Welcome to the business of watches, where horology meets high finance and each tick tells a story of markets, margins, mishaps, and mechanical mastery.

I'm your host, Andy Hoffman, senior business editor at Haudinkie.

In this series, we dive deep into the global watch industry, a place where centuries-old

craftsmanship intersects with billion-dollar valuations, executive brand strategy, and investor

speculation. From Swiss valleys to Silicon Valley, we trace the movements shaping this uniquely

resilient sector. Just how big is the business of timekeeping?

Well, some estimates place the entire watch industry from ultra-luxury mazons

to smart watches and microbrands and north of $100 billion globally.

But behind that figure is a complex web of legacy, innovation, and ever-shifting consumer

tastes and demand. This is the podcast for collectors, analysts, watch buyers, and sellers,

and anyone who's fascinated by the intersection of riskwear and wealth. Because if time is money,

then money is most certainly time.

So let's get down to business.

On this week's episode of the Business of Watches, one of the most powerful women in the horology world.

Hintz Siddiqui is the chief executive officer of Dubai Watch Week, the extraordinary

gathering of the watch industry that takes place every two years. In just a decade, she's

overseen a dramatic evolution of the biennial event that some are now

calling the ultimate watch fair. Started as a gathering to educate and inform locals about watches

and for brands to learn about Dubai in the UAE, it's become a must-attend show for nearly everyone in the industry.

Overseeing it all is Hind Siddiqui, part of the Ahmed Siddiqui watch retail family empire,

and in charge of the multi-million dollar budget for the massive fair. This year, it hosted nearly 100 brands and a record

49,000 visitors, a 113% increase over the previous edition as collectors from around the world

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