When people picture life in Dubai, they often imagine laid-back, sun-soaked excess. In reality, the city moves fast, driven by a work-focused demographic locked into the so-called ‘grindset’. While classic timepieces from Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Rolex remain as sought-after as ever, smartwatches are quickly becoming the go-to for those who want something more practical for daily wear. Whether it’s a solar-powered Garmin that’ll help you navigate desert terrain with a month of battery life, or the latest Apple Watch that keeps you connected to messages, meetings, and everything in between – here are the best smartwatches to buy in Dubai in 2025.
Garmin Fenix 8 Solar, 47mm and 51mm
If you’re more likely to spend your days mountain biking or exploring the desert than sitting in an office, Garmin’s Fenix 8 is one of the most dependable smartwatches on the market. Bulky and high-tech, it’s long been the go-to for athletes and adventurers seeking something sturdy and overbuilt rather than overstyled. The Solar Edition takes that ethos even further. Designed for outdoor endurance, it features a solar-charging Power Sapphire lens that extends battery life from impressive to extraordinary – up to 28 days in smartwatch mode, or 150 continuous hours with GPS. It’s especially effective in Dubai, where year-round sun is a given.
Housed in a rugged titanium bezel and tested to military-grade durability, the Fenix packs in multi-band GPS, heart rate and blood oxygen sensors, and real-time stamina tracking. It also includes built-in maps, offline music storage, and a flashlight. The watch isn’t exactly lightweight, and at 47mm or 51mm, it’s slightly too big to fit comfortably under a suit cuff. Prices in the UAE start around AED 4,500, depending on the model and strap.
If you’re seeking something more subtle and wearable, the 43mm Fenix is an excellent alternative. It swaps solar charging for a vivid AMOLED display, but still delivers an impressive 21-day battery life, easily outlasting most competitors.
Apple Watch (Ultra 2 and Series 10)
The Apple Watch is one of the best all-rounders, designed for high-performance users who spend as much time outdoors as they do online. The 49mm Ultra 2 is the brand’s most advanced model yet, housed in aerospace-grade titanium with a flat sapphire display and S9 chip. The watch is built to withstand impact, water (up to 100m), and altitude, with a bright 3,000-nit screen that stays visible even in full summer sun.
Other key features of the Ultra 2 include dual-frequency GPS, a depth gauge for diving (up to 40m), an emergency siren, and Apple’s signature wellness suite – including ECG and advanced sleep analysis. Battery life doesn’t compete with the likes of Garmin, but it has improved from the Series 9 and 10, offering up to 72 hours in low-power mode.
For something more design-forward, the Series 10 is Apple’s slimmest watch, and it can be paired with an exclusive Hermès strap collection crafted specifically for this model. It offers the same wellness and health tools, but with slightly less battery life and a shallower water-resistance rating compared to the Ultra. Prices for the Ultra 2 start from around AED 3,500, while the Series 10 ranges from AED 1,700 to AED 5,000+, depending on the strap choice.
TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4
If you're a watch traditionalist who still wants something that looks and feels like a mechanical timepiece, TAG Heuer’s Connected Calibre E4 is one of the few smartwatches that manages to honour horological heritage without sacrificing function. It’s available in both 42mm and 45mm, with case options in stainless steel or black titanium. This high-end smartwatch takes design cues from TAG’s mechanical lineup, with a rotating crown, tactile pushers, and a domed sapphire crystal.
While TAG is a historic Swiss watchmaker rather than a tech heavyweight like Apple or Garmin, its data metrics are surprisingly strong. Running on Google’s Wear OS, the E4 delivers everything from built-in GPS and heart rate monitoring to altimeter, barometer, compass, and guided workouts. You’ll also find voice commands via Google Assistant, Google Pay, and a curated suite of TAG-designed watch faces that mirror the mechanical dials.
One of the most unique features of the E4 is its translation capability. An ideal timepiece for frequent travellers, the watch supports on-the-go language translation directly from the wrist, including Arabic, French, Mandarin, and Japanese. In Dubai, it retails for around AED 4,100.
Garmin Forerunner 965
Whether it’s in a Hyrox arena or on the Kite Beach promenade, Dubai’s fitness crowd is easy to spot: reflective Oakleys, the latest Hokas, and, almost as standard kit, a trusty Garmin Forerunner. The 965 is the brand’s flagship for serious athletes – light enough for everyday training yet precise enough for a race day. Framed in a titanium bezel with a bright AMOLED screen, it delivers the kind of metrics endurance athletes obsess over: multi-band GPS, pulse oximeter, real-time stamina tracking, and Garmin’s new training readiness scores. It’s also an excellent navigation tool, with full-colour mapping and turn-by-turn directions – perfect for exploring off-road, hilly terrain like Mushrif Park.
While the Forerunner is slim and lightweight, the battery absolutely goes the distance, with up to 23 days in smartwatch mode and 31 hours in GPS. It’s a particularly good smartwatch for women, offering highly detailed menstrual cycle tracking through the Connect IQ app. Prices in Dubai start from around AED 2,500.
Montblanc Summit 3
In the increasingly experimental world of smartwatches, Montblanc stands out for crafting timepieces that are deliberately discreet and simple. Modelled after the brand’s iconic 1858 series, the Summit 3 reflects that philosophy with a restrained AMOLED display that mimics a classic chronograph dial. This is a smartwatch designed for those who want digital connectivity without compromising on a traditional, professional dress code.
Beneath its polished surface, the Summit 3 runs on Google’s Wear OS with the Snapdragon Wear 4100+ processor and offers GPS, heart rate and sleep tracking, Google Pay, voice commands, and app integration. Battery life extends to roughly a day, but stamina isn’t the focus here – its appeal lies in its subtlety. The Summit 3 retails from around AED 4,000 and is available with either a leather or rubber strap.
