A decade ago, watch collecting in the Middle East was almost uncharted territory, with little online about the subject and no visible community of collectors despite the region’s enormous wealth. But since Hassan Akhras created the Arab Watch Guide online in 2014, many watch fans say he has helped speed change in both those areas.

The guide website, in Arabic and English, is written entirely by Mr. Akhras, with news reports and his analysis of new watches, a blog and paid content from some brands. It also has a presence on Instagram, with around 153,000 followers, and on YouTube.

When he founded the guide, Mr. Akhras said, “I promoted it as a marketing platform for the watch companies to share their latest releases with their communities. At that time every brand I was speaking to didn’t know who their collectors in the Middle East were. I became a middleman.”

“I also got invited on factory visits in Europe,” he recalled. “That kind of opened a lot of doors in terms of what was happening and understanding how the world of watches works.”

And in 2015, Mr. Akhras founded the Arab Watch Club, an organization of 60 members, mostly men, from the Gulf region.

On a recent scorching afternoon, Mr. Akhras, 41, wore a sweater for an interview at the private Arts Club Dubai, where he is a member. On his wrist was a yellow gold Cartier Crash, one of the house’s cult favorites. But his version, a personal commission, had a dial and a crown cabochon in green and a soft beige leather strap.