SJX Watches
Places: The Time Museum of Tehran
Iran certainly isn’t the first country that comes to mind when pondering the art and science of measuring time. Besides the obvious fact that the country is historically not a watchmaking nation, the modern-day geopolitics have isolated Iran. But this was not always the case. Before the Islamic Revolution, Iran’s economy was open and boasted considerable dynamism. The country still retained its historical role as an international hub that connected East and West, an important position that allowed Iran to cultivate relations with most of the world’s industrialised countries. An enduring legacy of Iran’s historically significant status in Near East and its extensive connections with leading nations is preserved, seemingly frozen in time, within one of Tehran’s elaborate, pre-Revolutionary mansions. Located in the Zafaranieh district – one of the city’s oldest districts that got its name from the wealth saffron merchants who once populated the area – the mansion is home to the Time Museum of Tehran. Zafaranieh is an upscale area that’s home to many embassies, including those of the Brazil, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, and Qatar, but the original building where the museum stands predates most of them. It was originally a plain, single-story home dating to the Qajar dynasty (1796-1925), which ruled Iran before the Pahlavis, the last imperial family of Iran who were overthrown during the revolution of 1979. But it was only when Hossein Khodadad, a prolifi...
