Perrelet x Diaa Allam

On the occasion of Dubai Watch Week, the historic and prestigious Maison Perrelet unveils the “Perrelet x Diaa Allam”, a limited edition timepiece in the Turbine collection designed in collaboration with Diaa Allam, one of the United Arab Emirates’ most renowned artists and performers.

In tribute to its founder, Abraham-Louis Perrelet, the master watchmaker credited with inventing the first self-winding movement in 1777, Perrelet concentrates its expertise on the mechanical elements that govern the winding mechanism. Over two centuries later, in 1995, the company patented the Double Rotor technology, featuring two rotors — one conventionally located on the case back and a second rotor positioned on the dial side. The rotation of these two perfectly synchronised rotors supplies energy to the barrel. This provides the mechanism with a constant source of energy, ensuring faster and more efficient winding of the movement than with a conventional system.

Later, in 2009, the company patented the Turbine technology, distinguished by a propeller-shaped rotor with free rotation, powered by the movements of the wrist. Although it has no functional winding purpose and serves solely as a decorative element, the turbine quickly became a distinctive feature of Perrelet’s creations, elevating the collection to iconic status within the brand. The driving force behind its success comes from the extraordinary optical effects created by the subjects illustrated on the lower dial. Consequently, the Maison has always regarded the Turbine as an exercise in creativity and innovation, allowing designers to unleash their imagination and explore new themes and motifs.

An artistic collection

Perrelet is no stranger to collaborations with renowned figures in the art world. In 2024, the company teamed up with The Dial Artist (Chris Alexander) to create a one-of-a-kind piece, which was auctioned at Time for Art in New York to support contemporary art. This year, it was the turn of seconde/seconde/ (Romain André) for an ironic and appealing limited edition, which was a huge hit among collectors.

Recently, the prestigious Manufacture has gone even further. It turned to one of the United Arab Emirates’ most internationally renowned artists: Diaa Allam. A specialist in Arabic calligraphy, he is renowned for his live performances, during which he creates enormous murals that significantly impact the urban landscape.

His avant-garde style, which renews the tradition of Arabic calligraphy with a highly modern sensibility, and his skilful use of colour combinations immediately capture the attention, as does the splendid three-dimensional effect that emerges from his works. 

A work of art to be sported on your wrist

The latest creation from the Bienne-based Company, which will be presented at the seventh edition of Dubai Watch Week, is the new Perrelet x Diaa Allam, featuring a painting on the lower-dial that the Emirati artist created exclusively for the brand. The painting depicts an interweaving of multicoloured segments inspired by wickerwork, a traditional craft in the artist’s country of origin involving the hand-weaving of palm leaves. Wickerwork is a traditional craft in the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the region. It involves the creation of various items, such as mats, baskets, and containers.

The Arabic letters, with their soft, rounded strokes, adorning the lower dial, can be admired as the turbine spins. As usual, the faster the rotation, the more the spectacular calligraphic work emerges in all its beauty. Despite its small size, Diaa Allam’s technical virtuosity has created an impressive sense of depth at the intersection of the differently coloured lines.

A sought-after dial

From an aesthetic standpoint, not only does the all-black look of the Perrelet x Diaa Allam enhance the multicoloured bursts on the dial, but every detail is also designed to highlight the calligraphic work of the artist.The hour track features the traditional alternating raised indices and numerals, the latter in Arabic characters. All indices, including the minute track and the central hour and minute hands, are white. The red seconds hand provides an additional touch of colour. The legibility of the display is ensured in all conditions by the Super-LumiNova® coating.

The dial is dominated by the emblem of the collection itself: the turbine, which gives the watch its precise and unmistakable identity.Composed of 12 blades in black anodised aluminium, with 5 tungsten counterweights positioned beneath,the turbine requires perfect balancing during assembly to rotate around its axis with every slight movement and then return to its resting position.The meticulous craftsmanship required to achieve this level of precision is a testament to the expertise of the master watchmakers at the Manufacture.

A distinctive design

Lightweight and comfortable, the round case measures 41 mm in diameter, is water-resistant to 10 atm and is made of grade 2 titanium blackened by a DLC treatment. Titanium is an extraordinarily lightweight metal alloy that is both shock- and corrosion-resistant, and hypoallergenic. The carbon-based DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating improves its resistance to external agents further, making it virtually unalterable over time. 

The bezel is flat and polished, and the case middle features distinctive, wide, vertical grooves. The slightly flared crown has the same grooves to ensure a better grip when winding or setting the time.

The triple lugs characteristic of the collection hold the rubber strap, which fastens to the wrist with a pin buckle. An anti-reflective sapphire crystal protects the dial and case back. The latter bears two inscriptions: the first, in Arabic, translates as “The pulses of the heart do softly chime, life is but seconds—fleeting steps in time”, while the second, in English, indicates that this timepiece is limited to an edition of 50. Below, you can see the dancing of the oscillating weight and decorated movement components. 

https://perrelet.com/en-GB