SimplyAbuDhabi XII

1 4 0 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority Hind Seddiqi & Claude Sfeir “This year the members of the jury were chosen because they had some connection with art, not always a direct connection but something which is related to the art. I would really like to continue on this path and we have had a great success inDubai, I am very happy with everything, the event, the audience which attended, and we would be very happy to return to Dubai or another Emirate of the UAE. I would love to return next year.” “It is a mission that the Grand Prix has taken to educate and that’s why we have included workshops, collectors speaking about what to look for and how to participate in an auction, this is very important for two reasons; firstly, for the culture we need to show people why watches are so expensive and why despite being expensive people still want to buy them. And secondly, to show the work that is behind those watches and the complications and time that people dedicated to make those watches complete with the enthusiasm behind making the watches. The most important thing is time and it is valuing that time. In previous years, a well known brand won the GPHG and they had the idea of creating a watch which suspended time because sometimes when you are doing something nice or you are with your loved ones you don’t want to look at the time, so you could press a button and the time would stop and you could enjoy the time. Then when you return to work even 2 or 3 days later you simply press a button and the time would resume in the correct actual time!” “I met Hamied Seddiqi in Geneva when he was a member of the Jury in the Grand Prix and we became friends, we used to meet up every time Hamied came to Geneva and I also met the Seddiqi family at the inauguration of the Rolex Tower in Dubai, which Hamied had previously invited me to whilst I was promoting a Swiss product in Masdar City Abu Dhabi with the Swiss delegation. I wanted very much to bring the GPHG to this part of the world, especially the UAE, and I needed someone reliable who I could trust which was Hamied. We planned the event, I was here in the Spring to put some final touches to the event and see the gallery, and I was so pleasantly surprised to see that it had been done in the most professional way it could ever be done. It is very important to us that the watches are well presented, the value of the watches is well shown and that they are being appreciated.” LudwigOechslin –Curator, the international watch and clockmuseum in LaChaux-de- Fonds, Switzerland “I amthe director of the international watch and clockmuseuminLaChaux-de- Fonds and I’mbehind this exhibition. TheGrandPrix d'Horlogerie deGenève is a foundation and I make part of the council of the foundation. Carlo Lamprecht is the President of the foundation and the council, and I make part of the foundation for the city LaChaux-de-Fonds, representing theMuseum.” “I was one of the people who founded the foundation together with Carlo Lamprecht. Four years ago we established the foundation and we have the good lucktomake theGPHGbigger andbetter thanever.Before I joinedthe foundation I was amember of the jury, and now I workwith the quality of the Jury, I choose the members and regalement of the Jury, plus the consulting of the Jury to find the right way for them to choose, as we have to explainwhat wemean regarding each category.” “I amalso there tomake the negotiationwith the brands, tomake sure the watch is in the right category,whichcanbe a littledifficult sometimes,wehave todiscuss it but I cannot obligate anyone and they can choose the category theywant. Only when I think itwouldbe better for themto change the category I canpropose but I cannot force it. Then I attend the exhibition and give presentations and workshops.”