Luxury watch created by entrepreneur celebrates UAE-Israel deal
Watch aficionado and entrepreneur Morris Weiss commissioned the watch to reflect his love for the Jewish state.
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDSAn IDW customer in his Bentley(photo credit: Courtesy)
A watch aficionado and entrepreneur has decided to celebrate the recent UAE-Israel normalization deal in a unique way: by creating a limited edition watch to mark the occasion.Dubbed the Israeli Designer Watch (IDW), the piece features a transparent, individually numbered case back, allowing the inner workings of the watch - a mixture of brushed and polished steel – to be seen. The face features a Star of David, while the blue hands and time markings are a nod to the colors of the Israeli flag.An automatic watch – as opposed to a battery-powered quartz watch – the movement of the wearer powers the watch, a feature prized by watch connoisseurs. The crown at the side of the watch, which allows the time to be adjusted, is also topped with a Star of David. The watch also incorporates the high-end design which is a hallmark of Swiss watches.The piece is the brainchild of watch entrepreneur Morris Weiss, who at 29 has recently made aliyah from Britain."The IDW watch is my personal expression of my love for Israel – the physical beauty of the land of Israel and the beauty that isn’t always seen, the sense of unity and brotherhood, a millennia-long resilience in the face of adversity and the contributions of the Jewish people to wider society, often disproportionate to our numbers," Weiss said.He added: "The new Peace Accords between the UAE and Israel bring with them a moment of enormous hope for the region, a time to reflect on our similarities – our shared passion for family, for thinking big and for the finer things in life. I believe the Peace Accords will go a long way to help our nations understand each other’s way of life and way of doing business.”Weiss has been "mad about watches" since before his bar mitzvah – although his first venture, while still at school in Manchester when he was 12, was in the vending machine business.At 20 he began to trade in Swiss watches, including Breitling, Rolex and Jaeger-LeCoultre, before setting up The Watch Exchange five years ago to deal in pre-owned watches. His customer base now spans five continents."I’d love to see the IDW on the wrists of world leaders celebrating the Peace Deal," Weiss said. "I’m now considering creating a watch with the Israeli flag and the UAE flag combined. I've even had some interest for a commemorative watch for Aston Villa’s shocking football score recently against Liverpool."Justine Zwerling, a founding member of the UAE Israel Business Council said: "There is no better time for business partnerships and friendships than now as the world looks to rebound from the pandemic. This is the time to create business partnerships between our two countries. We are living in unprecedented times where every day there are new announcements of business cooperation between our countries."The IDW watch is symbolic and captures how far we have come in such a short time."Watches in the limited edition of 300 are priced at £395 (NIS 1,760) and are available from www.idweditions.com
