A watch for life

A watch has become a necessity but not necessarily for telling the time,” explains Mhir Atamian, whose family business is one of Lebanon’s leading watch importers. “For men, it is one of the few pieces that they can wear, but for both male and female consumers, it has become as important as what clothes they wear or the car they drive. Among their peers, it is important to be seen to have the ‘right’ watch.” So which is the right watch? It’s not just a case of what you like in terms of design or functionality or price; what Atamian might have been alluding to was that, in modern Lebanon, or anywhere else for that matter, is that you may often be judged — in terms of status, taste and even credibility — by the watch on your wrist. To many people, a watch is a watch. It tells the