Rolex at West Bund Dome Art Center — The Oyster Legend exhibition (2026)

Shanghai's converted West Bund dome hosted a multi-room Rolex exhibition tracing a century of the Oyster watch, opened by an invited performance.

The venue

The West Bund Dome Art Center is a converted industrial structure on Shanghai's West Bund riverside arts belt in Xuhui district. Its principal hall is a circular domed volume with a central oculus and exposed structural ribs, kept largely open inside. The building is used for large-scale exhibitions, art fairs and cultural events, and sits among museums and galleries along the river.

How the space was used

For this project the dome's open floor was divided into a sequence of rooms that visitors walk through, each stage of the Oyster chronology given its own space. Historic and contemporary watches were displayed in cases, with portraits of wearers placed between them. An opening event brought invited guests into the same volume for a live vocal performance.

Why it works here

The dome's enclosure and single uninterrupted interior suit a narrative exhibition that depends on controlled sequencing and focused lighting. Its position within Shanghai's riverside museum cluster brings an audience already moving between cultural venues, and the industrial shell gives a watch heritage display a setting distinct from retail.