Ahmed Seddiqi at 75: Inside the family business that put the UAE on the world map for luxury watches

In Dubai, there are few names as synonymous with the city’s story as Ahmed Seddiqi. This year, the family-run business marks 75 years, an anniversary that predates the country’s modern founding.

While Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi – or Mams to those in the know – talks about everything from retail spaces to the vision of the city he calls home, he always circles back to the same point: passion.

“The soul is my grandfather,” he says immediately, when asked what still anchors the group today. “He had this passion for watches from a young age, importing them from Kuwait and Bahrain while working for another family in Dubai in construction products.

Once he had clients coming into the shop, he was offering them watches and radios. After work, he would ride home on his bicycle with a small box, stopping by houses to sell watches along the way. It was a very humble start. But the secret to success was passion.”

That passion became the foundation of a business, which started with one store in 1950 and now spans a retail empire that represents more than 100 brands in horology.

Ahmed Seddiqi is the official retailer for Rolex in the UAE. Photo: Ahmed Seddiqi

“He built the identity of Ahmed Seddiqi and Sons at that time, and now we have changed it to Ahmed Seddiqi.” The change is to reflect that far more of the extended family now populates the halls of its ultra-modern headquarters in Umm Al Sheif.

Today, the company is in its third, even fourth generation, and the governance is as carefully assembled as any mechanical movement. “We still have my grandfather’s DNA in the company. We are a hundred per cent family-run. Out of 11 family members who work here, two are from the second generation, eight are from the third and one is from the fourth. We’ve worked with many consulting companies to create a family protocol and a governance model to ensure the company isn’t dissolved or taken public. We don’t want to be taken over by a conglomerate. It’s about preserving his legacy for years to come.”

Chief executive Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi shares how the family business has called on consultants to ensure it remains independent. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The challenge, of course, is working with family. He laughs at the suggestion. “I’ve been in the company for more than 20 years now and it’s a challenge to carry the name of a business, yes.”

The trick seems to be boundaries and communication. Seddiqi is clear that if there are ever any issues between cousins or siblings, they are cleared immediately rather than allowed to stack up.

“Talking to each other, understanding each other, working closely with each other, being transparent – those are all very important,” he says. “I’m proud to say that in the third generation, when businesses normally tend to break down, we’ve handled it professionally. Things are going very smoothly.”

Ahmed Seddiqi has launched UAE editions with global brands such as this Laureato 38mm Burgundy with Girard-Perregaux. Photo: Ahmed Seddiqi

Clearly, the company is larger and more influential in the world of horology than ever. And if family is the engine, Dubai is the road. Ahmed Seddiqi has been a significant part of the city’s development into a luxury hub and the emirate has played a big part in its vision.

“Today, Dubai is considered one of the strongest cities in the world, one of the safest cities in the world. A woman can walk out at 3am wearing her most expensive watch without being harassed or robbed. This is a blessing and a vision.”

At the heart of the family’s own vision is the retail experience. Much of luxury buying might have moved online elsewhere, but here, retail remains a ritual. “Buying a watch or any luxury product is all about emotions,” he says. “Whether it’s a graduation, a marriage, a first job or a bonus after 20 years, our job is to deliver the best experience possible.”

Emotions and understanding an evolving clientele seem to both be key to Seddiqi’s continued success. “I don’t call them clients, I call them friends of our family. Some families have been buying from us since the 1960s and 70s. One gentleman told me he used to come with his father from Abu Dhabi in the 1970s, staying at my grandfather’s house while buying watches. We’re still in touch today. At the same time, we might have a 22-year-old buying his first watch. We treat them all the same.”

The Seddiqi family has made the leap from distributor to watchmaker with its own brand, Vyntage Horology

The company has not been afraid to experiment. The Edit concept was aimed squarely at a younger generation, blending watches and fashion. More ambitiously, the family has even moved into watchmaking itself with Vyntage Horology.

“It was in our mind since 2008,” he says. “In 2021, we launched a one-time collaboration with another brand producing 100 watches, and in 2023 at Dubai Watch Week, our first proper models: Purity and Monograph. It was a tribute to thank our grandfather. The brand is still small, focusing on the UAE and Saudi, but we’ve already had international clients and we hope to expand globally by 2027.”

Dubai Watch Week, which is organised and run by Ahmed Seddiqi, is perhaps the clearest sign of how the Seddiqi name now extends beyond retail into the global horological conversation and how Dubai as a city keeps expanding when no one thinks more is possible.

Dubai Watch Week, organised by Ahmed Seddiqi, has been going strong for a decade. Photo: Dubai Watch Week

“When we started in 2015, we had maybe 200 visitors and a handful of brands. In 2025, the seventh event will host about 100 brands and hopefully 50,000 visitors. If Dubai Watch Week can grow that much in seven years, imagine what Dubai itself can do.”

As we part ways, I can’t help but ask if he can pick a favourite watch. “I have many watches that are dear to my heart. The first watch my father gave me when I was six, the first watch my wife gave me when we got married. Each has a story. When I sit with my boys, I tell them: ‘This was from your grandfather, this was from your mother.’ Each watch has a story. So no favourite. I love them all.” Even if he can’t pick one watch his answer says it all: it’s about family and passion.