DUBAI — Marc A. Hayek, chief executive officer of Blancpain and a diving enthusiast, launched the brand’s “most extreme” watch ever produced under extreme circumstances — submerged in the world’s largest aquarium at the world’s largest shopping mall.
After revealing the XFathoms to an audience of media and collectors gathered at the Dubai Mall, Hayek said he chose to premiere the watch in Dubai, months ahead of the Baselworld trade fair. “This is a country of superlatives, it had to be here,” he said.
The watch, which will come on market by the middle of next year, is a reinterpretation of the company’s iconic Fifty Fathoms, originally developed for French Navy combat divers in 1953.
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“I’d like to bring the first watch to Dubai since this is where it had the world premiere,” said Hayek.
The price has not been set yet, but Hayek said it would be between 30,000 and 40,000 thousand Swiss Francs, or $34,080 to $45,440 at current exchange rates. The company plans to develop between 30 and 50 pieces.
The United Arab Emirates, he said, represents a very important market for the company, not just in terms of sales figures, but the diverse client base. “It’s a country where you have customers from different places, making it a great place to see what works and what clients want,” he said.
Hayek told WWD that he is extremely positive about the company’s prospects. “At the moment we are heavily running behind the demand. Keeping up with capacity and production is a huge problem, a really nice problem to have,” he said.