A really interesting 1980s-era Alfred Dunhill Swiss quartz wristwatch, made all the more collectible by its Middle Eastern / UAE-style emblem dial.
The watch has a smart two-tone look with a brushed steel case and gold-tone bezel, paired with an original Dunhill leather strap with gold-tone buckle. The dial is classic and very “Dunhill”: white Roman numerals, neat minute dots, and a date window at 6 o’clock. The standout detail is the printed emblem/shield on the dial – the sort of corporate or government presentation marking that makes these pieces far more interesting than the standard production versions.
The caseback is engraved “WATER RESISTANT – 10 YEARS SERVICE – SWISS MADE – QUARTZ”, which strongly suggests this was a long-service award / presentation watch, rather than something bought off the shelf.
Middle Eastern / Gulf presentation dials are a real niche in collecting. Branded dials linked to government departments, state-owned companies, or official organisations are often kept and treasured, and they stand out immediately in a collection. Articles on “logo dial” watches note that the Middle East produced a meaningful number of these, frequently tied to government organisations rather than purely commercial brands.
Watches have historically been used in the region as state gifts / rewards / tokens of recognition, which fits perfectly with the “10 years service” engraving on the back.
If your hunch is Abu Dhabi / ADNOC related, it’s worth noting ADNOC was founded in 1971 and became one of the best-known state-linked organisations in the UAE—exactly the sort of employer that would issue long-service awards.
Alfred Dunhill Ltd. is a world known English company, aJaeger-Lecoultre Atmos regulator for Alfred Dunhill brand of men's products de-luxe, which provides the true connoisseurs of the English luxury with clothing, leather accessories, writing implements, jewelries, lighters, fragrances and, of course, watches. The brand’s founder is Alfred Dunhill, the son of entrepreneur who owned a famous saddler business in London. But the 20 century replaced horses with more practical and powerful automobiles. It gave enterprising people a wide range of possibilities, and the company of Dunhill began its development with the production of accessories and clothing for the first drivers. The slogan of Alfred (1872-1959) said: “It must be practical, safe, beautiful, and durable, and it must be the best”. More than 100 years this philosophy underlies the Dunhill's business. Few people know that Alfred Dunhill started his way to the world of beautiful and sophisticated things in 1893. The first shop “Dunhill's Motorities” was opened at Euston road, London. Since 1903 this shop had watches in sale. Those water resistant watches caused a great sensation in foggy London. Dunhill became interested in wrist watches in the middle of 20s. They were distinguished by novelty and vivid design. The regular customers had an opportunity to choose different watches in the catalogues: square, round, diamond-shaped, men, and women watches. By the end of 20s a wide range of bracket clocks appeared in the watch collection. However, the audience was mostly admired by the design know-how in 1926: the clocks were built in the case of classic lighter “Unique”. The trend of unusual things remained, and in 1928 the watch «Reversible» were built in the silver buckle of men belt. The wrist watches and writing implements appeared in the collection when the contract with Japanese Namiki was concluded.
As with all our stock this piece comes fully serviced by our on-site workshop and with a 12 month, non-waterproof service cover.
What we think
I love this AD model and its one of my favourite watches from the 1990s collection this the neo-vintage style along with that fabulous banded T-bar not to dissimilar to the Cartier Vendome Models along with cabochon crown and in our opinion equal in quality. The perfect watch for a vintage watch newbie who prefers the look without the patina, or anyone looking for a great piece at a very attractive price. You'll be sure to get lots of people asking you about this special watch! It is a comfortable fit and looks great on both men and women. A real design winner from Alfred Dunhill again.
This is the kind of watch that sells on story + originality. The design itself is clean and wearable (simple Roman dial, date, slim profile), but the real charm is that it appears to be a proper period service award piece—the caseback engraving is exactly what you’d expect on an employee presentation watch.
There’s also a strong collector angle here: “logo dial” watches from the Gulf region are increasingly appreciated because they’re less common, more personal, and often tied to a specific time/place—and that’s before you even factor in the Dunhill name and the very ‘80s two-tone aesthetic.
Spec Stuff
Reference : Millennuim Abu Dhabi / ADNOC Oil
Movement : Swiss quartz ETA
Age : 1981/1990
Specific Age : 1980s
Case Size : 32mm
Case Thickness : 6.8mm
Lug to Lug : 40mm Lugs : 17mm Condition : Pre-Owned Box & Papers : No Case Material : Steel & Gold Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
1980s Alfred Dunhill Millennuim swiss quartz unisex Wristwatch with Abu Dhabi / ADNOC Oil Logo
