In a region where we don’t think twice about leaving our phones on display on café tables, or our handbags an aisle away in our supermarket shopping trolleys, sometimes security concerns can feel like something from another world. But here in the Middle East, where haute horology is a lifestyle, not a hobby, Dubai’s most serious collectors are turning to a new kind of luxury essential: the bespoke watch and jewellery safe.
Sitting prettily at the intersection of European engineering and Middle Eastern opulence, Hartmann Tresore’s name is quietly becoming as respected among collectors as the brands their creations house. Having supplied safes to the region’s top hotels and hospitality destinations since 2012, ranging from the Burj Al Arab to the new Bvlgari Resort Dubai, interest in Hartmann’s creations is now increasingly coming from an individual, private clientele. So why are this company’s sleek, certified and fully customisable safes becoming an indispensable part of at-home luxury living in the region?
“More than 80 per cent of our business is now individuals ordering safes with watch winders,” says Reiner Kaltenbach, Hartmann Tresore’s Middle East partner. “We’ve sold hundreds of winders over the years, each one extremely reliable and completely silent, making them perfect for bedrooms or living rooms. The client can even operate the winders via an app, which automatically takes control of which setting the timepiece needs.”
It makes perfect sense, when considering the level of complexity and precision that’s present in many regional collections. When perpetual calendars, moon phases, multiple time zones and even zodiac signs and seasons are represented on our timepieces, the last thing we want is to find it completely wound down in a failed winding storage system — a near-impossibility in a Hartmann safe.
What makes the company’s safes stand apart is not just their German precision or certified security, but the recognition that in Dubai and across the Gulf, safes must blend seamlessly with style.
This is a region where homes double as expressions of personal flair and private galleries of mechanical art, and clients demand storage that’s as refined as the collections they protect.
Reiner, who has lived and worked in Dubai for over two decades, has watched the regional market evolve dramatically. When he launched Hartmann Tresore in Dubai in the early 2010s, the company was already a market leader in Germany — and he spotted an opportunity to bring that expertise to the Gulf.
“In 2012, we opened our showroom and office here in the Gold and Diamond Park,” he says. “Today, we operate not just in Dubai but also in Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia.”
While the early years saw a heavy focus on hotel safes and corporate installations, Covid-19 shifted the business model: “Now, our business is largely with private clients,” Reiner explains. “They want fireproof safes first and foremost, but they also want something that reflects their taste. Burglary is not often the primary concern, but as the UAE’s population grows and more cultures converge, we are seeing an increase in ‘internal’ theft… That’s something that we can help to protect against.”
This is where Hartmann Tresore’s suite of tailored products comes in, from integrated winders and swish display features to soft-lined drawers and LED-lit compartments. Measuring up at, on average, double the size of the average European safe, the company is well equipped to supply its products on a Dubai-sized scale. And in Hartmann’s Signature Safes range, which provides fully bespoke masterpieces built to each client’s specifications, almost anything is possible — from subtle and compact to ultra-saturated centrepieces. In one standout project, Hartmann produced a one-of-a-kind ‘Millionaire’ safe for a client in Saudi Arabia, crafted in a high gloss jet black exterior, 24 carat gold-plated interior and black-lined jewellery inserts throughout — a precious jewel in and of itself and a statement not only of wealth but of an appetite for the rarest and best.
“We work closely with interior designers,” says Reiner. “Whether a client wants a safe in the living room, wardrobe or even a library, we’ll match the colour scheme, materials, and design language. For us, a safe is not just a box — it’s a piece of luxury furniture.” Though Hartmann’s safes are certified to European standards and tested for fire and burglary resistance, Reiner is quick to emphasise that the value they protect far exceeds the cost of the safe itself. “A client might have a watch collection worth several million dollars, so the cost of a top-tier safe is just a small percentage of that,” he notes.
Through a partnership with the Gulf Insurance Group, a Hartmann safe can even secure reduced insurance premiums — a practical incentive that pairs perfectly with their aesthetic appeal. And as Dubai continues to attract Ultra High Net Worth Individuals from around the world, and as rare timepieces become ever more sophisticated, the need for customised, secure and beautiful storage is no longer a luxury: it’s a necessity.
“We’re not just selling safes,” Reiner concludes. “We’re offering peace of mind, without compromising on style.” And in a world where watches tell more than time, and jewellery speaks louder than words, it’s comforting to know that, when off the wrist, they’re under the care of some very safe hands indeed.
