Watches Online: The Dubai Edit

Rémy Julia was appointed as Christie’s Dubai’s regional specialist for watches in the summer of 2014. He comes to Christie’s with more than 10 years of experience working with luxury brands in brand management and business development roles. Heading the Commercial Development in the Middle East and Indian Sub Continent of Vacheron Constantin since 2009, Remy has joined the auction world with a strong knowledge and reputable name in the fine watchmaking industry. Over the years at Christie’s, he has participated in mentoring some of the strongest watch specialist at Christie’s and established a multicultural team that constitutes the power of the Dubai watches hub along with Bob Xue and Nitin Nair. Leading the region’s largest auctions of collectible watches, he has ensured a constant and solid growth from the first auction in October 2014 with 1,2M USD to an impressive level setting a new benchmark for online auctions globally with blockbuster sales in March 2021 ($15 million), October 2021 ($10,5 million) and March 2022 ($12 million), Watches Online: The Dubai Edit returns every six months. The Dubai Watches hub is also leading the private sale with transactions over $30 million in 2022, which is explained by the desire to transact quicker and anonymously for the important collectors on the post pandemic era. Strong results comes with memorable watches to his ranking such as the Emperor Haile Selassie Patek Philippe Ref. 2497 sold for 2,9 million USD, the King Farouk Patek Philippe Ref 1518J sold for 912,500 USD, and the historically important Patek Philippe minute repeater of Henry Graves Jr sold for 4,575,000 USD. Rémy is a columnist for various publications among them WatchTime Middle East and India or QP magazine. He is a well-known watch advisor at Christie’s watch department both on the purchase and consignment side, ensuring success of Christie’s watches auctions around the world. Rémy speaks French, Spanish, English and some Arabic. He has travelled extensively since a young age and has a deep knowledge of the Middle Eastern culture due to his long residency in the region. His advisory & curation services are appreciated and acknowledged by some of the largest global collectors and his presence in each international auctions makes him a strong contact for every watch enthusiasts and established collectors willing to participate in an auction. Remy has a particular affection for vintage Patek Philippe chronographs and time only timepieces from 1940 to 1970 and is a member of the board of Dubai Watch Week.

Nitin Nair’s move to Christie’s this year comes on the back of his successful tenure as the launch editor of WatchTime Middle East, the region’s leading watch publication. He spent seven years focused on the niche of luxury watches, creating and curating content as well as organising events for the local collecting community. He was on the jury of WatchStars, an independent international watch awards featuring an international community of watch journalists and has been quoted as a thought leader in international titles like The New York Times. His background as a journalist with more than 18 years of experience across news and men’s luxury lifestyle titles gives him a clear and balanced view of the luxury and collectibles industry. Nitin’s interest in wristwatches is more rooted in academia and horology, given his love for history and literature. He reckons watches and horology sit at the intersection of art, micro-engineering, and history. He has visited manufactures in Switzerland, Germany, and Japan over the years and has covered the auction scene in the Middle over the last seven years. He has consulted with retail brands about engaging with the community and is considered a tastemaker among his peers.

In just a matter of five years, Bob Xue has established himself as trusted watch specialist in the global Christie’s team. Bob’s background prior to his watch career is a success story starting from hospitality at The Jumeirah Group -Burj Al Arab-, from where he moved to become a top performing luxury fashion front liner for Giorgio Armani. He then moved to Vacheron Constantin, where he spent four years developing the retail business for the brand in Dubai, prior to his move to the auction world. As the only Mainland Chinese national in the Christie’s Watch Department, Bob has cultivated a well-oiled network of clients and traders building a bridge between the Middle East and China. He is also Yop individual performance in private sales in H1 2022 so far. Bob has in recent years focused on the market of vintage Patek ,Richard Mille and gold Rolex Daytona ‘Paul Newman’ chronographs and has curated several watch collections. Bob is a UAE resident for over 17 years, well blended into the middle eastern culture, he has a soft spot for vintage Rolex Day-Date Stella dial and hopes to build a formidable collection for himself one day.