Latest news with #QannatiObjetd'Art
Gulf Weekly
15-05-2025
- Business
- Gulf Weekly
A timely initiative
Qannati Objet d'Art, in collaboration with Bahrain Polytechnic, welcomed one of Switzerland's most respected horological educators, Pierre Christe, for a week-long training residency at Qannati Lab this month. The partnership between Swiss expertise and Gulf innovation is 'the region's first hands-on horology programme', Qannati Objet d'Art said in a statement. Hosted within Bahrain Polytechnic's campus, Qannati Lab is the first hands-on watchmaking education and production facility in the Gulf. The residency by Pierre, who is renowned for his work as a certified trainer at the Fondation Haute Horlogerie and instructor at WOSTEP (Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational Programme), offered Bahraini students the opportunity to learn under Swiss-level mastery in movement assembly, polishing, and fine finishing. 'We are honoured to host a figure of Pierre's standing,' Qannati Objet d'Art founder Mahmood Qannati, who established the brand seven years ago, said ahead of the programme. 'His residency symbolises a new era for horological education in the region. This partnership brings global craftsmanship to local talent and reinforces our ambition to position the GCC as a future hub for high-end watchmaking,' he added. Founded in Geneva, Fondation Haute Horlogerie is the global reference in fine watchmaking. Its mission is to safeguard and promote the art, history, and values of haute horlogerie through education, certification, and expert training worldwide. Qannati Objet d'Art creates bespoke wearable art inspired by Mesopotamian heritage and modern craftsmanship. Its educational arm, Qannati Lab, pioneers horology training in the GCC, with a long-term vision to establish the region as a centre for high-end watchmaking. Bahrain Polytechnic has played a critical role in enabling Qannati Lab's success, providing space, academic infrastructure, and cross-disciplinary collaboration with engineering, business, and design departments. The Polytechnic sees this as a step towards contributing to Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030, supporting creative industries as a driver of non-oil growth and regional innovation. 'At Bahrain Polytechnic, our mandate is to prepare a new generation of creative, technically skilled graduates who can contribute to Bahrain's economic transformation. This collaboration reflects our commitment to aligning education with future-focused industries – luxury design and watchmaking included,' Bahrain Polytechnic chief executive professor Ciarán Ó Catháin noted.
Daily Tribune
09-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Tribune
Swiss horology enters Bahrain classrooms
Qannati Objet d'Art has partnered with Bahrain Polytechnic to host Swiss horology master Pierre Christe for a week-long watchmaking residency, marking a milestone in luxury craftsmanship education in the Gulf. The residency, which began on Sunday at Qannati Lab on the Bahrain Polytechnic campus, will run until Thursday. It gives students a rare opportunity to learn fine watchmaking techniques—such as movement assembly and finishing—directly from a certified trainer of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) and instructor at Switzerland's WOSTEP. Hands-On Breakthrough Qannati Lab is the first practical horology education and production centre in the GCC. Its goal is to position Bahrain as a future hub for high-end watchmaking. The programme also aims to bridge Swiss-level craftsmanship with Gulf-based talent. 'We are honoured to host a figure of Pierre's standing,' said Mahmood Qannati, founder of Qannati Objet d'Art. 'This partnership brings global mastery to local hands and signals a new era for horological education in the region.' National Vision Bahrain Polytechnic CEO Professor Ciarán Ó Catháin said the collaboration reflects the institution's mission to prepare skilled graduates in future-focused industries, including luxury design and creative technology. The initiative aligns with Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030, which seeks to diversify the economy through innovation and non-oil sectors. Supported by the Polytechnic's academic infrastructure and cross-disciplinary teams, the residency is part of Qannati's broader effort to elevate Bahrain's standing in the world of haute horlogerie. The programme also follows Qannati Lab's international recognition in The New York Times, which highlighted it as the region's first serious effort to bring luxury watchmaking education to the GCC.
New York Times
07-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Building a Watchmaking Hub in Bahrain
Mahmood Qannati stood before a roomful of students at Bahrain Polytechnic and delivered the university's first-ever lecture on the fundamentals of watchmaking. The two-hour presentation in February opened the university's first undergraduate course on watches. Through May, Mr. Qannati and his team are providing lectures and hands-on training in key aspects of watchmaking, from history to assembly to marketing, to about two dozen college students, laying a foundation for the country's horological future. 'There was a huge demand for this course when we first put it on the roster in December,' Mr. Qannati said by phone from Manama, the capital of Bahrain, where he lives. 'But we decided to limit the size of the class because this is a first, and we didn't want it to get out of control.' Mr. Qannati, a marketing executive at a bank in Bahrain, is also a watch entrepreneur. In 2019, he founded Qannati Objet d'Art, a brand specializing in one-of-a-kind métiers d'art watches designed with intricate dials and sculpted details made from precious materials. Powered by Swiss movements, the Objet d'Art watches are crafted in France. Since introducing his debut collection in 2022, the Bahrain native has won awards in the Middle East and has sold timepieces to clients from Palm Beach, Fla., to Hong Kong. In 2024, he decided to pursue another vision: to locally develop Bahraini expertise in watches. 'I thought about producing a collection here in Manama,' he said. 'But the question was how can I do that and help Bahraini society at the same time. That is why I decided to invest in educating our first generation of watch professionals.' While Bahrain has no watchmaking tradition, the Middle East region is an important consumer of watches. Last year, exports of Swiss watches to the region were valued at 3.8 billion francs, or $4.3 billion, an increase of 622 percent in 25 years, according to figures published by the Swiss watch federation. Bahrain Polytechnic partnered with Mr. Qannati last year to introduce a watchmaking course led by him. In exchange for his time, he is allowed to use the classroom for his business outside of class hours to produce his Lab Edition watches, the brand's first generation of métiers d'art watches assembled in Bahrain, and a more affordable take on the brand's 'wearable art' timepieces. 'We call the space a lab, but it is a fully functional watchmaking workshop,' Mr. Qannati said. 'The collaboration with Qannati,' Ciarán Ó. Catháin, chief executive of Bahrain Polytechnic, wrote in an email, 'has opened avenues for students to delve into innovative business concepts that might otherwise be unattainable.' Mr. Qannati said, 'I have a staff of four Bahrainis for the Lab Editions; two in watch assembly, and two in dial customization. By the end of this semester, I hope to hire one of my students to help with watch servicing, which we outsource at the moment.' The strategy behind Qannati's Lab Edition watches was to expand the reach of the brand with a more accessible price point while preserving its exclusivity. Lab Edition watches retail for $2,000, while the higher-end métiers d'art watches are typically priced in the six figures, depending on the materials used. Made of stainless steel with a Swiss automatic Sellita SW100 movement, the Lab Edition watches come in two case options: a 41-millimeter round or a 44-millimeter tonneau, or barrel, shaped design, paired with a rubber strap. Above the watch dial, under the sapphire glass, a space is designed to accommodate a small bespoke sculpture, 3-D-printed in resin and designed using A.I.-based technology. 'We use A.I. to create any small three-dimensional design that the client requests,' Mr. Qannati said. 'I say this without shame, A.I. is the principal designer of our Lab Edition,' he said. 'For our Objets d'Art watches, nothing can replace the human touch.' Since the Lab Edition collection's debut in November, Mr. Qannati said, he has sold 102 pieces online or at trade fairs. The students enrolled in Mr. Qannati's class come from different educational backgrounds, but all are curious about watches. Half are women. 'Most of the students come from an engineering background,' Muhannad Alqassab, 22, a senior majoring in web media studies, said by phone from Manama. 'I am interested in luxury marketing and in 3-D techniques to design a watch.' 'Everyone here is interested in watches,' Mr. Alqassab said. 'Some dream of owning a watch brand.' The class curriculum covers the evolution of watch movements, with a comparative study of quartz and mechanical mechanisms. It also delves into watch design and modeling, precision assembly, and customization. Additional modules address luxury branding, A.I.-assisted design, as well as techniques in watch photography and digital presentation. Next, Mr. Alqassab said, 'We will be assembling our own custom-made watches.' To graduate from the program, 'every student must design and assemble their own Lab Edition watch,' Mr. Qannati said. 'We will provide only a Swiss quartz movement and a sapphire crystal. The rest is up to them.' For the hands-on training this month, Mr. Qannati retained the services of Pierre Christe, a seasoned Swiss watchmaker and instructor who taught at Bulgari for 30 years. The two met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November at a watchmaking seminar hosted by a Saudi influencer. 'I was invited to Riyadh to present a history of watches followed by a watch assembly demonstration to a group of 25 watch fans,' Mr. Christe said by phone from Lausanne, Switzerland, where he lives. 'There was a lot of enthusiasm in the class. Many of the students had expensive watches on their wrist, but few had any notion of what makes a watch tick.' In Bahrain, Mr. Christe will show the university students how to assemble a mechanical movement from the Swiss company ETA. 'We will do things properly, the Swiss way,' he said. 'It won't be tinkering.' Looking ahead, Mr. Qannati said he planned to expand this educational model beyond Bahrain and establish similar 'teaching labs' in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. 'The Bahraini government is aware of our partnership with the university,' Mr. Qannati said. 'If we produce tangible results, we might ask for state backing. For now, we are pushing forward on our own.' 'Being in the lab has become the most enjoyable part of my day,' he said. 'We are creating Bahrain's new generation of watch entrepreneurs.'
