Arab Watch Guide: Exploring the Middle East Watch Industry

by Sofia Brontvein

Arab Watch Guide: Exploring the Middle East Watch Industry

5 Feb 2024

The watch industry has experienced significant growth in the Middle East over the last decade, and Hassan Akhras has played a significant role in this development. When Hassan began his blog, Arab Watch Guide, the watch industry in the region was still relatively young. However, the Middle East is one of the leading regions for watches and watch collections today. The industry has become so large that many Swiss manufacturers now create limited-edition watches exclusively for the Middle East market. Recently, The Sandy Times interviewed Hassan to gain insights into the state of the watch industry in Arabia.

— As far as I know, you started your project, the Arab Watch Guide, 10 years ago, right?

— Yes, in 2014. This year, I am celebrating my 10th anniversary.

— Why did you decide to create a platform about watches for the Middle East audience back then?

— To be honest, it happened by coincidence. This project is about my background. I am a strategy guy coming from the business industry. I do strategy consulting, and I have a lot of corporate experience. But I have always had this passion for watches. I have always been a collector at heart. This is something I have loved my entire life; I always speak about watches with my friends.

In 2014, few people in the Middle East were talking about watches. There were a few social media blogs, but people generally read foreign sources based in Europe or the US. There was nothing local in the region. My friends suggested that because of my love for watches, I needed to create my own blog and Instagram account and start talking about my collection and watches in general.

I agreed. I know all this IT stuff a bit — how to create a website, for example. So, I went back home and started working on my own blog. I came up with the name very quickly; it took me maybe one minute. It is not something very creative. I just thought that I love watches. I am Arab, and this project has to say something about the region, so the Arab Watch Guide it is. As simple as this.

The Arab Watch Guide started as a personal blog. I was talking about my collection, researching the industry, following up on what was going on with the market, and updating about new releases. Back then, I received no press releases; I just read different media outlets and other blogs, digging up the information. I shared everything valuable on my site, and of course, I paid much attention to social media. At that time, Instagram was booming, algorithms were easier, and everything worked fine. I had a lot of fun interacting with the audience.

I really wanted to connect with like-minded collectors across the region. We did not have any clubs for people who are passionate about watches. Everyone was on his own; there was nothing organised. That is how I came up with the idea of the Arab Watch Club in 2015. Next year, I will celebrate another 10th anniversary.

Source: arabwatchguide.com

— What did the watch industry in the region look like in 2014? In which watches were people interested?

— Everyone was very straightforward. People wanted Audemars Piguet and Rolex mostly. Others who understood the philosophy of Patek Philippe were hunting down these models. In 2014, only a few people really appreciated Patek Philippe; it wasn’t like today. They saw the Aquanaut and did not understand what it was.

But this situation evolved very quickly, mainly because of social media. Few people had a lot of knowledge about watches, but they were still educating themselves. At the same time, I knew some guys in the region with an incredibly deep understanding of the industry, technical complications, brands’ history, components, and so on. It was very challenging and interesting for me because when I started my blog, I did not have this level of knowledge, especially regarding technicalities. I could not discuss movements, manufacturers, and components so deeply. I was pushed to learn more because I wanted to discuss these with the collectors.

— How did you manage to learn more about watches on your own?

— Two things helped me. I started to watch a lot of YouTube videos created by more established watch blogs and forums. I wanted to learn all the terminology and all the technical semantics. I needed to know how to describe a watch correctly. We use words such as dial, lugs, and bezel daily, but only some understand them. It is okay to start with very simple things. And later, I began to explore all the movements, components, materials, and more complicated stuff. I read Hodinkee a lot; they had a lot of cool articles — very detailed guides about watches’ functions.

At the same time, I connected with the brands I was highlighting on social media. They slowly allowed me to visit their manufacturers, talk to their experts, and see how watches are being created and assembled in reality. I received more press releases and technical sheets from the brands, which helped me evolve significantly. I just asked them to share some details if I required more information. And when you start to talk to watchmakers, it changes your entire life.

— How has the watch community in the Middle East changed in 10 years?

— There has been an important change over the last 10 years, which is both positive and negative at the same time. As I said, there was no community 10 years ago, but we definitely have it now. There are a lot of different groups; collectors find each other, share knowledge, and communicate. If you go to Qatar, you will find the Qatar Watch Club.

But on the other hand, we have too many clubs right now. The Dubai Watch Club started their group almost at the same time as I did. We created two different clubs. DWC was based only in Dubai, and I was trying to gather collectors across the region. Then, all of a sudden, a lot of people liked the idea and started to create more and more clubs.

We teamed up with The Dubai Watch Club and collaborated with brands, creating special editions, which were also very good for our market. Collectors started to enjoy special editions created for the Middle East. Today, everyone wants to have a unique piece and to buy a model created especially for the community.

Other people saw this success, heard beautiful stories about collaborations, and noticed that our community appreciated the uniqueness and the rarity. And they started to open their own clubs. We have definitely become a much bigger and more organised community, but at the same time, because of egos, we have become more spread and not closer to each other. One club does not like another club; these collectors have issues with these people, and so on. There is a lot of ego in the watch industry among collectors. Everyone wants to become famous, to be the region's most successful and well-known collector. We did evolve, but at the same time, many of us are not motivated by passion anymore. They just want to show off. Watch industry allows you to fuel your ego.

The investment side is another thing that changed a lot, mainly after COVID-19. People started to notice that you can quickly make so much money if you buy the right watch. A new generation of collectors came to this industry just because of money. They were only into watches once they understood they could become rich quickly. There is no true passion, just willingness to buy the hottest models. This is a negative change for me, which has happened in the past few years.

That is why a lot of people are still interested only in Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philippe. Of course, there are many great Pateks or APs, but these collectors only think about their investments, so they are buying Royal Oaks and Aquanauts. Vacheron Constantin has had a good run with their Overseas collection in the region. They have picked up quickly recently.

But at the same time, some collectors already have all these watches, which is why they pay attention to new and independent brands. I am not even talking about Urwerk; I mean independent manufacturers. For example, Simon Brette is becoming a new superstar. They have created their first watch but have already sold out all the models for the next 3–4 years. These collectors want to obtain unique and rare models by buying such brands. They are not interested in purchasing watches you can see on any wrist.

— What is in your personal collection?

— Some years ago, I decided I would have at least one iconic piece from each iconic brand, like Rolex, Patek, and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Right now, one brand is very close to my heart — Cartier. I really enjoy their watches. I can be very preppy and love elegant suits, and Cartier watches match me well. I adore how Cartier works with their vintage collections, bringing them back to life in a modern way. And, of course, I also pay attention to independent brands. I would love to have more unique pieces. The only problem is the budgets are extremely high. Always hundreds of thousands, they do not operate at normal rates.

by Sofia Brontvein