A side hobby that became a serious business<\/p>\n
G\u00fclmez, now the founder of mainspring.dxb, began collecting second-hand timepieces in 2016. Over the years, he built a personal collection worth nearly $60,000 (Dh220,350), sourcing models from across the world. By 2021, he was casually reselling watches. But this year, he finally turned the obsession into a full-time business.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I\u2019m free mentally and financially,\u201d he told Gulf News. \u201cMost people want to follow their dreams but are forced to hold on to jobs that don\u2019t speak to their soul. Once you save enough or feel financially secure, that\u2019s when you\u2019re ready to pursue what you love.\u201d<\/p>\n
The biggest push came from his daughter. With her now in university, Gulmez felt he had fulfilled a lifelong responsibility, creating stability and securing her future.<\/p>\n
With that chapter complete, he decided it was finally time to write his own.<\/p>\n
Why the Dubai Flea Market became his launching pad<\/p>\n
While many entrepreneurs start with sleek showrooms or e-commerce sites, G\u00fclmez chose a very different path: the Dubai Flea Market<\/a>.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t glamorous, but it was transformative.<\/p>\n \u201cI love selling there. The energy is completely different and I meet new people every time,\u201d he said. Bargaining means thinner margins, but the exposure was priceless. He has been a regular vendor since 2022, paying just Dh250 per stall, and he still returns every weekend – despite now having a permanent kiosk at B1 Mall, Al Barsha.<\/p>\n \u201cA permanent stall gives customers trust. They know where to find me. But I\u2019ll always sell at the flea market because I love the community.\u201d<\/p>\n He also markets through Instagram<\/a> and TikTok<\/a>, showcasing pieces and educating beginners.<\/p>\n Self-funded growth and a 350-watch inventory<\/p>\n Gulmez started with 50 watches. Once sold, he reinvested everything. No loans. No partners. No shareholders. Today, he has a stock of more than 350 watches, ranging from Omega<\/a> and Rolex<\/a> to Seiko<\/a>, Citizen and Orient.<\/p>\n His sourcing strategy is unconventional. He doesn\u2019t chase the rarest or priciest finds. Instead, he focuses on trusted resellers.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a saying: \u2018Don\u2019t buy the watch, buy the seller.\u2019 Japan is my main source because it\u2019s one of the best markets for vintage watches.\u201d<\/p>\n Gulmez\u2019s collection comes from travels, flea markets, second-hand dealers, and trusted resellers worldwide. He isn\u2019t necessarily chasing the rarest or most expensive models, he focuses on reliability, authenticity, and the story behind each watch.<\/p>\n What customers want: From Seiko to Rolex<\/p>\n Demand, he says, depends entirely on budget.<\/p>\n \u201cI sell from high-end to affordable. If you want good design and performance at a reasonable price, Japanese brands are your best bet.\u201d<\/p>\n His personal favourite? Omega – \u201ca brand that has advanced horology more than most.\u201d But for pure style, Cartier wins.<\/p>\n His current favourite from his own collection is the Omega Moonwatch, famously worn during Apollo 11 and every subsequent moon landing. His most expensive pieces include a Dh18,000 Rolex and another valued at Dh38,000.<\/p>\n The truth about watches as investments<\/p>\n He doesn\u2019t sugarcoat it.<\/p>\n \u201cTo me, watches are not investments. Only some models gain value. In the second-hand market, prices drop but usually stabilise. But with Cartier, Omega or Seiko, I\u2019ve never lost money.\u201d<\/p>\n Engineering precision: How he authenticates every watch<\/p>\n Before selling any piece, he inspects it in detail – the movement, dial, bezel, crown, case and bracelet. Using a digital microscope, he checks screws, scratch marks and signs of past maintenance.<\/p>\n \u201cWith my mechanical engineering background, I love this part. It\u2019s like examining a tiny factory inside the watch.\u201d<\/p>\n A single sale that made Dh80,000 in one day<\/p>\n The business can be unpredictable but highly rewarding.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the flea market, I once sold a Rolex for Dh63,000. My total revenue that day crossed Dh80,000, all because of one watch.\u201d<\/p>\n Premium models often follow global market prices, but vintage pieces are valued based on rarity, condition and timekeeping.<\/p>\n A lifelong collector of stories, not just watches<\/p>\n His passion began early. \u201cI started collecting ephemera – documents from the past, like boarding passes or Ottoman-era title deeds. I think I love watches because they\u2019re art, design and history wrapped into one.\u201d<\/p>\n Turning point: Dubai\u2019s business environment made the leap possible<\/p>\n One thing G\u00fclmez emphasises repeatedly is how Dubai\u2019s bureaucracy or lack of it – made entrepreneurship a realistic option.<\/p>\n \u201cStarting a business in Dubai is incredibly easy,\u201d he said. \u201cI used the DED Caf\u00e9<\/a>, and it took me just one hour to complete everything from company registration<\/a> to getting the permits.\u201d<\/p>\n He describes the process as \u201cwalk in in the morning, walk out in the afternoon with your own company.\u201d<\/p>\n Why second-hand retail actually works in Dubai<\/p>\n Despite Dubai\u2019s reputation for luxury shopping and massive malls, Gulmez says the second-hand watch market is thriving.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople today want something with a story. They want pieces with history, personality and soul,\u201d he explained. \u201cVintage watches give them that.\u201d<\/p>\n His advice to new entrepreneurs<\/p>\n For anyone starting a business, G\u00fclmez says passion is essential. Entrepreneurship comes with challenges, financial pressures, and moments of doubt, but loving the work makes them easier to face.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you love what you\u2019re building, you will find solutions you didn\u2019t know you were capable of,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Trust, he adds, is the currency of small businesses. In the vintage watch market, reputation matters more than marketing. Customers return when they feel safe and respected, which is why he offers a three-month warranty, no-fee exchanges, and full transparency.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve sold 5,000 watches. Each has a story, some dating back to the 1910s. Buying a vintage watch means continuing its history.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A side hobby that became a serious business G\u00fclmez, now the founder of mainspring.dxb, began collecting second-hand timepieces…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":289767,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[64,63,99,5951,198],"class_list":{"0":"post-289766","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entrepreneurship","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-dubai","12":"tag-entrepreneurship"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/289767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=289766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=289766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}