In an era when time becomes the most valuable currency and technology permeates every aspect of life, Anton Zubarev, the founder of 316 Watch Boutiques and a fintech payment platform, offers an account of his journey from elite watch boutiques to an e-commerce platform with reliable payment solutions. Our business launched in 2016 when I first joined the watch company LPI RUS. By 2016, I realised that this business truly captivated me.
At that time, I met a classmate with whom I had shared a passion for watches. We created an Instagram focused on premium watches, understanding that the platform was ideal for emotions and vanity — the mechanism was perfect for creating beautiful content. And it worked.
The desire for development became the reason we found ourselves in Dubai. In February, just before the pandemic, my wife and I went at the invitation of Bulgari to the LVMH Days — four brands from the group: Hublot, Bulgari, Zenith, and TAG Heuer. I shared with my wife the feeling that the city has a special energy.
I felt it was my place of power. With the watch boutique, we started by choosing a location. Dubai turned out to be a city with an ambiguous structure — no traditional centre in the urban planning sense.
Downtown exists, but it’s not the centre we were used to. By 2023, competition had increased and the maths didn’t align with our business model. Realising that the watch venture wasn’t working out, we decided to focus on a fintech platform.
We developed an electronic menu and payment functionality. Our current key clients are hotels and restaurants, and we will soon offer a convenient way to visualise goods and services and accept payments for retail, beauty, and everyday services. My favourite saying comes from Seneca: if a man does not know to what port he is steering, no wind is favourable to him.
These words have become my guide. Our goal is to build a company that benefits the team, customers, and all those involved.