The (Watch) Face of Qatar
As the World Cup looms, six residents describe their luxury Replica Watches.
DOHA, Qatar — The countdown to the start of the World Cup on November 20 can be seen everywhere in the small country, from the landmark clock tower near the Grand Mosque to the countdown clock at Hublot, one of eight stadiums built for the World Cup.
Residents of the oil-soaked country, which has one of the highest per capita personal incomes in the world, keep time with a variety of personal luxury watches.
fahd obeyli
Head of Public Programs M7, Center for Creative Entrepreneurship
Watch: Chopard Chronometer LUC 1937
For Mr Al Obaidly, 37, watches have a special connection to his maternal grandfather, who always advised him to use his time wisely. But he considers the vintage Cartier watch his grandfather gave him a family heirloom, so Mr Al Obaidly rarely wears it. “That watch has some of his stuff in it,” he said. “I don’t want to change the narrative by wearing it.”
In 2013, Mr. Al Obaidly bought a rose gold Chopard chronograph that he said reminded him of a watch his grandfather had worn for decades: “Time is on your side,” my grandfather told me. “But use it with care.”
Dana Alphadan
composer and singer
Watch: Constantin Vacheron Constantin Universal Chronograph 5500V/000R
“The Constantin Vacheron is the perfect accompaniment for me because it’s a watch for travelers and I’m good at world music,” says Ms Al Fardan, 37. This is the world. “
Success as a singer and composer has allowed her to embrace the sounds of other countries, and this year she composed music for the Qatar Year of Culture 2022, celebrating the cultures of the Middle East, North Africa and South East Asia. “For the rest of the world, a lot of people think of the Middle East as a unified whole, but it’s really a colorful tapestry,” she said.
This, she says, is another reason why the Rose Gold Cosmopolitan Chronograph appeals to her: “It’s bold to wear a watch of this size. It makes a statement. It kind of says, ‘I’m here.’”
Faisal Khaled
2022 FIFA World Cup Ambassador Program Manager
Watch: Hublot Official FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 LE Automatic
“I was traveling in London in 2014 and I stopped by the Hublot store and asked if they had limited edition watches,” said Mr Khalid, 37. To his surprise, he snatched one of only 200 pieces to create for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Mr Khalid, who was working for the government in Qatar at the time, had only a few watches. But now he has 26 – and works with Hublot, the official timekeeper for the 2022 World Cup.
“It’s a complete coincidence that I got this watch that inspired my career, my collection and now I’m totally focused on all of that,” he said.
Omar Yassin
Managing partner of brand agency The Creative Union, co-founder of Qinwanzao
Watch: Tom Ford Ocean 002
“The watch even the strap is made of ocean plastic and it’s nice that the strap is hand-woven,” said Mr Al-Yassin, 39. It is underrated. very classic. “
These are all important attributes for an entrepreneur who works on the branding of recycling and sustainability initiatives. His second business is dates, a dessert staple in the Middle East, and their boxes are inspired by the traditional Bedouin weave sadu.
He said the Tom Ford Best Cheap Watches, launching in 2021, seemed appropriate because Qatar was surrounded by water on three sides.
nour abisa
artist
Watches: Chanel Matelassé
“It was a watch from my mother when she had her last child, and she gave it to me when I had my first child,” said Ms. Abuissa, 32. “It’s like a family heirloom.”
She says Chanel’s delicate, gilded steel always felt like a natural fit for her as an artist, both aesthetically and practically. “I don’t want to wear heavy clothes because I’m painting every day,” she said. “I like the fact that it looks like a bracelet. It’s not a face watch.”
And the timepiece is also artistically appropriate. “I’ve always been drawn to very clean lines and I learned art by observing and drawing nature,” she said. “I don’t understand watch trends, but I like the way things feel.”
Mumtaz Essa Barsim
Professional athletes
Watch: Richard Mille “Mutaz Essa Barshim” RM 67-02
Richard Mille designed this watch for Mr. Barshim after he won the silver medal in the high jump at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
The 31-year-old athlete and current world champion says he wears it every day — even when he’s competing because it’s relatively lightweight at 32 grams (1.1 ounces). Its maroon and white color palette echoes the colors of the Qatari flag.
“The first time I got it was before the 2017 World Championships in London,” Mr Balshim said, noting that he wore the watch to his three wins at the event and his gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “It means so much to me. It’s a part of my athletic life.”
