Iran certainly isn’t the first country that comes to mind when pondering the art and science of measuring time. Besides the obvious fact that the country is historically not a watchmaking nation, the modern-day geopolitics have isolated Iran.

But this was not always the case. Before the Islamic Revolution, Iran’s economy was open and boasted considerable dynamism. The country still retained its historical role as an international hub that connected East and West, an important position that allowed Iran to cultivate relations with most of the world’s industrialised countries. 

An enduring legacy of Iran’s historically significant status in Near East and its extensive connections with leading nations is preserved, seemingly frozen in time, within one of Tehran’s elaborate, pre-Revolutionary mansions. Located in the Zafaranieh district – one of the city’s oldest districts that got its name from the wealth saffron merchants who once populated the area – the mansion is home to the Time Museum of Tehran.

Zafaranieh is an upscale area that’s home to many embassies, including those of the Brazil, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, and Qatar, but the original building where the museum stands predates most of them. It was originally a plain, single-story home dating to the Qajar dynasty (1796-1925), which ruled Iran before the Pahlavis, the last imperial family of Iran who were overthrown during the revolution of 1979.

But it was only when Hossein Khodadad, a prolific entrepreneur who established one of country’s main industrial towns, acquired the building in the early 1960s that the mansion took on its current form. Khodadad envisioned a glorious expression of historical Iranian architecture as his home, which required extensive expansion and renovation of the original structure.

Khodadad’s rebuilding of the house was a no-expense-spared exercise that took more than a decade. He acquired a small building in a somewhat raw and dilapidated state, but oversaw the transformation of the one-story structure into a magnificent two-story building of some 700 square meters, or just over 7,500 square feet, sitting at the centre of a serene 5,000 square-meter garden. 

According to the government foundation organisation that currently owns the building, some of Iran’s most famed craftsmen and artists of the 1960s toiled nonstop for a dozen years to realise Khodadad’s vision. The project was supervised by one of the most famous civil engineers of the period, while the design of the mansion was the work of two of the most prominent architects of the day, Mohammad Kashi and Ramezan Abbasian.

The mansion was entirely decorated in ornamental motifs of repeating patterns and geometric shapes that are typical of the traditional architecture of the region. In fact, Khodadad wanted the house to be a canvas for stucco, otherwise known as decorative plaster, long  a key element of Persian architecture.

Throughout Persian history, stucco has always been crucial part of the artistic expression in architecture. Its use in the buildings of the region dates back some three millennia.

Noted stucco mason Abdulkarim Navid Tehrani was recruited to oversee the building’s decoration, inside and out. Tehrani in turn recruited 40 more prominent plasterers to style and execute the decoration across different sections of the building. In other words, during the renovation, Khodadad became the workshop that gathered the country’s best specialists in stucco, a key element of Persian architecture for centuries.

While the entire building is decorated with stucco, one room in particularly has more of it, being entirely decorated in stucco from top to bottom. The room was named the Isfahani Room after the genre of Persian architecture that inspired the home. The style originated in the city of Isfahan, capital of the Persian Empire for almost a thousand years started from the ninth century.

The Isfahani Room

A stained glass window in the Isfahani Room

The chandelier in the Isfahani Room with its ornate stucco ceiling

Another chandelier in the Isfahani Room

Beyond the Isfahani Room, the mansion is ornamented with a variety of fittings and decorations throughout its rooms, which range from chandeliers to stained glass, and of course more stucco.

Impressive stucco

Some rooms are intricately painted and gilded from floor to ceiling

All of the chandeliers are ornate and individually unique, each made from a variety of materials ranging from glass to porcelain

Finally, the mansion was completed in 1978 and Khodadad moved in. His residency, however, would be short-lived. 

Just a few months before the fateful weeks of February 1979, Khodadad left for the United States on a trip that was supposed to have just a few days but became permanent exile. With the country in turmoil by late 1978, events moved swiftly and the Shah was overthrown by the Islamic Revolution. 

In the wake of the revolution, “revolutionary courts” were established to try prominent members of the deposed regime. They included political and military figures, as well as businessmen, most of whom were sentenced to death – including airforce general Nader Jahanbani – save for a lucky few who were condemned to long prison terms.

Khodadad was out of reach for the revolutionary courts, but the mansion was there for the taking. And so his prized home, like many other properties that belonged to figures from the old regime, was confiscated.

Another recurring decoration throughout the building is stained glass, which can be found in most windows of the building

The star motif of the stained glass is echoed by the metal grilles behind the ground-level windows

Today the home and museum is owned by the Mostazafan Foundation – simply known as “The Foundation” in Iran – one of the most important government organisations in the Islamic Republic. The Mostazafan Foundation controls a vast swathe of real estate as well as numerous businesses, with many of its assets having once been owned by individuals associated with the Shah’s government.

Amongst the Mostazafan Foundation’s many departments is the Cultural Institute of Museums, which oversees the numerous institutions it controls. They include museums dedicated to traditional textiles, historical weaponry and arms, jewellery, and pottery, but the best known internationally is the National Car Museum that’s home to the car collection once owned by the Shah.

In 2000, the Cultural Institute of Museums converted Khodadad’s house into a repository for Mostazafan Foundation’s collection of timepieces, many of which, like the house itself, are confiscated property. On the other hand, some of timepieces on show were donated to the museum by private individuals over the years.

Although the timepieces are well cared for, the museum has yet to cultivate the specialist knowledge required to carefully catalogue the exhibits. Consequently, only cursory information is provided for each exhibit, the oldest of which are more than 200 years old.

One of the oldest exhibits: an 18th century clock made by Hitzinger of Vienna

A 19th-century French clock with a calendar and moon phase

A 19th century, half-hour striking clock with a depiction of cupid

A Louis XVI wall clock

A 19th-century French clock decorated in gilt and porcelain panels

A 19th century French clock with Islamic-inspired decoration

A 19th century French clock in a Chinese-inspired design and decorated in cloisonné enamel

Several of the timepieces on reflect Iran’s imperial past, with many bearing portraits of past Shahs.

A pocket watch with an enamel portrait of Ahmad Shah, the last ruler of the Qajar Dynasty

A minute repeating pocket watch with Ahmad Shah’s royal cipher on the lid

A watch that once belonged to Mizra Hosein Khan with his miniature portrait on the lid; he was prime minister during Naser al-Din Shah Qajar reign and also the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire

A Swiss pocket watch set with pearls and bearing Turkish numerals on the dial, which is typical of watches made for the Ottoman Empire

A sundial clock made for Naser Al-Din Shah of the Qajar dynasty

The timepieces on show also encompasses wristwatches up to the 1970s before the revolution.

An Audemars Piguet skeletonised wristwatch

Also an Audemars Piguet skeletonised wristwatch, but here with an integrated bracelet of the style popular in the 1970s

A 1960s Cartier Tank Louis Cartier

A Universal Geneve wristwatch bearing feathered crown emblem of the Pahlavi dynasty 

A Universal Geneve wristwatch bearing the national emblem of Saudi Arabia

The museum also displays a selection of wristwatches, including this 1970s Piaget coin watch

And being a museum dedicated to timepieces and timekeeping, the former mansion also includes a variety of intriguing clocks and some artwork relating to time.

The museum also has a small selection of watchmaking paraphernalia

A collage made up of watch movement components and dials by Houshang Foroutan, an Iranian artist and designer who specialises in such collages

A candle clock in the form of a dragon boat

A Smiths Astral ship’s clock

An oversized hourglass sculpture in the garden

Being a government-owned institution, the museum charges just 5,000 tomans (or US$0.20) for local visitors, while tourists pay US$1. It is a popular tourist attraction in Tehran – ranked “#38 of 189 things to do in Tehran” on Tripadvisor – and includes a cafe in the garden.

But in the museum’s official literature there is little mention of Hossein Khodadad, whose vision of elaborate Persian architecture still stands in the centre of Tehran.

Gunshots ring out with an unnerving cadence, and the chants of angry crowds ring across the city. It is Sunday, February 11, 1979.

Come Monday morning, the country’s biggest newspaper hits newsstands with the front page proclaiming: “The Regime Has Disintegrated”. The provisional government collapsed the day before, with the military having returned to its barracks – leaving the Islamic Revolution triumphant.

All day long that Monday, a young man ignores the revolutionary chaos as best he can, dedicating himself to picking up the phone every hour and dialling his father’s office at air force headquarters within Doshan Tappeh Air Base in Tehran. Each time his father answers and calmly reassures the son all is well.

For a few months now, the son has tried to talk his father into leaving the country. The Shah had already fled and tensions were rising. But each time his old man responded in the same manner, “I am a soldier of this land and my duty calls me to stay.” Not only did the father remain in the country, he dutifully turned up to work every day.

Nader Jahanbani (right) with Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, in the early 1970s; Nader has his GMT-Master on his wrist

On that fateful Monday, the son calls at six in the evening and hears his father’s voice. He calls again at seven and his father picks up the phone. An hour later, he dials the number once again and listens to the phone ringing. No one answers.

He tries again a few minutes later to no avail. He continues for a couple of hours, until someone finally picks up. The quiet voice on the other end simply states, “They took your father to that school”, referring to the feared Refah School, which had been turned into the headquarters for the revolutionaries.

The father was Lieutenant General Nader Jahanbani, deputy chief of the Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF), who was arrested on the eve of final day of the Iranian Revolution. A month later, he was executed aged 50, leaving his Rolex GMT-Master in a locker at Tehran’s Qasr prison for his son, Anushiravan.

The Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675 “Mark III” with a “Radial” dial once owned by Nader Jahanbani and now worn by his son

A military man

Nader Jahanbani was born on April 16, 1928 in Tehran, into a military family of royal lineage, making a career in the air force his inevitable destiny.

One side of his family was descended from the Imperial dynasty that ruled Iran before the Pahlavis, and the other was related to Russian aristocracy via his mother, Helen Kasminsky.

A young Nader Jahanbani in his flight suit

His father was Lieutenant General Amanullah Jahanbani, a great grandson of Fath-Ali Shah, a king of the Qajar Dynasty, which ruled Iran from the late 18th to early 20th century. 

During the reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi, the father of the last Shah of Iran, Amanullah commanded the Persian Cossack Brigade, and was later a cabinet minister. Though Amanullah was thrown in prison late in the reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi, he later regained favour under the next Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who released Amanullah and then appointed him senator.

Around that time, Amanullah sent Nader to the Russian Air Force Academy, where he graduated and then joined the IIAF in 1950 – the beginnings of an illustrious career that would see him rise to become one of the most influential figures in the country’s air force.

A few years after graduation, just as the IIAF was about to receive its first fighter jets, the F-84G Thunderjet, Nader and 13 of his fellow pilots were dispatched to Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base in Germany, where the German air force had its the Officer Training School.

Nader Jahanbani (first row, second from left) and his class at the Russian Air Force Academy

The trainees all underwent the same course, but Nader was one of five pilots who stayed behind after completion to attend the Jet Pilot Instructor course. It was then that Nader witnessed what was then the world’s best aerobatics team, the Skyblazers of the United States Air Force.

The Iranian and American pilots soon made friends, and Nader became a regular in the back seat of the jet flown by the Skyblazers’ leader, a Major Smallen, giving Nader a firsthand look at the technique of the experienced American aviator. It was at this moment, high in the sky above Southern Germany, that Nader decided that the IIAF should have its own aerobatics team.

Nader Jahanbani (centre) with teammates in front of an F-84G

Once back in Iran, Nader set about forming an aerobatics team. His fellow pilots and even the chief of the IIAF backed him, leading to the inauguration of the Golden Crown AcroJet Team in June 1958.

With almost nonstop training, the Golden Crown qualified for the world championship just a year later. Against the odds, the team triumphed over the American and British competition to clinch the championship in 1959. From its founding until the revolution, the Golden Crown maintained its position as one of the best aerial acrobatics teams in the world.

A period brochure for the Golden Crown

An F-86 Sabre jet of the Golden Crown

While winning the aerobatics championship was the greatest achievement by the then 31-year-old Nader, he would go on to become a key figure in the IIAF over his career. Tall, handsome, and very much a military man, Nader trained junior pilots and helped refine the strategic plans of the IIAF.

With the connections he built at the court of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Nader was eventually elevated to deputy commander of the IIAF. And in the final year of Pahlavi dynasty, he was appointed the president of the national Sports Organisation, during which the country’s football team qualified for the World Cup for the first time.

Nader Jahanbani (fourth from left), with members of the Golden Crown

The pilot’s watch 

Anushiravan Jahanbani is one of Nader’s two children. Now in his eighth decade, Anush lives in the United States, having retired from a long career at lighter manufactures Ronson and Zippo.

Anush lived much of his early life outside his home country. He was born while his father was studying in Russia, and then lived in Germany from the ages of 11 to 19 while Nader embarked the officer training course.

Once he returned to Iran as a teenager, Anush could not leave the country due to mandatory military service, where he served in the air force. 

Nader Jahanbani at Anushirvan’s graduation

“My initial pilot training was completed when I was 16, then my father gave me his old GMT-Master and bought another one for my coach as a gift”, he says.

Anush then chose flying as a career, but not in the military. After completing his military service and flying a crop duster plane for several months, he left for Texas, where he earned an airline transport pilot license, the highest certification a pilot could obtain.

“Once I got my [flying] degree, I went to Yale University and studied economics”, he says, before returning to Iran to start Air Taxi, an airplane charter and maintenance outfit. Air Taxi soon became the carrier of choice for the Shah and his court, along with senior government officials and country’s wealthy elite.

“The first watch I got from my father was when I became a pilot; he took off his GMT-Master and put it on my wrist right away. The next one was a Day-Date he gave me when I got married,” says Anush, “But the watch I have now is a different one: the GMT-Master he bought later in Europe, which was passed on to me after he was executed”.

Of all the items left behind by Nader, Anush considers that GMT-Master his “most important property”.

“My father was always been a God to me. Looking at and wearing this watch gives me a mysterious amount of energy – an energy that has not diminished in the last few decades,” declares Anush, “I have the watch on, even when I sleep.”

“Every time I look at it, I have no choice but to think of my father; thousands of memories parade before my eyes,” Anush continues, “I remember the times we flew together; I remember the time we were in the car together and I lucidly remember him driving. I remember the light beam that passed through the car window and reflected on the crystal.”

“The watch he always had on his wrist and now I always have on mine,” says Anush, “From the moment I received his Rolex and uniform from his prison guard, I never bought or wore another watch again, not even the Day-Date he had given me.”

Anushiravan Jahanbani in his Air Taxi uniform

Incidentally, Anush hates the “Pepsi” nickname for the blue and red bezel; every time someone uses that nickname, he corrects them, emphasising the GMT-Master is a “pilot’s watch”.

And as for the prosaic issue of timekeeping in the years he has worn it, Anush notes, “About 20 years ago, I noticed that it was a little slow, so I sent it to the company for service and in the service-request letter, I strongly insisted that they should be careful not to lose it. After three weeks, the watch was returned as it was on day one, with a bezel and crystal replaced.”

The calm before the storm

The memories evoked by the GMT-Master are warmly reassuring, but the events that led to the watch being handed from father to son are tragic.

“For several months before the revolution, there was tension in the air and you could sense something was going to happen,” says Anush, “I took my family to Germany and my absence in Iran was indeed a relief to my father; he had insisted that the whole family go abroad.”

I put the question to Anush: why didn’t his father leave Iran, especially since the Shah had already departed well before Ayatollah Khomeini returned?

“He could not be convinced to leave Iran,” Anush replies with regret. “My father was meant to be in Iran, his home,” he continues, “Even if he left, he could never find peace. He would have either become depressed or killed himself. The good thing about his destiny is that he never got old and he is and will always be the handsome Nader Jahanbani captured in photos.”

The Shah of Iran, Nader Jahanbani and other dignitaries welcoming a foreign dignitary to Iran in the early 1970s

“Although I knew my father wanted me to be out of Iran, I returned to Tehran exactly one day before [Ayatollah] Khomeini returned from exile,” recounts Anush.

“As soon as I arrived, I went to my office in Air-Taxi and called my father. When he heard my voice, he said that he was very happy that I was not in Iran,” says Anush, “I knew I was giving him bad news, but I told him I was in Tehran.”

“I clearly remember him being silent for at least a minute, and I could feel the worry in his silence. Then he said, ‘I’m sure you know what you are doing.'”

I asked Anush if he thought it was the right thing for him to have returned all those years ago?

“Two weeks after [my father’s] execution, I was arrested and imprisoned for five months,” says Anush, “However, I remember the evening I returned [to Tehran], my father came to see me and I could see he was beaming with pride. I could feel that he was happy deep down to be by his son’s side.” 

“We had exactly 10 days to be together – the interval between the return of [Ayatollah] Khomeini from exile to the day the revolution claimed victory,” remembers Anush, “Me being back and by his side had given him such joy. There was tension and anxiety in the air, and it was clear that things were going to deteriorate, but my father and I seemed to be somewhere else celebrating our golden bond.”

Nader Jahanbani with his wife and children, with Anush on the right

The 10 days passed quickly. Those anxious telephone calls that counted down to the end of his father’s career took place on February 11, 1979, as the Pahlavi dynasty was in its final days. It was at the dusk that several revolutionaries broke into Doshan Tappeh Air Base and arrested Nader Jahanbani. He was taken to the Refah School, the nerve centre of the revolution where the most important prisoners were detained – and some executed. 

I ask him if he thinks Nader had foreseen his arrest. “Without a doubt, my father knew he would be arrested,” Anush responds, “And I for one, believe there were no bones about him being executed”.

“Maybe it was because of this awareness and confidence that he neither cried nor begged for his life unlike many other imprisoned officers,” explains Anush, “My father’s cousin was also in the custody of the revolutionaries at the time, and he always said that every time he saw Nader, he had a calm face and firm demeanour, as if he did not care about the horrible and deadly situation he was in.”

The end, and the beginning 

History has it there were no explicit charges against Nader, who was executed with urgency. In court, he sat with a piece of paper around his neck bearing the label “Agent of Corruption”. More to the point, there are no reliable reports or documents from his brief imprisonment and trial, except for a column in a newspaper that narrated a part of his conversation with the judge. 

Perhaps because of his illustrious career and swift death, legends have grown around Nader since his passing. “There have always been many stories about my father; whether from his time in the air force, his time in prison, or his trial and execution,” says Anush, “The fact is that none of these alleged stories and narratives can be substantiated. There are still many who say that he once crossed the Karun Bridge in a fighter jet, or that he commanded the firing squad to shoot when he was executed. But as his son, I never cared about such allegations.”

The March 14, 1979 copy of Ettelaat newspaper, with the front page (left), and the coverage of Nader’s trial (right); he is visible in the rightmost photo

“The only thing that makes sense to me is that my father answered all the questions the judge asked him in court, responding properly in short, decisive sentences – this is what the newspapers reported,” says Anush, “I can believe that, because this depicts precisely my father’s brave, strong and tough personality; he was an officer and a gentleman.”

“A week or two after my father was executed by firing squad, which was blatantly conveyed to us by the radio news, I was arrested and spent five months in prison,” says Anush, “I was charged with being the son of Nader Jahanbani, and they waited five months for someone to come and lodge a complaint against me so they could issue a verdict on the pretext of the complaint. Not only did no one show up, but also my colleagues at Air Taxi all signed a statement in my support.”

“During my imprisonment I heard a story about my father,” recalls Anush. While still in prison, Anush was blindfolded and sent to a visitor’s room to meet his mother. The guard accompanying him asked in a low voice, ‘What is your relationship with Lieutenant General Jahanbani?’

‘I am his son,’ Anush replied. A quiet moment passed before Anush asked, ‘Did you see my father?’

‘I was your father’s jailer’, replied the guard, who added, ‘I have never seen anyone so brave, he was tough as a stone’.

The Legacy that Endures

I ask Anush why, unlike so many other Iranian exiles, he does not speak to the media about his father. “My father does not need our narrations,” says Anush, “His career is his best spokesman, and it says enough about his great character.”

There are numerous groups on Facebook dedicated to Nader Jahanbani, so I ask Anush why he thinks his father remains a charismatic figure even decades later.

“I have often asked the admins of those pages on social media the same question,” says Anush, “Most of them were born after the 1979 revolution and never even lived in his time, but they say it is Nader’s courage and bravery that inspires them.”

Nader Jahanbani (centre) with Golden Crown pilots

I also asked what he would do if he returned to Iran. “If one day the situation prompts me to return to my homeland,” replies Anush, “The first thing would be to go to my father’s grave – there are many things I wish to tell him”.

“The main reason I remain loyal to this watch is that every time I see it, it reminds me of the thousands of memories of my father. That is why I will never be willing to keep track of time with any other means other than this dear relic,” Anush admits.

Anush Jahanbani

I think about his father’s story and ask a question that is very important to me: “What will happen to this watch?”

“I will pass this watch on to my grandson, who is 12 now – that is in my will, in black and white.”

And Anush adds, “My grandson’s name is Nader… This watch will always belong to Nader.”

]]> https://watchesbysjx.com/2021/04/rolex-history-iran.html Sun, 04 Apr 2021 10:29:09 +0000 https://watchesbysjx.com/?p=109559 Despite their long-established global prominence, brands like Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet are relatively new to the Iranian consumer, even among the affluent sections of society – Rolex reigns supreme in Iran’s luxury watch market. The brand’s position as the most enduring luxury watch brand in Iran is likely stronger than in most other countries. […]]]>

Despite their long-established global prominence, brands like Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet are relatively new to the Iranian consumer, even among the affluent sections of society – Rolex reigns supreme in Iran’s luxury watch market. The brand’s position as the most enduring luxury watch brand in Iran is likely stronger than in most other countries.

Perhaps the truest reflection of this are the countless, tiny shops across the country that have windows filled with a bewildering variety of counterfeit Rolex watches – their number far greater than stores selling Casio and Seiko, the brands that probably sell in the greatest volumes.

Rolex has a long history in Iran, one that’s been shaped by events in the country. The Rolex coronet has been an uninterrupted presence on the streets of Tehran since the early 1950s, making it a witness to much of Iran’s 20^th century history.

As many a watch collector would know, the Shah of Iran was a well-known patron of the brand, even commissioning a unique model, the Day-Date ref. 1831. Resembling an Oysterquartz with its angular case, the ref. 1831 was a run of just eight watches, all in platinum. Rolex was already present in Iran for some decades before, but having the Shah as a client help cement its unique position amongst the country’s governing class.

An example of the Day-Date ref. 1831 with a burgundy “Stella” dial. Another example with a blue dial is pictured at the top of the article. Images – Phillips

While the brand’s position in the mind of the consumer remains unchallenged, demand for Rolex watches is not what it once was. Sanctions and Iran’s political position have devalued its currency sharply over the past nine years. As economic hardship began to close in, one of the first items ordinary citizens stopped consuming were undoubtedly luxury goods. However, in the wealthier neighbourhoods of big cities, many stores claim they continue to sell considerable quantities of luxury watches, and often just one brand, Rolex.

Their man in Tehran 

In the latter half of his ninth decade, Naser Javaheri is one of the three brothers – along with Abas and Hamid Javaheri – who founded the one and only authorised Rolex retailer in Iran, Javaheri Brothers. His family’s roots in the watch business are deep, with his grandfather having started importing watches in 1900.

Amongst other things, the family were the agents for Zenith in the 1920s and 1930s, and Mr Javaheri’s side of the family now own the only two Rolex boutiques in Tehran. Another branch of the family owns Tehran Watch, which retails brands like Audemars Piguet, Cartier, and Richard Mille.

Wearing a formal but comfortable suit, Mr Javaheri sat in his store located in the upscale Roma Towers complex telling the story of Rolex in Iran. “About 25 years before the 1979 Revolution, the situation was different. The market was good until [the revolution] happened. After that, we had nothing to do until after the Iran-Iraq war [from 1980 to 1988]”, says Mr Javaheri.

“The government at the time had – very respectfully – told merchants that since no foreign currency could be allocated to us, we would not be allowed to import [watches],” he continues, “It was only after the end of the war that the reopening [of the economy] took place and we were able to resume our activities, slowly but consistently.”

The interior of the Javaheri Brothers store in Roma Tower No. 24 on North Kamranieh Avenue

Interest in luxury watches before the revolution started at the very top. Mr Javaheri pointed out the Shah of Iran’s great interest in watches. “Shah owned a lot of watches and Rolex was just one of them,” explains Mr Javaheri, “However, most of the watches that he received as gifts from world leaders and politicians were Rolex, and the largest number of watches he gave to others were none other than Rolex”.

“And it was not just the Shah of Iran,” adds Mr Javaheri, “Once the king of Saudi Arabia was invited to Iran by the Shah. After the king returned home, the waiters, cooks, and bodyguards came to our store to sell the Rolex watches they had received as gifts from the King. The Saudi King had given his hosts 80 Rolex watches during that one trip”.

A 1973 portrait of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. Image – Pahlavi.org

Decades after the revolution, Rolex continues to be preeminent. “Rolex is not a cheap watch at all,” points out Mr Javaheri, “Inevitably, only certain groups of people can afford it. Not all those who can afford it necessarily come to Rolex, but Rolex always has its place, especially since many consider Rolex the gift for special occasions in life, and gifting a Rolex gives identity and recognition to their memories”.

According to Mr Javaheri, the ability of Rolex to maintain its position in the market for so long, despite all the upheaval, is simply due to the product: “We, as retailers of the brand, believe that is because of the most eminent feature of Rolex – its materials and high quality of construction, and the fact that it always maintains its value, standing various tests of time.”

“Many watches we sold for $400 about 50 years ago now sell for up to $250,000 in international auctions,” says Mr Javaheri, who sighs and adds, “I wish I had bought one.”

But brand’s reputation for quality has never been the sole reason for its popularity. Another is the currency fluctuations and the Iranian economic crisis.

The value of Iran’s national currency, the toman, has fallen by about 95% against the US dollar over the last decade. In 2011, one US dollar was worth about 1000 tomans, but today, it costs 25,000 tomans to buy a single US dollar.

“It has happened several times in the past: we sold a watch for, say, 30 million tomans, only to see that a few months later, the customer would not sell it even for 100 million tomans,” says Mr Javaheri of this inflation, “It is clear as day he would not sell, because he knows that the value of his watch could be way more than the currency on any given day”.

The Javaheri family started in the watch business at the start of the 20th century; it also sold watches under its own name, like this 1935 Zenith pocket watch with the Javaheri name on the dial

Despite the relatively closed nature of Iran, global trends in demand for Rolex watches are also happening in Iran, albeit on a smaller scale. When I ask Mr. Javaheri which models are the most popular, the answer is simpler than I expect, but one that makes perfect sense: “If you want to know which one is going to be the next trend, just look at which model the company has stopped making.”

As for the steel sports watches that are desirable everywhere else? His answer was plain: “There are many popular and rare models that the company gives us only in small numbers. For some models, we only import and sell two or three pieces, so we have come to the conclusion that we should clearly and very easily tell the customer that we do not have them.”

I finally muster the courage to ask how he thinks the supply problems for the bestselling models can be solved. “Rolex is undoubtedly aware of the supply and demand for certain models,” says Mr Javaheri, “But they always have a plan [already in place] for dealing with the production volume of these specific models and may not have a particular strategy to change it [due to the long-term strategy].”

The success of Rolex means that there’s a brisk trade in its watches, especially pre-owned examples. Javaheri Brothers is now merely one of many players in this game – albeit the only authorised retailer.

Mr Javaheri has a lot to say about the broader market for Rolex in the country. “Competing with the grey market does not make sense at all, because the playground is not set fairly,” explains Mr Javaheri, “For every 100 Rolex watches sold in Iran, at least 90 are smuggled into the country, and the smuggled goods as we know, require no taxes, no customs duties, no advertising.”

“Many customers who come to us to ask the price of a watch will claim they know of many stores offering the exact same reference cheaper,” he continues, “And the problem is that they do not lie.”

“In many cases, some watches in the grey market are up to 20% cheaper than our list price,” says Mr Javaheri, “Being able to offer lower prices means the dealer does not import the watch in the completely formal and legal way we do – he does not have to pay taxes, customs, advertising, staff training, let alone the official decoration you see here [in our boutique]”.

I look at the interior of the store and it does look exactly like the Rolex retailers I once visited in Dubai and Istanbul. However, the showcases are almost empty. All I see are a few Datejusts.

“Yes, this store is so empty”, says Mr. Javaheri, who notices my gaze. “In order to import watches, we have to get a permit from the Ministry of Commerce,” says Mr Javaheri, “We had the permission, but the government could not give us the foreign currency we needed to pay for the watches, and it took so long to allocate us the money that our license expired and our opportunity was missed.”

“That’s why our watches come in short, because we have not had any significant imports for a year and a half,” continues Mr Javaheri.

“I could not predict the future before the revolution, which is the case even now,” says Mr Javaheri, “The poor economic situation, currency fluctuations, and the complexities and hurdles to legal imports and sales – all come together to make this one of the most risky, slippery markets”.

“Sometimes the problems and circumstances get so tangled that I cannot even imagine any future for the Rolex retailer in Iran,” he concedes sadly.

To lighten the conversation, I point to the Datejust ref. 1601 Mr Javaheri has on his wrist – the shoemaker himself is running barefoot. “I bought this 1601 for myself 55 years ago,” explains Mr Javaheri, “But my daughter took it from me once and I had to buy her a watch ten times more expensive to get it back.”

“I do not like bracelets, so I put it on this leather strap”, he says with a smile, and adds, “I could never make myself wear any watch other than this one.”

The Oyster ref. 1601 on Mr Javaheri’s wrist

Officially certified

Morteza Poursangari also has many a story about Rolex in Iran, having been the longtime head of servicing at Javaheri Brothers.. Over 70 years old, Mr Poursangari now runs his own watch repair workshop specialising in Rolex, having been trained by Rolex in Geneva.

Before the 1979 Revolution, Mr Poursangari owned a watch store on Naderi Street, one of the oldest and busiest streets in Tehran. His clientele then was a cross section of Iranian society.

Mr Poursangari says the then Prime Minister of Iran, Amir-Abbas Hoveyda, was a regular customer and always entrusted him with watches to repair. “Almost all secretaries, famous singers, and artists wore Rolex, and many of them brought their watches to my shop for repair and service,” he says.

“Before the revolution, people had a better eye and taste than they do now,” says Mr Poursangari, “A significant portion of our doctors, engineers and scientists have emigrated from the country, and a large portion of Rolex’s target clientele in Iran were such people.”

Mr Poursangari goes on to explain, with great regret, the reason for the booming demand for his services just after the revolution. “Hundreds of Rolex watches with the imperial emblem on their dial were erased; these watches could be invaluable today,” says Mr Poursangari, “But with revolution, many court employees and relatives of Shah brought their watches to me to remove the royal emblem from the dials. They did it out of fear of getting into trouble, and they were right to do so.”

Morteza Poursangari at his desk

Mr Poursangari has a similar perspective on the impact of the Iran-Iraq war on business. “By the time the war broke out, I had to sell my house and store, and return to Kerman [a city south of Tehran],” says Mr Poursangari, “In Kerman, I set up a small watch store before returning to Tehran a few years later”.

Apart from the pre-revolution years, Mr Poursangari regards the period during the presidency of the reformist politician Mohammad Khatami to be one of the best stretches in Iran for the watch business. The economic stability of the time generated business that occasionally left him exceptionally busy, though it was short-lived.

Morteza Poursangari

After the revolution, Mr Poursangari was the director of service and repairs at Javaheri Brothers for some 20 years, during which he travelled to Geneva at least three times for specialised training at Rolex headquarters. His decades of working on the mechanics of Rolex calibres over the years has given him a watchmaker’s insight into the brand.

Historically, the bestselling Rolex watches were Oyster models with hand-wind movements, namely the cal. 1225 and cal. 1210, in his opinion. But today, tastes have changed.

“With more than half a century of experience under my belt in the Iranian Rolex market, I can say that true watch lovers have welcomed Daytona and Submariner more than anything, and I consider Submariner an ideal Rolex as a whole,” says Mr Poursangari, “But if I only want to consider the movement, I think 1570 was the best calibre in the history of Rolex, because it had good durability and accuracy, it was not needlessly complex and was very easy to repair.”

A letter of commendation Rolex sent to Mr Poursangari in 2014

Without needing me to raise the subject, Mr Poursangari leads the discussion to the market for counterfeit Rolex watches in Iran. “Most of the daily visitors to my store come to verify authenticity,” says Mr Poursangari, “A part of the problem is the entry of unskilled, uninterested people into the watch market, which is the result of currency fluctuations and the profitability of shady transactions. Such people can easily buy counterfeit watches at very low prices and sell them as originals.”

“I once talked to a senior executive at Rolex and asked about solution they had in mind to deal with factories making counterfeits,” adds Mr Poursangari, “He said that not much could be done, because once a production facility is closed, the operators are on the loose and quickly start growing like mushrooms, with a new workshop in another location.”

The Old Market

In Iran, as in many parts of the world, Rolex is more than just a brand, it is a culture in itself. And like many other anachronistic objects that have evolved from a high-quality instrument to a symbol of success, Rolex resonates among the affluent strata of Tehran, as well as in many other large cities in Iran.

Mitra Ahmadi is a young architect who recently graduated from university and is about to start her own firm. I talk to her about her interest in watches, which of course is very much specific to Rolex. “There is nothing wrong with a brand being a symbol of distinction between economic and social conditions,” she says, “For me, Rolex is a sign of prosperity. And the fact is many people I know think the same way, even though they may not have the courage to admit it.”

What Ms Ahmadi says is confirmed by a young entrepreneur, Alireza Sadeghpour, who owns a small watch store in Tehran’s downtown that sells everything from Seiko to Longines, and TAG Heuer to Rolex. Mr Sadeghpour says, “There are many customers who do not care about the features of the watch they buy, all they want is a Rolex, maybe because one of their relatives has bragged about his at a party and they simply want to keep up with the Joneses.”

In times of economic crisis like Iran is experiencing now, the idea of overcoming hardship to attain financial success is such a dream that some are willing to do literally anything to equip themselves with symbols of wealth. This is why sales of counterfeit Rolex watches are growing in Iran.

Unfortunately, the government has not formally outlawed the import or sale of counterfeit goods, and the Iranian legislature has always ignored this issue. As a result, there are no significant laws in Iran that criminalise the sale of counterfeit goods, and so no substantial penalties. Often, wearing a counterfeit watch is not regarded as wrong by many ordinary Iranians, but rather a clever accomplishment.

That said, it is still relatively easy to buy an authentic Rolex in Tehran. Apart from Javaheri Brothers and a handful of newish, luxury boutiques in expensive areas of the city, there is Mohseni Bazaar on Mirdamad Street, which many locals consider to be the main centre for pre-owned luxury watches, primarily Rolex.

The bazaar includes several stores run by veterans who have been buying and selling Rolex watches for decades. Customers typically need no longer worry about counterfeits in these shops. Beyond Mohseni Bazaar, there are several other stores located in other parts of the city.

The entrance to Mohseni Bazaar

Inside Mohseni Bazaar

A window of one of the secondary-market dealers in Mohseni Bazaar

A tradition once upon a time

Even though Rolex has maintained its position as the most important watch brand in Iran over the decades, the country’s history has diminished many citizens’ ability to buy a Rolex.

Kiumars Heydarian, a retired pilot who flew fighter jets for the air force both before and after the revolution, recalls the importance of Rolex amongst the members of the country’s military: “The most important luxury accessories for fighter pilot were his Ray-Ban sunglasses and a Rolex GMT-Master.”

“It was tradition to gift a GMT-Master to a pilot who had clinched the Top Gun title, a top prize in fighter school,” says Heidarian, “But that tradition did not endure, because after 1979, almost everything changed, and no pilot ever received a Rolex again. The last time fighter pilots were given a Rolex was two years after the 1979 revolution, but it was not the air force that had bought the watches.”

“I was going to Kuwait for an assignment, and my commander gave me a considerable amount of money and asked me to buy three Rolex watches,” recounts Mr Heidarian, “It surprised me because I couldn’t figure out why he would need such watches.”

“Once home, I grasped what was going on,” continues Mr Heidarian, “Our commander had taken money from his own savings so that he could gift watches to the best pilots – he wanted his men to receive the reward they truly deserved.”

A native of Iran, the author is a horology enthusiast and writer who has resided in Tehran for a decade. By profession, he is involved in political and societal journalism.