step further by using the BR-X5 with this movement. We have been working on nighttime legibility and luminosity for a very long time. In the past, we had worked on luminosity in many ways, but mainly on the dial, which many others have also done. But what no one had ever done, at least to my knowledge, is to go much further by working on the case. It is an LM3D composite material, with the luminosity integrated into the material, which, until now, could not be done.
Are you still interested in motorcycles?
I still remember the incredible engines you would have on display in Basel. A month ago at WatchTime New York, we did something interesting. We revealed the motorcycle, the Blacktrack, that we made with the watch. It was really a design project. In fact, through these objects, what we want to show is the creativity of the brand, and that can apply to the field of watches but can also extend to other fields. If all goes to plan, we will exhibit it at Watches and Wonders in Geneva so others can also admire it.
