WatchTime, America’s best-selling luxury watch magazine, has announced the launch of its new Middle East edition. WatchTime Middle East — both print magazine and website — will be based in Dubai and sold throughout the entire region as well as all in large metro areas. The Middle East is one of the world’s fastest growing markets for fine watches.
Ebner Publishing International, parent company of WatchTime, controls one of the world’s largest families of watch magazines, with a combined monthly audience of more than 1 million unique readers. WatchTime and its sister magazines are available in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, including India, Japan, Korea, and China.
The new Middle East edition will be published by Gulf News, one of the region’s leading publishing houses. The company is regarded as one of the most innovative local media companies and publishes several luxury titles catering to an affluent audience.
WatchTime editor-in-chief Joe Thompson, will oversee the editorial strategy of WatchTime Middle East, working closely with the local team. Ebner Publishing CEO Gerrit Klein and WatchTime managing director Dominik Grau will attend the launch events to introduce WatchTime Middle East to the market. The events, hosted by Gulf News, will draw a high-profile crowd of affluent watch collectors, watch brand representatives, and well-known politicians and celebrities. WatchTime Middle East, an English-language magazine, will incorporate both translated material from the original, U.S.-based WatchTime edition as well as original material from the local editorial staff.
“We are very happy to welcome Gulf News as a great business partner,” says Gerrit Klein. “They share our strategy of publishing excellent media with the highest journalistic standards and an absolute focus on readers. Ebner Publishing has been a family-owned business with a global focus for 200 years and Gulf News is a respected authority with many years of experience in the Middle East – an ideal combination. We are sure that WatchTime Middle East will grow quickly and achieve the same reputation among watch fans, and the watch industry, that WatchTime USA has in the 15 years since its launch. We are proud to serve this market.”
Dominik Grau adds, “WatchTime Middle East is the next step in our international expansion strategy. Ebner Publishing has successfully launched WatchTime in North America, South America, India, and now in the Middle East. We will bring WatchTime to other emerging markets soon. I’m very pleased with the launch of our Middle East edition. The Gulf News team is doing a great job and we will try our very best to support them with our knowledge, expertise, and creativity, and with the global resources of Ebner Publishing.”
