Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi

There is a tradition in the Seddiqi family that you are not allowed to own a Rolex until you are 18 years old.

It goes some way to explaining the importance of legacy in the family that can lay claim to being the most influential watch-sellers and jewellers in the region, if not the world.

Today, Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi is the Chief Commercial Officer of Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the company his grandfather started more than 60 years ago. He is one of 10 members of the family who have active roles in the company and, like the others,he remembers his first Rolex.

“It was a Daytona that my father gave me as a gift when I graduated from school,” he says. It remains a very special piece for him, even though he has gone on to amass an extensive collection of vintage and modern pieces.

The company is known for bringing high-end horology to Dubai, with Rolex playing a pivotal part in that success, working with Seddiqi as the sole distributor of the watch brand in Dubai for more than 60 years. The successful partnership was further cemented earlier this year with the opening of the new Rolex boutique in The Dubai Mall, the largest in the world.

“It’s a milestone for us,” says Seddiqi. “Having the world’s largest store of the world’s largest watch brand really adds value to the image of Seddiqi in the region and the world.”

The new store is not only another milestone, but further evidence of the growth and depth of understanding in horology within the local market.
“Ten years ago, people would look at watches as a device to tell you the time; they were not seen as investments or pieces of art,” he says. “We wanted to change that, and have worked hard to change perceptions and grow an appreciation of the skills of horology.”

Seddiqi credits platforms such as Dubai Watch Week as a way they have helped achieve that goal, bringing leading brands and experts to Dubai to help educate on the industry on a deeper level.  All that seems to suggest that the Seddiqi family isn’t the only one giving its relatives Rolexes on their 18th birthdays.