Sohaib is Palestinian/Jordanian and was in 2023 asked by Hader Al Suwaidi to head up the Beda’a brand in Doha, Qatar, and tells me more about his dual role.
“The two brands are only linked in the sense that I run both. Structurally, financially, and conceptually, they are entirely separate brands and companies supported by different teams.” Sohaib tells us that his office hours are split between the two daily. He adds, “Beda’a’s founder, Hader Al-Suwaidi, is a visionary who helped me an immeasurable amount in creating a balance that works for me and the brands, and I owe that man a lot.”
On growing up with an interest in watches, he tells me, “I’ve had an unusually slow start in watchmaking because I come from a place not usually associated with watches for many social and economic reasons, Maghnam adds. “In Jordan, where I grew up, the most refined 1%-er dream is a Rolex, and for the 1% of the 1%, it is perhaps a Patek. Not for the love of the craft in most cases, but for the social status. I made my first watch in 2018 and did not turn a profit before 2023.”
