Dennison used WatchPro Salon in London last year as a major springboard to relaunch a brand with historic ties to both the UK and United States.
The independent watchmaker introduced its now highly acclaimed retro TV-shaped watches with a range of stunning natural stone and sunray dials.
It was the first collection from a business that was originally founded in the United States, moved to the UK via Switzerland, and was brought back to life thanks to investment from Watches of Knightsbridge owner Toby Sutton, who now lives in Dubai.
The watches are designed by Emmanuel Gueit, whose career has seen him work for Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Piaget, among others.
History of Dennison
Dennison can trace its history back 150 years to 1874 when it was known as the Dennison Watch Case Company , based near Boston in Massachusetts.
It did not make complete watches, but became a major supplier of watch cases to the likes of Tudor, Longines, Rolex and IWC in the early- to mid-20th century.
The company’s reputation was built on its build quality, particularly for a patented water resistant case.
This was noticed by Smiths, a famous British watchmaker, who supplied watches using Dennison cases to Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay when they became the first climbers to conquer Mount Everest.
Dennison’s debut watches were named the A.L.D. collection after Dennison founder Aaron Lufkin Dennison, and come with a spectrum of different dials, all in a 37mm square cases that are water-resistant to 30 metres.
Cases are steel or gold-plated PVD and dials include malachite and lapis lazuli, along with a range of sunray colours.
The watches are powered by Ronda quartz movements and prices start at $490 for the sunray dials, with stone dials costing $690.
Dennison managing director Stephane Cheikh runs the operation from Geneva, and says the United States and the Middle East are the largest markets for the company.
He is delighted that WatchPro Salon is taking place in Dubai from May 16-17 at Banyan Tree, a spectacular venue with views across the Arabian Gulf to the famous Palm Island, and also in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in December this year.
“The Middle East is one of our top two markets right now, so we could not be happier to be part of WatchPro Salon in Dubai and Riyadh,” he says.
Mr Cheikh’s team is brimming with new ideas and concepts to expand the A.L.D. collection, all of which are under wraps for now.
He would disclose that a number of new stone dials will launch at Watchpro Salon Dubai, most likely including opal and amber treatments. There may also be more work with textured dials, as the watchmaker demonstrated with its Time For Art unique charity piece.