TP: Would you buy a watch and then create an outfit around it?

HA: Yes, but it goes both ways. Sometimes I have the suit or the outfit and I see that I don’t have a watch that matches, so I search for the right colors, straps, dials, and the right look for it. And sometimes it’s the other way around; I have the watch and realize that I have nothing that fits, because it’s either too formal or too casual, so I shop for the right clothing.

TP: What was your first project?

HA: My first real content creation was Jaeger-LeCoultre and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. I approached Jaeger and told them that I wanted to do something very different with one of their high-end watches, and surprisingly, they loved the idea. The project was also a charity project for Unicef— I linked it to the Syrian Refugees and raised some money for them. It was a ten-day trip during which I created content and videos. The response was amazing and then I realized that there was potential to create more content and value for brands. I love adventures, sports, exploration, and expeditions, and so I like to mix that aspect with the watch world, to create more of the educational content together with the brands. This led to where I am today.

TP: Tell me about the club.

HA: The club started about 3 years ago and was the idea of creating something formal to bring together the collectors I knew from the region and around the world. It was a place to share our common interest, to network, and get to know each other better. I started it with ten of my friends on a WhatsApp group, and we clicked very quickly. Then the participants began proposing friends who wanted to join, and we started taking recommendations, meeting more people and inviting them over.

TP: Is there a charge for the club?

HA: No, there is no cost. You need to be recommended or fit to be a part of it. At the beginning when we were trying to decide what the criteria was, we had people coming in who didn’t seem to be right and we had to sort of kick them out. It was very awkward.

TP: How hard was that?

HA: For me it’s very difficult because I get them in and then I need to send them away. It creates a lot of haters around me and an assumption that we’re arrogant- but there is always a certain reason to let somebody go. It’s not just that I don’t like you- there needs to be something you’ve done such as abused the club, the connections, or the name of the club outside.

TP: What do you offer club members?

HA: Once we started this club, I wanted to create special editions because that seemed like a really nice target and puts the name of the club above everyone else. I started approaching the brands that I like, and that most of the club guys would appreciate, and I pitched the idea to the brands. Some were more difficult regarding the restrictions of customizing the watches, but in general they liked the idea. We started creating our own editions and hosting private events with the brands. I always try to bring that connection to the table, be it visiting the manufacturer, teaching the members more about the brand, creating more awareness, and treating them to special perks.







TP: Tell me about visiting the manufacturers.

HA: I offer collectors the opportunity to visit the manufacturers of the brands they love, and this also acts as an eye-opener for those who don’t have a watch from that brand- to see how it’s made and learn about the brand. When they see how the pieces are built and the craftsmanship behind it, they share it with their friends, and within the group, and it creates a nice hype and a discussion. At the beginning, many of the brands were quite skeptical, which I understand, but there were a few who took a leap of faith because they knew me and trusted my word. When that happened, other brands saw the events and the interactions, and realized that we are serious people; not just visiting to take pictures and walk away.

TP: What are the companies getting from your members?

HA: At the end of the day, most of these guys are buying watches from the brands. I still remember when I did the first factory visit; we were 4 or 5 guys and we did a tour of six factories, and every day we were hosted by one of them. A few of the guys wanted to buy some pieces from these brands, and once they saw how they were made, they immediately made the order- which turned into an ROI for the brand- it’s an immediate return on investment because they acquired a collector. For some of the other brands, skepticism turned into brand awareness, and ultimately promoting the brand. Even if it’s not immediate sales or a customer, it’s also a good penetration into the Middle East in creating this awareness, creating a promoter, that should lead at some point to acquiring that collector. It may not be immediate, but for people who didn’t know anything about the brand, now it’s on their radar and they may eventually become customers.

TP: Who are the members of the club and how did you reach them?

HA: They are Emiratis, Kuwaitis and Saudis- it’s a quite diverse circle. Honestly, Instagram paved the way because these guys would ask me if a watch they were considering was a good purchase and good value. I somewhat exposed my life on Instagram, so they felt like they got to know me, and this opened the conversation. Once I met them, we started going out, having coffee and chit chatting. Some of them would call me when they would visit, and we’d meet for coffee and they’d show me their purchase, or they would ask me to join them to choose a watch. There was this kind of bond that we already had that set things in motion, and then of course they had friends who eventually joined the group.

TP: Are there women in the club?

HA: No, unfortunately not. It’s difficult to have women and men at the same place in the discussion because I think our levels of appreciation in the watch world is different. We’re more ‘geeks’, but the women I’ve met mostly view it as an accessory. I think this is evolving, but I believe they need more education to perceive watches in a different way. Many of the women I know don’t even have the time set on their watches- they wear it because it looks good. I’ve actually done a special edition of 10 pieces for ladies who weren’t club members but they were wives of our members, or women that we know that like watches- but they weren’t very interested in being part of a wider community.

TP: Are people spending money on a watch because they think it’s cool, or do they understand the heritage?

HA: There are different categories to be honest, but the club guys don’t buy just for the sake of buying- even though they have the means, they’re quite money savvy. There are a lot of people who just follow trends- but in the group, we educate each other on the trends, what’s going on, what to buy, what not to buy and where to buy etc. Each one of us has expertise or knowledge in specific brands- for example there are members of the group that are crazy Rolex collectors and they know everything down to the history of the dial, so we leverage that knowledge. There are some watches that we buy just because they’re cool and sometimes there are editions that come up, and if it’s not the crazy expensive editions, it makes the decision much easier. For example if it’s a $2000-3000 watch, you can afford to make a mistake- but when it’s a higher end watch, there’s a lot of thinking that goes behind that.