30 October

The day in brief

Mavericks of Time, the independent watchmaking show run by Ahmed Seddiqi, closes today in Abu Dhabi, and Kerbedanz is using it to make its debut with the Emirati retailer with an exclusive Maxima GR8 in white ceramic and baguette diamonds.

In Mexico City, SIAR has taken stock of its 20th edition: 50 brands, 4,007 visitors and nearly 200 journalists over three days.

In the industry, Rolex has begun publishing the prices for servicing its watches, and Watches of Switzerland has reopened a Rolex boutique in Glasgow after a year of works, with twice the floor space and a service workshop in full view of customers.

Mavericks of Time closes in Abu Dhabi with Kerbedanz's debut at Ahmed Seddiqi

Mavericks of Time, the show Ahmed Seddiqi devotes to independent watchmaking, ends today, 30 October, at the Space42 Arena in Abu Dhabi, where it is open from 3pm to 10pm local time. The exhibitor list brings together houses such as Greubel Forsey, H. Moser & Cie., Bovet, Universal Genève, Ressence, Urwerk, De Bethune, Laurent Ferrier and Rexhep Rexhepi with younger brands such as Studio Underd0g, Atelier Wen and Kollokium.

Founded in 1950, Ahmed Seddiqi is one of the leading watch and jewellery retailers in the United Arab Emirates. It was at the show that Kerbedanz, the independent Neuchâtel house founded in 2011 by Kalust Zorik and Aram Petrosyan, announced it was joining the retailer's network. For Vahé Vartzbed, the brand's CEO since the end of 2025, the partnership "represents an important milestone in Kerbedanz's international development".

To mark the partnership, the brand presented an exclusive version of the 39 mm Maxima GR8. The case is white ceramic; the bezel and crown are grade 5 titanium and carry 70 and 18 VVS1 baguette diamonds respectively, for a total of 88 stones and 6.54 carats.

Setting stones in titanium is more demanding than in gold. Gold is malleable and yields to the setter's tools; titanium is harder and less ductile, which makes it more difficult to prepare each seat and secure each stone. With the rectangular baguette cut, any misalignment breaks the continuous line of diamonds around the bezel.

At the centre of the dial is the one-minute central flying tourbillon, the signature of the Maxima GR8. Because it is a flying tourbillon, the cage is supported on one side only, with no upper bridge, and is fully visible; since the hours and minutes are shown on the periphery, the centre of the watch is left entirely to the tourbillon. The self-winding KRB-13 calibre has 233 components and 32 jewels, beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) and has two barrels mounted in parallel, which give it a power reserve of around 65 hours. The edition is limited to 28 pieces, at a recommended price of 220,000 Swiss francs excluding taxes.

Find out more on the organiser's website.

SIAR closes its 20th edition with 4,007 visitors in Mexico City

The Salón Internacional de Alta Relojería (SIAR) has taken stock of its 20th edition, held from 20 to 22 October at the St. Regis hotel in Mexico City, as the Radar reported on 21 October. According to figures published by WorldTempus, the show welcomed 50 brands, 4,007 visitors and nearly 200 accredited journalists.

First-time exhibitors included Nomos Glashütte, Block RG, Kudoke, Pragma, Singer Reimagined and Unimatic. Hautlence, Cvstos, Louis Erard and Raymond Weil presented pieces dedicated to Mexico, and Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo, offered watch valuations during the show.

Deloitte presented its study of the Swiss watch industry at SIAR for the second time. Mexico accounts for almost half of Swiss watch exports to Latin America, which explains the show's weight in the region. "Our task is no longer simply to open the door," said Carlos Alonso, SIAR's founder and director.

Rolex publishes the prices for servicing its watches

Rolex has begun publishing on its website the prices for a complete service of its watches, organised by model and production period. According to WatchPro, which reported the change on 29 October, it is the first time the brand has made a service price list public.

In the United Kingdom, servicing a current model with a six-digit reference costs £550 for watches such as the Datejust, Explorer, Land-Dweller or Oyster Perpetual, £640 for the Submariner, GMT-Master II or Yacht-Master, and £780 for the Cosmograph Daytona, Sky-Dweller or Yacht-Master II. Classic models, with five-digit references, range from £830 to £1,190. Vintage watches, with four-digit references, start at £1,380 and reach £7,350 for chronographs and moonphase models, which only the Rolex Restoration Atelier in Geneva can work on.

For current and classic models, the price includes the labour for servicing the movement and testing water resistance, and parts such as screws, springs, wheels, lubricants, acrylic crystals, gaskets and tubes. Work on the case and bracelet is charged separately, and polishing is optional, for an extra £140. Estimates are free for these models; for vintage pieces, the analysis costs £230 if the customer declines the service.

The watch can be handed in at any official retailer. The movement is fully dismantled and every part examined; those that do not meet the brand's standards are replaced. The components are cleaned ultrasonically, reassembled, lubricated and tested for precision and water resistance, and the service carries a two-year guarantee.

The price scale follows the complexity of the work: a chronograph has many more parts to dismantle, clean and adjust than a watch with hours, minutes and date. For vintage watches, the movement's wear parts are subject to availability, and the rarest references go to the restoration workshop in Geneva.

Find out more on the brand's website.

Watches of Switzerland reopens a Rolex boutique in Glasgow with twice the space

The Watches of Switzerland Group has reopened the Rolex boutique on Buchanan Street in Glasgow after a year of works. According to WatchPro, which visited it on 28 October, the store now covers more than 6,600 square feet (about 613 m²) over two floors, twice the area of the original boutique, which opened in July 2020.

The boutique has gained an area for watches certified by the brand under the Rolex Certified Pre-Owned programme, and an authorised service centre, with Rolex-trained watchmakers working in the store itself and a window looking into the workshop. The chandeliers at the entrance are inspired by the Cyclops lens that magnifies the date on the brand's watches.

The group's relationship with Rolex goes back to 1919 and the Northern Goldsmiths showroom in Newcastle. Brian Duffy, the group's CEO, grew up in Glasgow.

Find out more on the store's website.

What deserves attention

After-sales service is becoming more visible: Rolex is publishing its servicing prices and Watches of Switzerland is putting its Glasgow workshop in view of customers. For anyone buying a pre-owned or vintage watch, the cost of maintenance is now known from the outset.

In Singapore, the auction house Hotlotz will begin selling, on 9 November in online auctions, watches seized in the investigation into money laundering of around three billion dollars launched in August 2023. According to WatchPro, the first lots include three Patek Philippe perpetual calendars, references 5270R, 5270P and 5740/1G, and a Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art Ajourées; the proceeds go to the State of Singapore.

In Geneva, the November auction week opens with Phillips on 7 and 8 November, followed by Sotheby's on 8 and 9, and Christie's on 9 November.