Watchspotting among the fans at the Qatar World Cup
Borna BošnjakWriter’s note: This article was completed mere hours after Croatia’s incredible penalty shootout win against Brazil. During that match, the percentage of grey hair on my head has increased significantly, and the years of my lifespan that I’ve saved up by not smoking have been spent. With that in consideration, excuse any overly enthusiastic comments from a hopeless football romantic.
The World Cup is an opportunity for fans from all over the world to come together and share their culture, passion, hooliganism – and of course, watches. Attending matches from nations that come from three different continents, there was a fair share of all of those, except for bloody watches. It was more boring thank you think, honestly. I was looking forward to the myriad of watches that the fans would bring to stadiums and to Qatar, hoping to hear some awesome stories along the way for a feel-good World Cup watchspotting story. Unfortunately, as I quickly discovered, it’s all goddamn Rolex.
Now, don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with Rolex, and though my personal tastes lie in the brand’s pre-ceramic offerings, they were, and still are, fantastic watches. Having said that, a Rolex is a largely predictable choice for the most part, and I’ve got several theories on why they were such a hot item in the Qatari stands. Let me explain.
Let’s face it – the average person is not a watch geek
As much as you and I may not like to admit it, most people around us will not care about or know the difference between a beautiful Oysterquartz Day-Date with a rare grape dial or a Tissot PRX. To most, anything other than an Apple Watch can be a “nice watch”, and that term is more often than not associated with a Rolex. This is only exacerbated by the fact that attending even a single match of the World Cup is bloody expensive – combine that with the fact that most of those with the spending power of those in the “nice watch” crowd are middle-aged men, et voilà – you get a bunch of beat up two-tone Datejusts, the odd Submariner, while those who haven’t quite reached for the Crown settle for a TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph.
(Fake) status symbols
Saying it was all Rolex is a little bit harsh, in all honesty. To paint a more accurate picture, next to numerous Rolexes, there were many fake ones too. I spent most of my time in the stands and in the fan zones amongst Croatian fans – and let me tell you – the average Croatian salary of around €1,000 per month isn’t likely to land you anything with a real crown on it anytime soon. Grossly wide fluted bezels, supposed tourbillon Daytonas and gold Subs with the PVD chipping off, I’m not surprised that not a single fan I approached, Croatian or otherwise, decided to share their choice of wristwear when prompted.
Some interesting stuff
It was certainly not all bad however, as I got my fill of many interesting pieces hiding in Qatar’s Gold Souq. Neighbouring the famous Souq Waqif, which I’ve not seen this crowded once during my previous four-year tenure in Qatar, the Gold Souq was mostly forgotten, but it hid some real gems. I also came across a wonderful space in Doha’s Katara Cultural Village, belonging to Qatar Watch Club, which I’ll make sure to pay a longer visit during my next trip to Doha.
If you’ve been swimming in enthusiast-infested waters for any period of time, chances are you would’ve come across a Tudor Black Bay with State of Qatar insignia on it before. More rare are the Tudor Pelagos examples with the same printing, but I happened to come across the most incredible ensemble during my time in Doha. Numbering more than thirty watches, this private collection included all sorts of State of Qatar-signed pieces – from Omega Constellations to an old Cyma.
To sign off – it’s been amazing being part of the support – but for God’s sake football fans, please try and buy more interesting watches.