Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the region’s most respected name in luxury watches and jewellery was established in 1950, making 2020 its 70th year as a market leader. To commemorate this landmark event, the company teamed up with the House of Bovet to design and present the 19Thirty Dimier UAE limited edition of just 50 timepieces. The distinctive black and yellow coloured timepiece is powered by an in-house movement with seven-day power reserve and a sapphire cristal open caseback.
The ’19Thirty’ in the title of this Bovet collection refers to the third decade of the last century, when the watch industry experienced one of its most significant transitions – from the pocket watches to the wristwatch. This transition offered the watchmakers the opportunity to explore new complications while having to reduce the overall dimensions of their timepieces.
Pascal Raffy, who revived the Bovet name in 2001 and an avid collector, wished to pay homage to this pivotal period in watchmaking history. For his inspiration, he picked a timepiece from his private collection: the “easel” chronometer. This was one of the last pocket watches to be manufactured by Bovet before wristwatches became widespread.
The collection’s dial design borrows the numbers and hands from the “easel” chronometer and combines them with pared-down aesthetics to highlight each timepiece’s haute horlogerie finishes. The collection has two distinct case designs. The Fleurier case has the crown and “bow” lugs at 12 o’clock, recalling the classic pocket watch layout. The Dimier case, the type chosen for the UAE edition, has the classical wristwatch layout with the crown positioned at 3 o’clock.
The distinctive dial of the UAE edition features blackened Côtes de Genève patterns and two yellow luminova subdials; one for the hours and minutes, and the other for the seconds. It has a rather unusual display of numerals in black; split evenly between the Arabic and European versions of the Indian numerals. This numeral duality was specifically chosen for this model and has been dubbed ‘MAMS’ or ‘Make All Moments Special.’ This is an ode to Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi, chief commercial officer at Seddiqi Holding, who shares the same initials. The dial also features a subtle inscription in cursive yellow font. It reads: ‘Curators of Time Since 1950,’ the official tagline of Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons.
Abdulmagied Seddiqi commented: “This timepiece marks an important milestone for Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons and the entire Seddiqi family. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience to work closely with Mr Raffy and the team at The House of Bovet to bring our vision to life and ensured we created something that was special. The watch has been over nine months in the making, and I would like to thank Mr Raffy for being open to the various design specifications we had in mind, a true testament to the long-standing partnership between the House of Bovet and Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons.”
The UAE edition has a 42mm case and features several firsts for the House of Bovet. These include the first-ever black DLC coated case, a yellow sapphire cabochon featured on the crown and, most notably, only the brand’s logo is displayed on the dial instead of the name. It is also the first time that a tagline from an external entity is featured on the dial of a Bovet timepiece. The 19Thirty Dimier model, with its distinguished specifications and combination of firsts, has been developed exclusively for Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons and its clients.
Pascal Raffy commented: “The UAE limited edition has been thought and handcrafted together with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons and notably Mr Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi. The House of Bovet is very proud and honoured to be part of such a celebration. The 50 Timepieces summarize our engineering brilliance as unique decorative skills while paying tribute to culture and education. Wishing everyone a very happy celebration of the 70Th anniversary of Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. Sending deep respect and appreciation to all Curators of Time.”
The limited-edition timepiece comes with a custom box from The House of Bovet accompanied by a unique Misbaha (prayer beads) featuring black onyx and yellow jade beads. This was another element added by Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi, highlighting the significance of the UAE limited edition and the Middle East market-inspired dial with an accessory that is commonly associated with this region. With the United Arab Emirates celebrating its 50th National Day in 2021, the 19Thirty Dimier UAE limited edition is the first in a long line of exclusives that are being created to celebrate the country’s milestone.
