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Nicolas G. Hayek 1928-2010Press Release by Swatch Group Biel/Bienne, 28 June 2010 - With deep sadness and regret we inform you that Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek, Chairman and Delegate of the Board of Directors of The Swatch Group Ltd. unexpectedly passed away today due to heart failure during work at his beloved Swatch Group. Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek's greatest merit was his enormous contribution to the saving of the Swiss watch industry and the foundation and the commercial development of the Swatch Group. Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek's extraordinary vision enabled him to realize and ensure the sustainability of a strong watchmaking enterprise with high Swiss added value. He is rightly recognized as a leading entrepreneur in this country. With the right personnel decisions, Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek also ensured that his ideas and beliefs will live on and that continuity is guaranteed in regard of shareholders, Board of Directors and the Group Management Board. Pressemitteilung der Swatch Group Biel/Bienne, 28. Juni 2010 - Wir haben die traurige Pflicht, Ihnen mitzuteilen, dass Herr Nicolas G. Hayek, Präsident und Delegierter des Verwaltungsrates der Swatch Group heute völlig unerwartet während der Arbeit in seiner geliebten Swatch Group an einem Herzversagen gestorben ist. Herrn Nicolas G. Hayek kommen riesige Verdienste bei der Rettung der Schweizerischen Uhrenindustrie und bei der Gründung und der geschäftlichen Entwicklung der Swatch Group zu. Herr Nicolas G. Hayek hat es mit der Swatch Group verstanden, seine Visionen eines starken Uhrenkonzerns mit hoher schweizerischer Wertschöpfung zu verwirklichen und nachhaltig umzusetzen. Er gilt zu Recht als wegweisender Unternehmer dieses Landes. Herr Nicolas G. Hayek hat es auch verstanden, durch entsprechende personelle Entscheidungen sicherzustellen, dass seine Ideen und Vorstellungen überdauern und dass die Kontinuität sowohl im Aktionariat, wie auch im Verwaltungsrat und der Geschäftsleitung gewährleistet ist. |
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Personal words from the Swatch Club members...
I am personally devisted by the death of Mr. Hayek! I have met my closest and most dear friends of my whole life through Swatch and Mr. Hayek!! The very first Gold Card Event in Biel MR. Hayek spent one entire day on a boat with us--talking at length with each Gold card Member and taking our pictures together. He really cared so much for we Gold-pioneers and his favorite word "Provocative" I will never forget The trips to !Expo in Portugal--The factories in Biel-- Dog sledding and the Ice Hotel in Sweden- Walking on the glaciers in Switzerland -The Blue Men concert in Lugano- so many places--so much adventure--all his ideas!!!!!! Hr. Hayek was a true genius in every way. Some of the most fun I have had as an adult has been with swatch, just wonderful memories! He was bigger than life, like all these businesses, he was to big to fail. It is very sad, most people are !!!!!!!shocked, but we have to remember to celebrate a great, accomplished life, which is what he deserves. Pioneer member Esther put it best--"He was the heartbeat of swatch, I just hope it doesn't go on automatic now."!!!!! June, USA Not only the 'saver' of the Swiss watch industry, but, for us, also a great inspiration and founder of a the Swatch Collectors Club. He created a community of people worldwide. While meeting each other during several international Events, we feel like one big family. This was also one of mr. Hayek's goals, and he succeeded...... Wishing his family all the strength they need...... Met vriendelijke groet, Ellen en Hetto, the Netherlands Thanks to his affection for Swatch and the collectors, I now have friends around the world. He always added excitement to our club events when he attended and he challenged all of us to make Swatch a better brand as well as a way of viewing life. Mr. Hayek will be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Brian, USA A real friend for all the Collectors, it's a loss that will be very difficult to forget. Alberto, Italy We are so sad about the news. Marianne, Denmark It was a shock receiving this unbelievable info. It was complete sureal. Impossible. Read the mail again and again and nothing changed... On the 28th June the world lost a big man. Swatch and the Swatchgroup lost their "Flaggenträger" (as he called himself once) and his family lost a loved member. My thoughts are with his families. His wife, children and the next of kin have lost a great man. But also his second family - all swatch the club members (and especially the Gold and Pioneer Member) - have lost a great, a visionary, a unique and irreplacable part of the family. I'm sure that everybody of this family still remembers the first time meeting him. I had that pleasure on the Fun Boarder Event in Luzern. When I asked him to sign a postcard for me and if I'm allowed to take some photos of him. His answer was "sure take as many as you want". When he signd the postcard he looked at me and says "now you get this postcard if you stop taking pictures of me". This makes me smile even in this sad moment. And I'm sure we all have a memory like this. Without Mr.Hayek Swatch, Swatch the Club and the Swatchgroup wouldn't exist. We wouldn't have our hobby. We wouldn't be part of the best club in the world, where nobody cares where you are from, if you are rich, wich religion you have, who you are. There would be no swatch events where we meet people from all over the world, which became closest friends in the whole world. This all wouldn't be there. But thanks to him it exist! And with making some very good personal decisions, like the new head of Swatch, Mrs. Emch, in the last years, I hope we will be part of this family also in the future and Swatch the Club will continue as Mr. Hayeks second family. His spirit will be with you every time you look at your wrist for the time, with every tick tack you hear of your watch and with every smart car you see on the road. All this will be there forever and make his spirit immortal! Michael, Germany Mr. Hayek was the heart and soul of Swatch, we will miss him very much!!! Because of him, of his visions, his dreams, my live has changed to the better. Thank you, Mr. Hayek, for being part of my, of our life!!! Anja, Germany HE RAN OUT OF TIME! Mr. Hayek was our Grand/Piper (G/P) and had a charisma that had Swatchers from all over the World follow his every dream, and made it their dream too. Tributes will be flowing and deservedly so, as our emotions are over flowing for Mr. Hayek's family. He had the rare quality of being in the moment, one on one with you, making you feel very special. Mr. Hayek was "to big to fail", he was large in his thinking, execution and reach, and deserves our respect and to celebrate his life. To measure ones true success is Happiness, and he was a very successful man. What I treasure most of about Swatch, is they have become my other family, and the deep friendships I have made will be a part of me forever. Proudly as a G/P ambassador of Swatch, he understood that money could not buy our passion or heart and that is why he embraced us all, and we him. We shared the same heartBEAT! I only hope Swatch does not go into automatic mode now. He is gone in body, but has left us the most memorable times to reflect on with our Swatch experiences which all bring a giant smile, much laughter, stories,but mostly fun. His legacy is not that he turned plastic into Gold/ Platinum, but that he made it a rare & desired gem, and saved a country, it's National symbol, and brought the World closer together. My thoughts are with him as his spirit glows ever brighter! If every time we all look at our watch, and think of him for a fraction of a mille-second, he will live on. Swatchfully yours, Esther, USA Monday-evening: shocked at the news of the sudden death of mr Nicolas G Hayek, father of Swatch,father of the Swatch-community. Following days : still shocked, not wanting to accept the sad truth. Consoling oneself with the memories of this great and kind man : the meetings with him at Bürgenstock, in Lugano, in Bregenz, in Geneva, at numerous General Meetings of Shareholders. I will miss him dearly. My thoughts and sympathy go out to his next of kin and his family : Swatch, Swatchgroup, Swatch-collectors. RIP HENK, the Netherlands I know that the Swatch management likes to see people from all over the world at G & P because it makes them feel good about having a global brand but what they don't realize is how close our group really is and all of the friendships that have developed and grown over the years - because of Swatch - because of Mr. Hayek's vision. I am sure that he had no idea of what he created and what it means to all of us. Dan, USA A sad news. A visionary-man who make people love a ordinary thing: a watch. But a Swatch !! A colorful and funny world. Condolences to his families and the people of the Swatch group. Eric, France I was greatly saddened by the news of Mr. Hayeks sudden death. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to his family in this great moment of sorrow. What a loss for Swatch and the Swatch Club, the Swatch Group, Switzerland and the world. Jörg, Germany |
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