DESERT DREAMING

Inspired by the region’s vista, the Moritz Grossmann ‘Sands of Time’ incorporates UAE vernacular into its design codes with the use of a camel leather strap, dual-colour dials, representing the colours of the desert at sunset and the clever use of multi-layered sapphire crystal discs that contain sands of the UAE desert. Crafted using only pure and semi-precious materials, the dials are made from both anthracite and German silver, the case is burnished stainless steel with a bronze inner ring, and the hands of the watch have been hand crafted, annealed to a brown-violet hue, with the second hand polished white.

The very essence of the desert is captured in the body of the watch as sand from all seven emirates of the UAE has been collected and combined to provide the perfect blend. Each Emirate’s sand has a unique colour palette due to the variance in mineral composition; sand from Ras Al Khaimah tends to be a white colour due to the presence of sandstone, Abu Dhabi’s light red colour is attributed to iron oxide, Umm al-Qaiwain’s has a blueish/grey tinge from the iron in its reduced condition. Sand from Ajman has a cream colour, possibly due to greater sediment of white coral; Dubai’s sand is a darker red due to a higher concentration of iron oxide; Sharjah’s is brown and Fujairah’s is the closest to black, which is specific to its dark-coloured mountain range. The final result is a touching tribute to the unity of the UAE. Sands of Time is limited to 18 pieces, which can be customized with the initials of the owner. For more information or to purchase, please email pasha.shoaib@seddiqi.com