THE JOURNAL
Held every other year in the heart of the emirate, Dubai Watch Week has made a name for itself as the luxury watch world’s cooler, more laid-back event. Not hard, say the cynics, but with an audience of collectors flocking from around the world to attend, a more open-door approach than you’ll ever find in Switzerland, and a climate that’s just a tad more agreeable, DWW is having the last laugh. Crucially, if any event is going to represent the contemporary, switched on side of the industry, it needs to reflect the ever-closer integration of men’s style with horology. With that in mind, MR PORTER sent its keen-eyed photographer to profile five of the best-dressed attendees.
01. The varsity blues
Old-school Polo cap; dad-spec throwback New Balance sneakers (a pair of Made in the UK 991s, if you’re asking); the crumpled corduroy tote – everything is hitting the right notes. The slightly heavier weight T-shirt with its dinky little turn-ups, even that’s doing its bit. And did you notice the gold chain? You didn’t, did you? Of course the Apple watch is a statement of its own at a luxury watch fair – but sometimes it’s good to be brand-agnostic. We’d like to see a Ressence on there, though, that could really make things interesting.
02. The classic khaki
Adopting one of the watch world’s time-honoured poses, the “watch in front of blazer”, we find our attention drawn to a brand new Louis Vuitton Tambour in rose gold. The outfit could well have been built around the watch, with a mixture of warm brown and desert tones, offset by the pale blue shirt. The windowpane-check blazer is allowed to dominate, with echoes in the frame of the glasses as well as the rich brown of the watch dial.
03. The confident blazer
The unstructured blue blazer: a go-to staple of every man’s wardrobe. What’s elevated this double-breasted number is the choice to wear it over a thin white knit – a not untransparent one with a deep neckline at that. But look at that stance and the set of the jaw. Our man’s not worried, not for a second. Sometimes, that’s the difference between a look that works and one that doesn’t.
04. When footwear beats workwear
You can’t go wrong with a trusty overshirt, and we’re here for the classic chino as well, but the box-fresh sneakers are the star of this show. This pair of Reebok x Pyer Moss “Experiment 4 Fury Trail Glory” first dropped in 2019. The toothed outersole is more than a match for hours spent pounding the exhibition halls.
05. The almost monochrome
Also known as “a little lesson in layering” and “how not to over-accessorise”, this gentleman has kept it muted throughout. From the oversized long-sleeved tee to the simple black trousers, which are mercifully neither too long nor too short. That leaves some room for the jewellery – a simple silver chain with pendant and earrings – to shine. The shouldn’t-work-but-does of it all is the blue Nike cap. Is the silver Swoosh a conscious link to the rest of the accessories? Let’s say it is.
The people featured in this story are not associated with and do not endorse MR PORTER or the products shown