The global market for watches itself is projected to grow strongly to exceed SR121 billion by 2010, a consumer show organizer said on Saturday. “Consumers have moved away from making watches a-once-in-a-lifetime purchase to owning an array of watches to harmonize with their outfits, leisure pursuits and social status,” said Suman Manning, director of Consumer Shows, Reed Exhibitions Middle East. Manning noted that the demand for luxury watches is growing at an impressive CAGR of 4 percent through to 2010 despite facing stiff competition from electronic gadgets such as cell phones, MP3 players, iPods, Palm Pilots, digital radio, and other devices that display time. “The overall market for watches has managed to post a positive growth owing to increasing demand for luxury brands in the high-end market segment despite low volumes." After a series of successful watch and jewelry shows around the world including prominent industry events in Paris, London, Toronto, Vancouver, Kobe, Tokyo and New Delhi, Reed Exhibitions announced the staging of International Jewelry & Watch Show Abu Dhabi (JWS). The event is scheduled to take place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) on Oct. 22-26, 2008. The Abu Dhabi event heralds a worldwide growth in the watch and jewelry business. JWS is expected to showcase the most desirable jewelry and watches in the city that has more than 90 percent of UAE's oil production. __
