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KARACHI: Leading Pakistani watch and jewelry brand, Collectibles by Sonraj, has made history by training and inducting Pakistan’s first professional female watchmaker, Saira Akram, at its service center in Karachi.
By choosing watchmaking as a profession, Saira serves as a trailblazer, inspiring young people to explore unconventional career paths that offer both professional success and personal fulfillment.
Sonraj has an illustrious legacy in Pakistan’s watch industry for over five decades. The company has been an exclusive purveyor of top global luxury brands such as, Omega, Hublot, Chopard, Breitling, Gucci, Glashütte, Blancpain, and many more.
In the year 1967, The Pak-Swiss Horological Training Center came into being in collaboration with the Swiss Horology Federation. The institute offered a world-class 3-year associate diploma in watchmaking.
Later on, the institute was supported well by Rado which is owned by Swatch Group, and the WOSTEP foundation, the most prestigious watch-making institute based in Neuchatel. The institute equipped aspiring watchmakers with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in the field.
Over the course of more than 40 graduating batches, the center trained hundreds of talented individuals until its closure in 2022 due to worsening economic conditions and sustainability challenges.
Sonraj, the parent company of Collectibles, established its first service center in 1976, training highly skilled individuals. Today, under CEO Rameez Sattar, the company is committed to reviving Pakistan’s watchmaking industry by nurturing local talent and continuing training efforts at the Collectibles Service Center.
Sattar remarked, “Watchmaking has always been my passion, but the industry in Pakistan has nearly disappeared due to the closure of professional institutions. We aim to create employment opportunities and revive the country’s proud heritage.”
Sonraj recently made history by training and inducting Pakistan’s first professional female watchmaker, signaling a brighter future for the industry. The company has played a pivotal role in training hundreds of watchmakers, many of whom work with renowned global brands.
With Pakistan’s large, tech-savvy youth population, Sattar believes there is immense potential to meet global demand, particularly by empowering young minds, including women, who make up half of the population. Despite a global shortage of watchmakers, Pakistan can reclaim its place in the industry by leveraging this untapped talent.
Through its service centers, Sonraj played a pivotal role in training hundreds of highly skilled watchmakers, many of whom went on to work with renowned watchmaking companies around the world. “
Saira Akram said, “I am thrilled to have joined Sonraj Service Center and become the first professional female watchmaker in Pakistan. Watchmaking is a field renowned for its intricacy and prestige and therefore is quite challenging, however, I am happy to break barriers and set new precedents in the industry.
I am grateful for the opportunity and support from my organization, which holds great value for me to aspire and achieve excellence in the field.” The joining of Saira Akram as a professional watchmaker at Collectibles was well-received in the industry.
Renowned banker and Chairman of HBL, Mr. Sultan Ali Allana who hails from watch making family in a special message said, “As someone, whose family roots have had a deep connection with the art of watchmaking, long before the creation of Pakistan, as P. Allana & Bros in Karachi, I am delighted to learn of Saira Akram’s remarkable achievement as Pakistan’s first professional female watchmaker.
I wish to commend and record my sincere appreciation to Collectibles for providing a platform to encourage artisanal watchmaking. I am certain that this initiative will open doors for other women who wish to follow in the rich tradition of horology and that this will mark the beginning of an exciting and enriching career option for women in Pakistan.”
Presently, Collectibles has outlets in Karachi Islamabad Lahore Quetta, and Faisalabad, alongside a well-equipped training center in Karachi to provide high-quality after-sale services to the customers as well as train young aspiring watchmakers. Collectibles is committed to expanding its after-sales and training institute to other locations across the country.
“Pakistan, particularly Karachi was once the hub of watch-making in Asia,” Mr. Rameez Sattar fondly recollects, “The country still has a lot of potential, which needs to be refocused on establishing new professional training schools to capture this opportunity and put Pakistan back on the global watchmaking map.
Sonraj is leading efforts for the revival of the industry and with the right commitment from other industry leaders and global brands our efforts can yield results sooner than later.”
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