Executive Voices in Luxury & Brand Leadership 2026

Luxury has always been misunderstood. For some, it is measured by price. For others, by rarity. A few define it through craftsmanship. But almost nobody asks the question that matters most: why do human beings continue to treasure objects they no longer need? A mechanical watch no longer tells time better than a smartphone. It is less accurate. Less practical. Less convenient. And yet, year after year, people continue to devote extraordinary amounts of money, patience, and emotion to acquiring one. Clearly, they are not buying time. They are buying something else. Understanding that “something else” requires speaking not only with a businessman, but with someone who has spent a lifetime observing how human beings attach meaning to objects. For more than four decades, Rashed Mohammed Alabdullatif has lived inside that world. His journey extends beyond commerce, beyond watches, beyond jewellery. It is a journey through craftsmanship, identity, heritage, and perhaps humanity itself. Recently honoured in Kuala Lumpur with the title “The Legacy Laureate for Lifetime Achievement in Luxury & Cultural Heritage,” he represents a perspective shaped not merely by decades of business, but by decades of asking difficult questions.

For Rashed, one of the greatest misconceptions surrounding watches is the belief that they exist merely to tell time. In his view, humanity has never depended on watches to measure time. The sun, water, sand, and eventually digital technology have all fulfilled that purpose with increasing accuracy. Yet mechanical watches endured. He believes their survival has little to do with utility and everything to do with meaning. While technology answers the question of time, craftsmanship answers questions of identity, patience, and human expression. As he explains: “A mechanical watch no longer measures time. It measures the patience of the human hand.” For Rashed, every movement represents a commitment to precision, discipline, and mastery. This philosophy has shaped his entire career, leading him to see himself not as a seller of watches but as a guardian of one of humanity’s enduring crafts.

When discussing what people truly purchase when acquiring a fine mechanical watch, Rashed shifts the conversation away from materials and toward human effort. In his perspective, luxury watches are repositories of accumulated human experience. Years spent mastering polishing, finishing, assembly, and regulation become embedded within each timepiece. What ultimately reaches a customer's wrist is not simply metal or machinery but the invisible investment of countless hours of dedication. He argues that true luxury has never been defined by expense. Instead, it is defined by the amount of human time required to create something exceptional.

Rashed rejects the notion that luxury is synonymous with wealth. Wealth may provide access, but luxury itself exists in a different realm. According to him, luxury begins once necessity has been satisfied. At that point, objects must justify their existence through beauty, heritage, craftsmanship, emotion, and cultural significance. Without those elements, luxury becomes little more than decoration. His philosophy is captured in one of the interview’s defining observations: “Luxury begins where necessity ends.” Rather than viewing luxury as indulgence, he sees it as humanity’s response to deeper questions of meaning, identity, and permanence.

For Rashed, the luxury industry often confuses price with value. He believes genuine luxury is rooted in honesty, honesty of craftsmanship, materials, and intention. While prices can be elevated quickly, trust requires generations of consistent excellence. The most respected houses in the world, he notes, earned their reputations through decades of disciplined decisions rather than aggressive pricing strategies. This belief is reflected in another memorable statement: “Price can be manufactured. Trust cannot.” To him, credibility remains the most valuable asset any luxury brand can possess.

Architecture has become an increasingly important source of inspiration in Rashed’s work. Unlike decoration, which can easily be replicated, architecture requires understanding. His study of traditional Najdi architecture led him to appreciate how every form, proportion, and pattern emerged from necessity before evolving into beauty. This philosophy now informs his approach to watchmaking. Rather than reproducing historical motifs, he seeks to translate architectural thinking into horology. For him, heritage should not be copied, it should be continued. As Rashed explains, real heritage evolves with every generation rather than remaining frozen in time.

One of the strongest themes throughout Rashed’s reflections is the distinction between inheritance and legacy. Inheritance, he explains, belongs to the past. Legacy belongs to the future. While individuals may inherit wealth, businesses, or reputations, those assets only become meaningful when they are expanded through contribution. His philosophy is captured in a statement that serves as a guiding principle: “Inheritance gives you a starting point. Legacy demands that you create a destination.” For Rashed, every generation faces the same responsibility, to contribute something that did not exist before and leave behind more than it received.

Coming from a family with deep roots in the watch and jewellery industry brought both opportunity and responsibility. Rashed acknowledges that heritage opens doors, but expectations ensure that those doors remain challenging to walk through. A respected family name may create opportunities, yet respect itself must always be earned independently. He views reputation as a responsibility rather than an entitlement, emphasizing that each generation must determine whether it deserves the legacy it inherits. “Every generation inherits a reputation. Every generation must decide whether it deserves it.”

Despite decades of success, Rashed attributes achievement less to certainty than to curiosity. Looking back, he regrets moments of hesitation more than outright failures. Opportunities that once appeared premature often became obvious in hindsight. These experiences reinforced his belief that growth comes from remaining open to new possibilities. He emphasizes that success is not the result of always being right but of maintaining a willingness to learn. Failure, he argues, forces reflection. Success can sometimes discourage it. As he puts it: “Failure asks questions. Success often convinces people they already have the answers.”

When reflecting on the individual who most influenced his thinking, Rashed immediately points to his late father. Rather than teaching through speeches, his father taught through consistency. Observing years of disciplined decision-making instilled lessons about patience, integrity, and reputation that later became central to Rashed’s own philosophy. These lessons extended beyond business. They shaped his understanding of character, responsibility, and the enduring value of trust. For Rashed, character remains more difficult to build, and far more valuable, than commercial success.

After more than four decades in business, what concerns Rashed most is not failure but irrelevance. He fears the possibility of losing curiosity and no longer asking difficult questions. In his view, organizations decline not because they stop producing products but because they stop searching for better answers. This commitment to contribution also influences how he thinks about mortality. Working with objects designed to survive generations has convinced him that ownership is temporary while contribution endures. His philosophy is summarized in a simple but powerful reflection: “Names disappear. Principles travel.”

When asked what would remain if everything he built disappeared, Rashed’s answer is immediate: his convictions. Companies can change ownership. Markets fluctuate. Awards fade from memory. Character, however, remains beyond the reach of external circumstances. This conviction has shaped his entire outlook on success and leadership. “Protecting your image is temporary. Protecting your character lasts a lifetime.” For him, reputation follows character, not the other way around.

If there is a single idea that defines Rashed’s philosophy, it is the belief that contribution matters more than recognition. He encourages future generations not to chase success as an end goal. Instead, he urges them to focus on becoming useful, trustworthy, and valuable to others. The distinction is important. Attention may be fleeting, but trust accumulates over time. Meaningful lives, in his view, are built through consistent acts of integrity long after public recognition fades. His closing message remains one of the interview’s most enduring reflections: “Do not spend your life trying to become successful. Spend it trying to become useful. Success attracts attention. Usefulness earns trust. Attention fades. Trust compounds.” Ultimately, Rashed’s journey is not a story about watches. It is a story about craftsmanship, responsibility, character, and contribution. Throughout his reflections, one idea continually returns to the surface: *“Legacy is not what remains after your life. It is what continues because of it.”*

1980s — The Beginning of a Lifelong Passion Rashed entered the watch and jewellery industry, taking his first steps into a world defined by craftsmanship, precision, and enduring value. What began as an introduction to luxury goods soon evolved into a lifelong commitment to understanding the artistry, heritage, and human skill behind some of the world's finest creations. 1990s— Building Global Relationships As the luxury watch industry continued to expand internationally, Rashed strengthened relationships with leading watch manufacturers and established long-term partnerships across the global luxury sector. These years deepened his understanding of both the commercial and cultural dimensions of fine watchmaking, laying the foundation for decades of collaboration and trust. 2000s— Expanding Leadership Across the Region During this decade, Rashed assumed broader executive responsibilities within his family's retail operations throughout the Middle East. Alongside these leadership roles, he continued to reinforce his presence within the international watch industry, bridging regional expertise with global luxury markets and further strengthening his reputation across the sector. 2010s— Preserving Heritage and Craftsmanship With decades of experience behind him, Rashed increasingly focused on heritage, collecting, craftsmanship, and the preservation of traditional luxury values. His work reflected a growing commitment to safeguarding the knowledge, skills, and cultural significance that define authentic luxury, ensuring that these traditions would continue to inspire future generations. 2020s— From Legacy to Creation The 2020s marked a new chapter in Rashed's journey. He founded TITTO RICCI and began developing original projects inspired by Saudi cultural heritage. During this period, he introduced the NAWAHI concept, a vision that combines the architectural principles of Najdi heritage with the world of haute horlogerie. His contributions to luxury, culture, and craftsmanship were further recognized when he received the title "The Legacy Laureate for Lifetime Achievement in Luxury & Cultural Heritage," celebrating a career dedicated to preserving tradition while shaping its future.

Rashed Mohammed Alabdullatif is the Founder and Owner of TITTO RICCI, with more than four decades of experience in the international watch and jewellery industry. Throughout his career, he has focused on craftsmanship, heritage preservation, and the cultural significance of luxury beyond commerce. In 2026, he was honoured in Kuala Lumpur with the title The Legacy Laureate for Lifetime Achievement in Luxury & Cultural Heritage, in recognition of his long-standing contribution to the luxury watch and jewellery sector and his commitment to preserving cultural heritage through design, craftsmanship, and innovation. His current work explores the intersection of traditional Najdi architectural heritage and contemporary haute horlogerie through the development of NAWAHI, a one-of-one haute horlogerie creation inspired by Saudi architectural identity.

Name: Rashed Mohammed Alabdullatif Nationality: Saudi Arabian Profession: Founder & Owner, TITTO RICCI Industry: Luxury Watches & Jewellery Experience: More than Four Decades Recognition: The Legacy Laureate for Lifetime Achievement in Luxury & Cultural Heritage — Awarded in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2026)

Every profession eventually reaches a moment when it must ask itself a difficult question. Not how successful it has become. Not how profitable it is. But why it still deserves to exist. Luxury is no exception. In a world where technology can produce almost everything faster, cheaper and more efficiently than ever before, the existence of handcrafted mechanical objects appears increasingly irrational. And yet, they continue to matter. Not because they outperform technology, but because they remind us of something technology cannot replace: human intention. This conversation was never intended to explain watches. It was intended to explore why human beings continue searching for meaning through the objects they create. If, after reading these pages, the conversation causes even one reader to think differently about time, craftsmanship, legacy, or responsibility, then it has already achieved its purpose. — Rashed Mohammed Alabdullatif

Interviews usually document achievements. This one documents ideas. It begins with watches. It ends with philosophy. What interested us most was not the commercial success behind the story, but the intellectual question running quietly beneath every answer: what remains valuable after technology has solved the practical problem? The answers offered here will not satisfy everyone. Nor should they. Good interviews provide information. Great interviews provoke reflection. Our hope is that this conversation will continue long after the final page.

“The finest watch does not tell you what time it is. It quietly asks what you choose to do with the time you have.” — Rashed Mohammed Alabdullatif

More than four decades. Thousands of watches. Countless conversations. One enduring belief: Craftsmanship gives objects value. Character gives life meaning. (A fully blank page, centred text only, no imagery.) “We do not inherit the future. We earn the right to shape it.” — Rashed Mohammed Alabdullatif “Time belongs to everyone. Legacy belongs only to those who leave something worth continuing.” — Rashed Mohammed Alabdullatif