Today's Edition
A. SREENIVASA REDDY (ABU DHABI)
Much-awaited Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week got off to a vibrant start on Tuesday amid strong enthusiasm from art aficionados and luxury collectors.
Luxury items ranging from cars, watches, jewellery, handbags, rare artworks and real estate valued at around $1 billion are being showcased at the inaugural event.
Some items are on display only, while many others—including several prized pieces—are available for direct sale or will go under the hammer during Friday’s auction.
Jane Birkin’s most personal Hermès Birkin bag, one of only five ever made for the legendary actress, is already drawing significant attention from visitors.
Josh Pullan, Global Head of Sotheby’s Luxury Division, said the inaugural platform has been designed specifically for Abu Dhabi and its rapidly growing collector landscape. “It’s our inaugural Collectors’ Week. So it’s the first year—we’re very excited with the offering we’ve assembled here, straddling cars, arts, jewellery, watches… all of the different categories you see presented,” he told Aletihad in an interview. “The idea was really to bring collectors together to celebrate the joy of whatever those categories ignite in their passion.”
Pullan said the response from the first hours of opening had
been “overwhelmingly positive”. He added: “We find global, regional and local collectors have been attending and we see younger collectors engaging with the property and with our business. Many of them are local.” He noted that about one-third of collectors at the event are from the UAE.
Speaking about Sotheby’s plans for the region, Pullan said the auction house expects to make Collectors’ Week a recurring event. “We absolutely are confident that we’re going to be doing more auctions, events and activities in Abu Dhabi. Most probably next year as well.” He stressed that the event was “specifically designed for Abu Dhabi,” marking the first time Sotheby’s has staged a dedicated Collectors’ Week anywhere in the world.
The week-long showcase includes $150 million in luxury items across five auctions, as well as $100 million in pieces available for private sale, according to Sotheby’s. Items include supercars, rare gemstones, collector timepieces, and two distinctive real-estate properties in France and Austria—both being offered through Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions.
Pullan said the real-estate offerings reflect the same “best of the best” approach applied across all categories. “The Austrian property comes from an internationally renowned architect, and the French property is an incredible location as well as a beautiful property. We’ve looked for very specific and unique offerings to bring and present here,” he said.
The auctions will include seven wristwatches and four Patek Philippe pocket watches, alongside around 30 watches available for private sale. A highlight is Sotheby’s partnership with McLaren to offer a 2026 Formula One team car, giving bidders the rare chance to acquire a chassis that will be raced by either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri in the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship. “You have perhaps the possibility to buy the championship-winning car,” Pullan said.
The broader offering includes the largest Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink diamond in the world (estimated at $5–7 million), a complete set of Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000 watches (estimated at $10–20 million), and a curated fine-art exhibition featuring works by Rembrandt, Klimt, Mondrian and Banksy. All these things can be viewed by visitors to the exhibition.
Among the items expected to draw the biggest crowds on Friday is Jane Birkin’s “Voyageur” Birkin bag.
Aurélie Vassy, Head of Department for Europe, described the piece as one of the most personal objects linked to the actress. “The Birkin Voyager is part of the four bags that belonged to Jane Birkin. Inside this bag there is a handwritten message by Jane Birkin, a sort of farewell goodbye to the bag,” she told Aletihad. “It was really something super personal. There are also drawings inside, like kids’ drawings.”
Vassy said the bag will be auctioned on Friday with an estimate ranging from $240,000 to $440,000. “We will start at 240K, and of course we expect people bidding and competing to win this bag,” she said. She added that Birkin co-created the original Birkin design in the 1980s after expressing her need for a practical, spacious handbag. “The bag has become iconic because it’s timeless and when it comes to the fact that this bag was also Jane Birkin’s bag, it gives all the provenance, all this value.”
She noted that the Voyageur bag has remained untouched since 2007, keeping “all the soul, the atmosphere, all the presence and marks of Jane Birkin.” She explained that it features distinctive closed metal rings requested by Birkin herself—an uncommon configuration even among Hermès bags.
Sotheby’s said the event is taking place during one of the busiest cultural weeks in the capital, coinciding with Formula One weekend and key art and luxury showcases. The auction house also said the collaboration with Abu Dhabi Investment Office reflects the emirate’s ambition to build its profile as a global destination for high-value collectibles and cultural investment.
Collectors’ Week continues through December 5 at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort.
