Mon, Dec 1, 2014


Luxury Goods, Jewellery & Watches
Luxury brands salute UAE


International and local luxury brands have paid tribute to the UAE’s 43rd National Day, which will be celebrated tomorrow, with some exclusive products.

While Italy’s luxury house Salvatore Ferragamo and Swiss watchmaker Saint Honore have both revealed special edition watches to commemorate the occasion, the UAE’s Roja Parfums has created a scent simply called ‘United Arab Emirates - The Spirit of the Union.’

The Ferragamo 1898 special edition watches for men and for women have the colourful UAE flag printed at 6 o’clock on a silver sunray dial.

The 40-mm and 33-mm quartz watches have three hands. The movement is a Ronda 715 and a Ronda 785. The case is made of stainless steel with gold ion plating IP (4N), and Gancino-shaped top ring.

They are water resistant up to 30 m and have bracelets made of stainless steel with gold IP treatment (4N) and a butterfly buckle.

The classic-looking watches come at a retail price tag of Dh5,000 ($1,361) each.

Saint Honore’s specially designed UAE National Day Artcode watch, meanwhile, is billed as a “salute to the leaders and citizens of the country”.

“We have benefited enormously as a brand over the years of doing business in the UAE, thanks to the enormous support and co-operation of the authorities. The citizens and residents of the country have also received our timepieces with great enthusiasm,” says CEO Olivier Birault. “We are therefore extremely glad to be able to honour them by joining in their celebrations with a special watch to mark the occasion.”

Issued in a limited edition of just 43 pieces, the watch is described as a “perfect combination of a classic spirit and a sporty allure, designed for the stylish, casual, modern man”.

The Artcode owes its particularly eye-catching brand of relaxed chic to its harmonious craftsmanship and clean lines, as well as its construction that blends polished steel and brushed steel in a rose gold PVD finish.

Brushed on the top and polished around the side, the bezel is mounted on a 42-mm case bearing curved lugs and a slightly cambered middle, on which is positioned the crown with its specially truncated tapered shape and pronounced grooves.

The watch has a special dial marked ‘UAE Limited Edition’ featuring the four colours of the UAE flag. This timepiece, which also features a case back engraved with the UAE map, is also available at Paris Gallery stores and is priced at Dh 3,443 ($937).

Meanwhile, the new perfume created by British master perfumer Roja Dove is said to capture the Middle Easterner’s devotion to fragrances and honour the UAE’s deep-rooted love for perfumes.

“I spent three years working in the Middle East where I became fascinated with the odours I encountered. A luxurious exoticism carried itself in the air, which was rich, complex, and full of volume. In over 30 years of training, I had never come across a culture which held perfume so close to its heart - the ritual of scenting was engrained as part of everyday life. This unsurpassed passion cast a spell on me; I fell in love with the perfumes of the Middle East and the people who wore them.

“I created ‘United Arab Emirates - The Spirit of the Union’ to capture this devotion, in honour of the nation’s deep-rooted appreciation of perfume,” says Dove.

For the experts, the perfume’s top notes are bergamot and artemisia; its heart notes are jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, rose taif, blackcurrant bud, clove buds, and geranium; while its base notes are pink pepper, guaiacwood, cypriol, aoud, patchouli, oakmoss, cumin, cistus, benzoin, incense, labdanum, musk, and civet.

It sells at Dh2,610 ($710) for a 50-ml bottle.

The watches as well as the perfume are available at Paris Gallery stores across the UAE.





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