Milan and Dubai are thousands of kilometers apart, but when it comes to watchmaking, those distances can seem surprisingly short.
Milan Watch Week and Dubai Watch Week are joining forces to foster a new dialogue between their respective communities, united by the same passion and a shared vision: to live watchmaking through the people, stories, and experiences that revolve around watches. This journey will take shape in Milan during MWW 2026, from October 2 to 4, and will continue in future editions of both events.
The first chapter already has a name: Off the Clock. The Dubai Watch Week format is coming to the heart of Brera for an evening designed as an opportunity for guests and industry people to come together. Conversations, networking, and that more spontaneous side of watchmaking that often emerges precisely when watches cease, for a few hours, to be the only topic of conversation in the room.
Two cities, one shared passion for watchmaking
Milan Watch Week and Dubai Watch Week were launched at different times and in different contexts, but they share a very specific belief: the watch industry thrives above all through its community.
Dubai Watch Week, founded in 2015 by Ahmed Seddiqi, has built events such as the Horology Forum, Creative Hubs, and Masterclasses around this concept. Milan Watch Week was launched in 2024 with the aim of showcasing the culture, history, and future of watch collecting through the lens of one of the countries that has always helped shape its taste and sensibility.
Two distinct identities, then, that find common ground in their approach to an event dedicated to watches: not just what is on display, but above all the conversations that arise, the people who meet, and the relationships that continue long after they’ve walked out the door.
On one side, Milan; on the other, Dubai. In between lies an international community that has become increasingly open, curious, and interconnected in recent years.
Off the Clock: Dubai Watch Week Comes to the Heart of Brera
The first milestone of this new journey will take place during Milan Watch Week 2026.
Dubai Watch Week will bring “Off the Clock” to Milan, hosted by Vesta in the heart of Brera. An evening, centered around curated conversations, networking, and moments of connection.
The name alone says a lot about the spirit of the initiative. Off the Clock takes watchmaking beyond its more formal context and makes room for what makes these events truly memorable: getting together, exchanging ideas, and discovering just how much there is to explore around an interest as seemingly niche as watches.
From Milan to Dubai: a story yet to be written
“Off the Clock” is just the beginning. Following Milan Watch Week 2026, the partnership between MWW and DWW will continue through new initiatives in future editions. The focus is already on 2027, when Dubai Watch Week will return for its eighth edition.
Different cultures, sensibilities, and ways of experiencing the same passion can come together without losing their own identities. Milan and Dubai thus become two points in a conversation that can flow in both directions. “Off the Clock” will be the first opportunity to get started.
Milan Watch Week 2026: See you October 2–4
Before we turn our attention to Dubai, however, Milan awaits us.
Milan Watch Week 2026 returns October 2–4 at Palazzo Mezzanotte, in Piazza Affari, for three days dedicated to watchmaking and its community. The event will be open to the public upon registration, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on all three days. Registration is now open.
This year, among the events we have ahead of us, there will be one that, in a figurative sense, spans more than 4,000 kilometers. Milan Watch Week x Dubai Watch Week.
We’ll start in Milan, in the heart of Brera, and discover together where this conversation takes us!
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