I took my time with this one. Longer than usual. Not because I didn’t know what to say, but because timing matters and with Waqtun, timing has always been part of the story. By the end of 2025, it finally felt right to write this knowing that 2026 will be a defining year for the brand. This is not a launch article and it is not a review in the traditional sense. It is a reflection on a watch, a philosophy, and a team’s journey, I have been close to since before Waqtun was even a name.
Before the Instagram posts, before the renders, before the first production sample existed, Youssef reached out to me. He’s one of the founders and the watchmaker at Waqtun. There was no pitch deck and no promises, just an idea and an invitation to be part of something they were building with intention. That moment matters because it sets the tone for everything that followed. The project has always been about creating a relationship, something closer to a companion than a product. Hence the slogan.
There is a photograph I keep coming back to. Mazen (the creative director) and Youssef standing over a desk, holding rough sketches of what would later become the watch. The lines are raw, the proportions still being questioned, the case clearly the focal point even then. That image captures Waqtun better than any high budget campaign shot. Two creatives, early in the process, obsessing over geometry and balance rather than marketing language. You can see the seriousness in that moment. This was not a side project. This was the foundation.
Knowing the founders personally changes how you experience the watch once it’s on your wrist. Mazen and Youssef are not trying to imitate Swiss heritage or borrow credibility. They are rooted in where they come from and confident enough to build forward from there. That confidence shows in the design philosophy. Waqtun leans heavily into sacred geometry, not as a decorative reference, but as a structural principle. Proportion, harmony, and balance are treated as non negotiables. It is the same logic that shaped ancient Egyptian architecture (which I am a sucker for, due to my architectural background), now translated into a modern object you wear every day.
The case is where all of this comes together, and it remains my favorite part of the watch. It is bold without being loud, experimental without feeling forced. The six edged asymmetrical form is not there to shock, it is there to feel right once you live with it. The way light hits the surfaces, the way it sits on the wrist, the way it avoids the usual clichés of “sporty” or “dressy” all point to a brand that understands restraint. This is a case designed to last, visually and emotionally.
The dial follows the same mindset. Minimal, intentional, and legible, with just enough detail to keep it from feeling sterile. The choice of a brass oil pressed dial and applied elements gives it depth without clutter. Even the decision to use the VH31 meca quartz movement feels aligned with the brand’s philosophy. It delivers precision, reliability, and that smooth sweeping seconds hand that bridges the emotional gap between quartz practicality and mechanical romance. It is not about proving anything. It is about choosing what works for the wearer’s life.
I was one of the first hundred people to receive the watch for expert review, but that number is symbolic rather than promotional. Almost every Egyptian watch creator and journalist I know is a friend, and many of them were given that same early look. That was not done to manufacture hype. It was done to build community. Waqtun has always positioned itself as a circle rather than a podium. The NFC card, the Waqtun Club, the emphasis on identity and continuity all reinforce the same idea. This is not a transaction. It is an ongoing relationship.
The brand is very clear about who it speaks to. Young professionals, creatives, entrepreneurs, people at the start of their journey rather than the end of it. Waqtun is not meant to be a trophy you buy after success. It is meant to be worn while you build it. That idea resonates deeply with me because it mirrors how the brand itself is growing. Confident, ambitious, but patient.
Of course, there is room for growth. There always is, especially with a first chapter. But that is part of what makes Waqtun exciting. It knows it is at the beginning and embraces that. My own soon to be involvement in the process opens the door to some genuinely interesting developments, not just in design, but in how the brand continues to define its voice and direction. The foundation is strong. What comes next is where things get really interesting.
This watch means a lot to me. Not because it is perfect, but because I have seen the care behind it. I have seen the late conversations, the revisions, the insistence on doing things properly even when it would have been easier not to. Waqtun is an Egyptian brand that is unapologetically itself, speaking in a language that feels both local and global without trying too hard to be either.
If you are discovering Waqtun now, understand this. What you are seeing is not the final form. It is the beginning of a relationship. And if 2026 unfolds the way I believe it will, this will be one of those brands people will look back on and say they were glad they paid attention early.
Congratulations to the founding fathers of Waqtun:
Youssef Elgendy – Mazen Deraz – Abdallah Sharabas – Ziad Fahmy – Youssof Tarek
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