Watch Collecting Lifestyle extends its deepest condolences to the Seddiqi family and their extended community across the watch industry.
Abdulmagied Ahmed Seddiqi, co-owner of Seddiqi Holding and a figure whose influence on luxury watch retail in the Middle East is difficult to overstate, has passed away. The news was confirmed by the Seddiqi family in an official statement.
Together with his brother Abdul Hamied Seddiqi, Abdulmagied transformed what began as a modest shop in Dubai's Bur Dubai souk—founded by their father Ahmed in 1950—into the most consequential watch retail operation in the region. Educated in Switzerland and fluent in French, he cultivated the industry relationships that proved essential in securing concessions from Swiss manufactures who, in the early decades, viewed the Gulf as peripheral. Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons began carrying Rolex in 1952 and added Patek Philippe by 1960. Today, the group—now known simply as Ahmed Seddiqi—carries over 100 brands across dozens of boutiques in the UAE, including the world's largest Rolex boutique at the Dubai Mall.
What distinguishes the Seddiqi legacy beyond sheer commercial scale is the family's role in cultivating independent watchmaking in a market that could easily have remained the exclusive domain of the major groups. Ahmed Seddiqi was among the earliest retailers to champion brands like MB&F in the Middle East, providing critical distribution at a time when independent makers struggled to establish footholds outside Europe. That commitment helped shape Dubai's emergence as a serious destination for collectors, not merely consumers—culminating in Dubai Watch Week, now one of the industry's most important annual gatherings under the stewardship of Hind Seddiqi.
Abdulmagied Seddiqi's legacy is carried forward by his son, Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi, who serves as Chief Executive Officer of Ahmed Seddiqi, and by his brother Abdul Hamied, who continues as Chairman of Seddiqi Holding. The watch industry has lost one of the figures who shaped how an entire region engages with horology.
More info on Seddiqi here.
