To celebrate this milestone, many brands decided to create special editions in a very limited quantity for the UAE market.

Richemont Group had its fair share of the special editions this year with brands such as Cartier, Panerai, Montblanc and Roger Dubuis, each releasing a very unique model to celebrate this Jubilee.

Cartier released a 100 pieces limited edition Santos Dumont in Platinum with Indian numerals as well as a Panthere in Rose Gold with Mother of Pearl dial for ladies leading the way in terms of localising its offering to the region and catering for both men and women.

The group that has really put all its efforts into creating something unique for their country and celebrating with over 26 special editions released until today from brands spanning from Victorinox to Debethune and many other brands is of course the Seddiqi Group.

They have literally collaborated with every brand they own the distribution rights for to create special editions that could be as small as 5 pieces and as large as 200 pieces. Let’s have a look at all the watches released and we will tell you our top 5 among them

https://seddiqi.com/curators-journal/50-years-crafting-future-uae/

As far as we know, there are a still more editions that are being released as we speak, but for now let us pick the top 5 watches that we admired the most.

1. Furlan Marri Havana green

The watch has been unveiled during the Dubai Watch Week in a closed event with the founders of the brand.  There are only 100 watches made from this model and all sold out already. The color combination of the watch was so catching that the demand was tremendous – a kind of turquoise green dial with havana brown subdials on a steel case.Very lively colors combined with a matching leather strap – same Mecca quartz movement as before.

https://furlanmarri.com/collections/all-wristwatches

2. Debthune UAE HAWK

One of the most desirable watches today and a very strong independent brand carving its way into the collector’s hearts and wrists. The “UAE Hawk” settled on the colour that are directly inspired by national shades including a distinctive “50” in italic on the dial. The timepiece is completed with an engraved “Year of the Fiftieth” logo in the case back a tribute to the Spirit of the Union. Limited to only 10 pieces and selectively allocated to local watch collectors.

3. Ressence Type 1 DX2

This is the second time Ressence released a special edition for the UAE and this time they chose the Type 1  model with a beautiful Mashrabya pattern on the full dial. It is only limited to 25 pieces – CHF 22,500 all sold out. The design of the geometric patterns has a mesmerising effect with the light and shades as the dial completes its 360 degrees turn.

4. Greubel Forsey  UAE Jubilee

The Balancier S – the Ether released in a very limited edition of 5 pieces only for the UAE 50th anniversary. The watch comes in carbon with a large titanium bridge suspending the gear train high above the movement. The blue colors chosen are the typical shade of blue that we have witnessed in previous Seddiqi Editions from Richard Mille, Audemars Piguet and others – a unique shade that they used to call Yas Marina Blue referring back to the first time the color was chosen in an Richard Mille Special Edition for Yas Marina F1.

5. Frederique Constant PC 50th anniversary

Frederique Constant have been upping their game lately with the introduction of several inhouse movements with complications and innovations. For the 50th anniversary they chose to use the perpetual calendar in 41mm titatnium case , bold numerals and the Yas marina blue dial.  The open case back comes engraved with the Year of the Fiftieth logo  – Limited to 50 pieces only.

Now that we have chosen our top 5, how about you do the same! which watches did you fancy the most and what made you like them more than other?

The post Our top 5 favourite picks for UAE 50th Anniversary Special Editions appeared first on Arab Watch Guide.

TAG Heuer partners with Arab Watch Guide (AWG) Founder Hassan Akhras as he prepares to power through his first IronMan in 2018

Sports and the values it conveys are deeply-rooted in TAG Heuer’s DNA. Furthering this strong association with the sports arena, the brand will be backing established local watch influencer as he gets ready to take on his share of #DontCrackUnderPressure moments

DUBAI, 9^th February 2017 – In line with one of the philosophies at the heart of its brand’s key positioning, Swiss Watchmaker TAG Heuer announced its collaboration with AWG Founder Hassan Akhras at a breakfast event at Pascal Tepper in Dubai Media City.

The announcement came as no surprise seeing as Hassan Akhras is not only a leading figure and influencer on the city’s watch scene but has also decided to take on a new challenge by competing in IronMan 2018, which comprises of cycling, running and swimming – three sporting disciplines that TAG Heuer is strongly involved with.  TAG Heuer has a strong link with cycling and this became evident after it unveiled its partnership with the BMC Racing Team last year and bore the title of Official Timekeeper of the Dubai and Abu Dhabi tour. The brand also has a long-standing association with prestigious marathons including the New York City Marathon, the Chicago Marathon and the Paris Marathon for which it has been the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch. Swimming too is relevant to the brand and its Aquaracer collection is perfectly suited to the sport.

TAG Heuer’s partnership with Hassan Akhras will mainly focus on his preparation in the build-up to the much-awaited event next year, while he retains his primary job of watch blogger. The brand has come to be known with icons who all reflect the common values of mental strength, a disruptive attitude and ambition. Hassan Akhras, is in this sense, a perfect fit as his year of training will be replete with its fair share of trials and extreme #DontCrackUnderPressure moments that will test the boundaries of his endurance.

What makes things more exciting is the fact that Hassan Akhras, while being athletic, is by no means a professional athlete. In terms of training, he is being coached by GROWINGS coach Trace Rogers and will be taking some trips to Ras Al Khaimah and Khor Fakkan to train. He has participated in a pre-triathlon two weeks ago in Khor Fakkan and is geared up to take part in more such events in the UAE to build stamina.

Speaking about this interesting partnership, Anne-Claire Richomme, Marketing Manager TAG Heuer Middle East, said, “Pushing boundaries and breaking rules are integral to our rich heritage and what Hassan Akhras is attempting to do with the IronMan 2018, is in that sense a perfect fit with our brand ideologies.”

Hassan Akhras too was extremely enthusiastic about having found a partner that supported him and said: “Since I decided to dedicate all of 2017 to the training and journey towards IRONMAN 70.3, I needed a partner that would share my vision, my goals and my beliefs. It also made complete sense that my main partner would ultimately come from the watch world as I am a collector and watch blogger. I was looking for a brand that believes in never quitting, never letting go under pressure, no hiding; an avant-garde brand. It was TAG Heuer that came to mind and I decided to pitch my idea to their team, hoping they would share my enthusiasm for this journey and get on-board. Fast-forward to a few weeks ahead and here we are announcing our official partnership for next year’s IRONMAN 70.3 Challenge Journey.”

About TAG Heuer

The Swiss Avant-Garde watchmaker since 1860. Avant-garde is in our culture and philosophy. Our unique heritage is built on pushing boundaries and breaking rules: harnessing mental fortitude to overcome technology restraints and create daring watches with real racing spirit and a performance touch. The brand has marked the history of watchmaking, especially in the field of luxury chronographs with an unequalled mechanical accuracy.

The new models reveal a new dynamic in terms of both the fast lead times and a completely transformed environment. TAG Heuer is currently one of the world’s rare watch brands to be able to communicate in the four different worlds: Art, Lifestyle, Sport and Heritage. Our ambassadors include the F1 Red Bull Racing Team, living football legend Cristiano Ronaldo, it-girl Cara Delevingne, electronic music icon David Guetta, Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, American quarterback Tom Brady, NBA Chinese Superstar Jeremy Lin and Chinese singer GEM all of whom reflect common core values of mental strength, disruptive attitude and ambition. Our slogan #DontCrackUnderPressure is far more than a claim – it is a mindset.

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