Dubai is a city where success, ambition, and personal style often intersect and few industries reflect this more clearly than luxury watch trading. In this episode of Real Talk Dubai, George Hojeige sits down with Dean Bramley, Founder of Bramley Luxury Goods, for an unfiltered conversation about luxury, risk, reinvention, and what it really takes to build a trusted name in Dubai’s high-value trading market. Dean shares his journey from growing up in Stoke-on-Trent in the UK to working across Australia, Taiwan, and the Middle East in the automotive industry before making a bold and unexpected pivot into luxury watches. From working with global brands like Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, and McLaren to being made redundant with a family to support, Dean opens up about the turning points that forced him to rethink everything. The conversation explores how trust can be both the biggest asset and the most expensive mistake in luxury trading, why cash flow—not profit—is the real challenge behind high-value deals, and how the watch market truly works behind the scenes. Dean breaks down common misconceptions around luxury watches as “investments,” explains how pricing and rarity actually drive value, and reveals the realities of scams, misinformation, and ethics in the industry. From flipping his first watch on his parents’ sofa to building Bramley into a respected luxury goods brand with an upcoming flagship store in Dubai Marina, this episode offers honest insights into resilience, reputation, and building long-term credibility in one of the world’s most competitive luxury markets. If you’re interested in founder stories, luxury trading, or the realities of entrepreneurship in Dubai, this episode delivers a raw and grounded perspective without the gloss. Guest: Dean Bramley, Founder, Bramley Luxury Goods Host: George Hojeige, Group CEO, Virtuzone, an Ascentium Company Chapters 00:00 Luxury, status, and why watches matter in Dubai 03:10 Dean’s early life in the UK and first ambitions 06:20 From automotive engineering to luxury car brands 09:40 Moving countries and exposure to global luxury markets 13:30 Redundancy in Dubai and hitting reset 17:00 Entering the watch trading world 20:40 Trust, risk, and the most costly early mistake 24:20 Status vs passion: why people really buy luxury watches 27:40 How watch value, rarity, and timing really work 31:20 Luxury myths and the reality of the watch market 34:30 Building Bramley, reputation, and long-term credibility 37:00 Final reflections and closing thoughts Connect and Next Steps Learn more about business setup and growth in the UAE: virtuzone.com Follow Real Talk Dubai for more conversations with founders and industry leaders shaping the UAE
