Is this your first time at Dubai Watch Week?
Yes and no. We did special Dubai editions in 2019 and 2021 and we were here, but we didn’t have a booth. So, I came for a couple of days to do an event, then left. But now we have our own booth.
How are you enjoying the experience?
It is crazy. Everyone you want to see, and everyone you know, is here. I am from Belgium and the number of Belgians I have seen here is bigger than at Watches and Wonders! What is nice is that it is more joyful, more relaxed, and more chill, but in a professional way. I think this is because the sales are all done at Watches and Wonders, where the order books are open, so everyone is a bit nervous. Here, it is different, and the sunshine helps too! I think that the Seddiqi family should get more recognition for what they do for this industry.
Is the Middle East an important market for you?
It represents 20% for us, which is quite a lot when you consider the number of people who live here. They are very active buyers. Yesterday, we had an event to launch our DX3 and there were a lot of local people. This is the third piece in the series and all the timepieces have a link between Arabic art and watchmaking craft. They also share a common DNA from both a visual and mechanical point of view. Technically, they are the same watch, but they look completely different. I use the same pattern for all the watches, which I designed myself, but I apply it very differently. So, the first one was arabesque, this open-style structure, which I combined with a skeleton dial. The second one was inspired by a local weaving technique called Al-Sadu, which has parallel lines that we combined with guilloché and the third and latest one combines the Arabic art of mosaic with cloisonné enamel.
How would you say the company has grown since the first piece that you did here?
Ressence is a different company today than it was in 2019. We have evolved a lot. We have 14 people, but you have to know that I don’t produce anything myself. We have subcontractors that produce the components and take care of assembly. So, we manage the production, take care of quality control, and do after-sales in our atelier. It is quite a long process.
Does this complicate things for you?
Production is a big issue, unfortunately. If I were to put it on a scale of problems, 80% of my problems are related to production, but we are working on this and investing a lot to make sure that our production is more stable. I have hired people from different industries where supply chains and logistics are extremely sharp and they are working on just this. We are also developing new supply chain channels, so let’s see.
How has the year 2023 been for you?
I am happy, but I am also disappointed because, as I said, we have been having supply problems and there have been a lot of disruptions with people coming and going, training, and so forth. Things have been constantly evolving, which is normal, but sometimes you have to take one step back to go faster, and this year has been a bit like that.
I was talking to a Belgian watch enthusiast who told me that Ressence is the Patek Philippe of Belgian. How do you feel about that?
Belgium is a no-man’s land where watchmaking is concerned, at least for independent watchmaking. We are the only independent brand represented in Belgium. H. Moser & Cie. started slowly with one retailer, and there is Bell & Ross, but in terms of the complicated pieces, we are the only one. So that says something about the culture. But we have a modern approach compared to many. We definitely look to the future. We are not looking in our rearview mirror like many do in this business. I think for us the future is brighter than the past. That’s how we see it and that’s how we think as a brand.
We have one foot in traditional watchmaking and one foot out. Patek Philippe has two feet in. But I believe that an ecosystem will only evolve on the edge, not in the centre, and I believe we are part of that new generation and I hope we will be able to continue to create wonder. That’s what we are trying to do.
