Sand is powerfully symbolic: It gets between your toes on holiday, but it has also shaped the trajectory of our civilization as one of the most transformative materials in our history. 

Humans have shaped sand since the dawn of civilisation: making tools, using it in construction, and to make glass in ancient Mesopotamia. In the 8th century, it was sand enclosed in blown-glass bulbs that became the core medium of one of the first portable timekeeping devices: the hourglass. We have shaped sand — and it has shaped us.

As Vince Beiser writes in The World in a Grain, sand is “the most important solid substance on Earth,” underpinning everything from silicon chips to skyscrapers – a foundation of life, and the original measure of time. Formed over millions of years through the erosion of rocks by wind, water, and ice, it is one of the earliest ways in which humankind attempted to count the passing of time. Viewed under a microscope, it is an astonishing universe in miniature. 

In Material World, Ed Conway dedicates a chapter to sand, unpacking its significant role in shaping civilization. Sand is, as Conway writes, “the material without which modern life would be impossible.” He traces its journey from natural rock particles to the ingredient in everything from concrete and glass to silicon chips – the foundation of our digital age. Sand, Conway explains, is also a finite resource. Not all sand is usable. Desert sand, for example, is too smooth for construction. Conway writes how something so seemingly abundant has become commodified, and even fought over and, in Conway’s words, “the solid ground on which civilization is built.”

In The World in a Grain, Vince Beiser describes sand as “the material that built the modern world,” yet before it built towers and smartphones, it was already building something more eternal: a sense of time.

Ahmed Seddiqi × Ressence TYPE 9 S75: A watch made with desert sand

To celebrate 75 years as the UAE’s premier destination for luxury watches and jewellery, retail giant Ahmed Seddiqi has partnered with independent watchmaker Ressence to create the TYPE 9 S75, a time-only piece filled with sand.

This edition takes the idea of local inspiration to its most tactile form. Intriguingly, the sand-filled dial wasn’t just chosen from one iconic site. Instead, Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi, CEO of Ahmed Seddiqi, and Ressence founder Benoît Mintiens ventured into the desert together to collect sand from all seven Emirates of the U.A.E. 

“Central to this project is the idea of measuring time through the motion of sand grains,” said Mintiens. “This watch stands at the crossroads between the ancient hourglass, the organic dome of the dial echoing the texture of dunes, and the regional origin of the piece, symbolised by a blend of sand gathered from all seven Emirates.” That philosophical premise extends into the minimalist design: no seconds, no date, just the essentials — hours and minutes — displayed via Ressence’s ROCS system.

For Seddiqi, the TYPE 9 S75 is a tribute to the nation’s landscape and heritage. “This limited edition not only reflects our deep cultural roots but also symbolises the partnership between Ahmed Seddiqi and Ressence, blending tradition with cutting-edge horological craftsmanship,” says Seddiqi.

Visually, the watch features sand-bonded (using a type of glue) titanium discs for the hours and minutes, with engraved indications filled in Grade A Super-LumiNova® for legibility in low light. The bezel serves as the minute indicator, while time-setting and manual winding are performed via the rotating caseback. Housed in a polished 39mm Grade 5 titanium case, the watch is just 11mm thick and weighs just 40g, topped with a domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inner surface — the TYPE 9 is not an oil-filled watch, that is only reserved for its TYPE 3, 5 and 7 models. 

It might have been many centuries since we relied on actual grains of sand to tell the time, but this watch reminds us that our connection to, and reliance on sand, is far from an ancient story that belongs only in the past. 

Tech Specs: Ressence TYPE 9 S75 

Movement: Self-winding patented ROCS 9 module driven by the minute axle of a customised automatic base caliber; 36-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours and minutes
Case: 37mm × 11mm; grade 5 titanium; water-resistant to 10m
Dial: Sand-bonded on grade 5 titanium dial
Strap: Camel leather strap
Price: USD 15,500 (excluding taxes)
Availability: Limited to 20 pieces