Ali Soltani, the founder of Ritmo Mundo, is making a bold move. As we chat on the morning of the US presidential elections, just hours before Donald Trump will be announced as the returning President of the United States of America, Ali’s plans to democratise the watch industry are at the top of our conversational ticket: “You know, we can’t make a better watch than Patek,” smiles Ali from his Beverly Hills home. “We can’t make a better watch than a billion-dollar company. But we can make a cooler watch, a more affordable watch, and one that tells time but also reflects your personality. Rolexes are the Cadillacs of the watch world — everybody has one. We do something different.”
If Ali Soltani is about anything, it’s personality. Born in Iran and raised in Beverly Hills, California, his life has been one of themes and variations: educated at UCLA and Loyola Law School, he started out as a lawyer before going on to help his family acquire Rodeo Drive’s legendary luxury retailer David Orgell, a Hollywood legend in and of itself, in business since 1958. It was the perfect jewellery and watchmaking training ground for the eventual launch his own brand, and Ritmo Mundo was born in 2002.
During the course of our conversation, A-list celebrity names teem from Ali’s lips like raindrops — but these aren’t any mere ‘brand ambassadors’; a Beverly Hills boy through and through, they’re his neighbours, former clients, friends and confidantes, a consistent high-profile fan base proud to be seen wearing his timepieces. From Hollywood greats such as Samuel L. Jackson and music legends Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones, to sports stars, multiple US Presidents and a frankly unrepeatable Elizabeth Taylor anecdote (ask Ali if you see him in Geneva this coming April), it’s a who’s who of the world’s rich, famous and powerful. And they’ve all had Ritmo Mundo timepieces on their wrists — including La Liz, who provided the inspiration for the brand’s very first offering.
“The first watch I gave to anybody was Elizabeth Taylor,” says Ali. “I made a purple Gran Data to match her eyes, of course. And she called Elton John and a lot of people on my behalf. She called a luxury retailer in London and said ‘I want you to carry my friend’s watch.’ She really helped me a lot.”
Another high point in Ritmo Mundo’s celeb-soaked history was the Samuel L. Jackson movie Snakes on a Plane. “I get credit for that one — I was on a plane with snakes on top of me, and I told Samuel the story in passing,” laughs Ali. “He’s wearing one of our watches in the movie and I went to the premiere.” Whether the film really was inspired by Ali Soltani’s real-life herpetological experience is up for debate, but what’s for sure is that Samuel L. Jackson is indeed a long-time friend of his, having sported a host of Ritmo Mundo timepieces over the years.
The most refreshing thing about Ali Soltani, however, isn’t his sparkling celebrity connections (although it’s certainly entertaining to listen to stories such as ‘There’s Things I Can’t Tell You About P.Diddy’, ‘The Donald Trump You See is Exactly The One You Get’ and ‘The Time I Sold A Watch To Stevie Wonder’ endlessly) — it’s his no-nonsense, straightforward attitude to the world of watchmaking. In an industry that’s often beyond precious about its image and trade secrets, Ali’s gut-spilling style is a sheer delight. Case in point: where did the Ritmo Mundo name come from?
“I made it up, just like Häagen-Dazs,” laughs Ali. “I didn’t want to call it Ali Soltani, I don’t see myself like a designer — I’m more of a creator. I didn’t want to call it any of my kids’ names, so we just made it up and it stuck. Some people like it, some people don’t.” See? Brilliant.
And what does Ali think about the watchmaking industry in general? It’s safe to say that he’s unafraid to say how he really feels.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love our industry,” he begins. “But we are very small, and they’re just watches. I’ve been to a lot of these trade shows as a buyer and as a seller, and people really take their job too seriously. Doctors need to be serious, they’ve got open heart surgeries to do. Us? We’re selling. It’s only a watch. When I hear all these technical specifications, they’ve already lost me. We want to keep the pizzazz and the luxury, but what I care about is if it’s pretty, and if it sells.
“I’ve been to a lot of the big brands’ manufactures, and every time I’m introduced to the designer it’s a guy who’s never left his little village, he’s gone to the same school as everyone else, and he has no clue who his client in Tokyo, or Paris, or LA, or Dubai is. This is really what resulted in me saying, let me give it a try.”
So how about the watches? It’s clear that Ritmo Mundo’s style has swung around since its launch, with plenty of experimentation — but always with a focus on fun. Originally manufacturing in partnership with a watch factory in Milan, Ali gradually moved Ritmo Mundo’s fabrication to Switzerland and China, and is now focused on a new look altogether: that of complete sapphire cases.
“When I started working on Pegasus, I wanted what is hot right now,” says Ali. “Sapphire watches are what everyone wants, but they’re also price prohibitive. Not everyone can afford US$30,000 for a watch — so what we’re doing, at 10 per cent of that price, is a lot more democratic and accessible. It’s affordable, it’s cool, it’s fresh. I call it resort luxury.”
The Pegasus has found a Dubai-based distributor in Maison Luxe at the Dubai Mall, but this isn’t Ritmo Mundo’s first foray into the region. Over the years Ali’s watches have been distributed by Al Fardan in Qatar, as well as being sold in Kuwait, Bahrain and in Dubai too.
“Mr Hussein Al Fardan, in around 2003 or 2004, was one of the people who really got behind my product at the time, and put in a significant order for all his stores,” says Ali. “It helps that my name is Ali! And Mr Hussein was just truly a good, good man. Now I’m in the mindset that after 20-something years, people know who we are and the biggest independent, multi-brand store in Dubai is now carrying us.”
So who is this watch for? Ali is confident that the Pegasus will find a Middle Eastern fanbase — and while it’s currently the statement-making 44mm version that’s being distributed, he hints that a smaller, 38mm model will be making its debut come spring, as well as having an ultra-thin version in the works. He also lets slip that there are more timepieces — also in sapphire, but different models from the Pegasus — on Ritmo Mundo’s creative horizon.
“I don’t make any watch that I wouldn’t wear myself,” says Ali. “And the best compliment for me is when somebody says ‘that’s cool’. We got attention because we were just doing fun, cool things.
“There’s so many brands out there that all look the same, and if you take the names off their logos, you can’t tell what they are. Our watches have to stand out because of their DNA, their colour, so when you see it, you say well that must be a Ritmo, because it can’t be anything else. Nobody is willing to do crazy things — but we are.”
So, for all his charm and charisma, is Ali really a smiling assassin? Is he watchmaking’s Perseus, with a plan to sever the Gorgon’s head of the conservative Swiss watch industry, allowing his white-winged Pegasus to spring forth from the vital blow he’ll strike? It’s certain that any Maison specialising in sapphire should be looking over its shoulder — the Pegasus is a quality product with an unbeatable price point, and presented in a way that’s hip, wearable and entirely loveable. There’s no smoke and mirrors, with Ali wholly straightforward about the timepiece’s origins and manufacturing. And as we wrap up our chat on a landmark — and extremely divisive — day in American history, I wonder if the Pegasus will have a similar effect on this very particular style of horology. The democratisation of watchmaking? It’s clear we’ve only seen the very beginning.
