Dubaians’ taste of watches changed over time. If you randomly asked someone on the street in the 80’s for the time, they’d probably look at a watch looking like this [right], with a  face looking like that [left]:

And If you were at a fancy place at the time, say the Chicago Beach Hotel, then you’d probably capture the same face but this time with the economic development’s rains on his wrist.. typically, a Rolex Oyster.

But with the arrival of events such as the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and the ATP Tennis Tour, an outburst of “luxury” watches started trending. Brands such as  Chopard, Cartier, and Bulgari started flooding magazines with photos of their watchelries, confusing the audience of what is “a valuable time piece” with what is a “ticking trey that helps sell precious stones”.

Today, with the countless investment professionals/zombies strutting the DIFC boulevards, watch snobbery is becoming more apparent in town. If you ask me, I’d say it’s awesome. It’s a sophistication upgrade.. we now know our time pieces slightly better.

Here are the five most interesting watches that I spotted around town more frequently than I expected:

5. Jaeger-LeCoultre Grand Reverso Duo

4. Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph 

3. IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Edition Kurt Klaus 

2. Girard-Perregaux 1966 Minute Repeater 

1. A. Lange & Sohne Lange Zeitwerk