Written by Hajar DEHANE on Tuesday, July 8, 2025
When we talk about luxury watches, our minds often go straight to unattainable objects—glittering showcases, Swiss names, mechanical expertise. But it would be a mistake to reduce fine watchmaking to a mere display of wealth or technical mastery. Because behind every dial, every calibre, every movement, there is also a story. A story of art, of culture, of tradition. And today, that story is also being told with an African voice.
That’s exactly what Walid Benla stands for—founder of Time-Telling Magazine, the very first independent watch media outlet on the African continent. A magazine born out of a deep passion for horology, but more importantly, out of a pressing need: to represent those who are never heard in the world of luxury. “Finally, we’re being represented,” write readers across more than 50 countries. A heartfelt reaction from all those who believe that luxury deserves to be told differently.
Luxury as a Reinvented Tradition
Often seen as a closed world, frozen in its European traditions, luxury can actually be a powerful space for cultural reinvention. More and more creators are drawing inspiration from African patterns, Berber lunar calendars, and Amazigh folklore to reimagine the codes of watchmaking.
What if, tomorrow, a luxury watch proudly featured a Moroccan zellige mosaic dial? What if the great maisons opened their doors to young African artisans to co-create limited editions celebrating our holidays, our symbols, our rhythms? The watchmaking of tomorrow could be an art of cultural fusion—not imitation.
Taking the Time to Reclaim Time
At a moment when everything is speeding up, where the instant reigns supreme in our hyper-connected lives, wearing a mechanical watch becomes an almost political act. It’s a statement: that we choose to take our time. That we value craftsmanship, patience, memory. And that choice is deeply cultural. It reveals something about how we relate to the world, to beauty, to heritage.
Through the pages of Time-Telling and L’ODJ, a new generation is joining the global conversation around luxury. A generation unafraid to appreciate beautiful things, to assert an African or Moroccan perspective—and at the same time, a universal one—on objects of desire.
The Time Has Come
This partnership between a pioneering horological media outlet and a bold, youth-driven platform like L’ODJ is more than just an editorial agreement. It’s a statement. An invitation to discover how luxury, when approached with sincerity and curiosity, can become a channel for cultural empowerment. A watch isn’t just a symbol of prestige. It’s a piece of art, a fragment of culture, a beat of tradition.
And above all, it’s a way to remember that the truest luxury, perhaps, is simply having time.
Time to understand. Time to reflect. Time to pass something on.
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