Horological Meandering

Some people idolized him as a demi-god; others reviled him, but I can think of no one who, with any objectivity, could disagree with the statement that he was a great man. Biel/Bienne, 28 June 2010 - With deep sadness and regret we inform you that Mr. Nic... 

RIP I was just reading about him in the WSJ.com weekend magazine that came out afew weeks ago. Wow, he certainly had vision and was instrumental in horology. This message has been edited by ocwatching on 2010-06-28 10:29:14

Lie with his family and friends. He shall be sorely missed,throughout the horology world.

my condolences and deepest sympathies to his family...

Nobody can stay indifferent to Nicolas HAYEK. I'm sad to hear that news. Best and friendly thoughts to his family. Nicolas

Even though this man leaves this world, he left us with the mission to live a creative life full of dreams. Let each one of our acts take us further. May God be with him and his family. (Interview referred on one of the first posts) magazine.wsj.c... 

for the loss of this truly magnificient personality, endowed with character, wisdom, vision and courage. Without him, the watch landscape would be a different one. Without him, Switzerland, but also Germany and many other countries would be different enti... 

to his family & friends.... He will be missed, but, also, be remembered.... May he rest in peace....

to the Hayek family and all at the Swatch Group. Though he single handedly created a huge conglomerate he was the "person" and "face" behind the company. I had the privilege of corresponding with him a number of times regarding matters of horological inte... 

And let's also remember he had vision outside of watches. I never met him directly regrettably but had small involvement via the very early concept days of the MCC Swatch car project that ultimately became the Smart. Clearly one of the great autocrats. Co... 

Mr. Hayek and Swatch has meant a lot for the whole watch industry. My sympathies to his friends and family. Blomman

.... I think it is safe to state that without Mr. Hayek, the Swiss watch industry would have shared the fate of its competitors in France and Germany. His boldness and energy should be remembered forever! Regards, Marcus

NT

His explosive vitality, his crystalline qualities, his magnetic charisma, make it - simply - an immortal. Arrivederci Nicolas!

From every interview he seemed to live live fully and with passion - I'm sure he was happy to have passed away working at his legacy firm. Sympathies to his son Nick and family.

read WSJ interview 2 weeks back, article ended with another infamous Hayek quote, which left a deep impression "think about your home; practically everything you have is electornic - dishwasher, TV, radio, phone, ipod, computer - even your memory is now i... 

The fact that he was a polarizing figure in the industry means he did something right IMO. We must give credit where it's due. Mr. Hayek Sr. was a visionary and had a huge impact on the industry around which our hobby is based. There is no denying that. I... 

(not only) watches. I will miss his controversial thoughts and statements, for sure. Have met him in person, with his lovely wife and really hope to be as happy as they have been. They still looked like enamoured teenagers - gorgeous. My condolence to his... 

May he rest in peace ... and my deepest regrets to the family. Filip

Nothing will be the same in the watch industry, that's for sure. My condolences to his family and friends. May he rest in peace. Vte.

nt

I can just say congratulations and thank you Mr Hayek for all what you've done for your industry. Condolences to his family. Dje

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His contribution to the industry is undeniably huge. We will sorely miss him!

He will be greatly missed. I'll be visiting his building in Ginza to pay my respects. I'll be wearing my Swatch there in his memory too.

it started with a swatch and now...... thank you thank you thank you

to his family and friends. He will be sorely missed as the godfather of the modern Swiss watch industry. Br, Dirk

A visionary in more than one sense indeed.

Condolensces to his family and friends.

In retrospect, Mr. Hayek can be seen as a man who helped save ane remake the high-end watch industry of today. He was the architect of today's prosperity and it is he who is responsible for the continuing existence of many of the finest names in the indus... 

... read this news this early morning, feel sad to hear that. my condolence to his family. stefan

and I do believe all of us should remember him for his hard work which makes our hobby all the more possible! May he rest in peace!

My heartfelt condolences and kudos to an incredible life achievement. Andreas

My condolences to his family and friends. A great man whom will be sorely missed. Goh

And may Mr. Hayek rest in peace..

Very sad to hear the news.

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Certainly Mr Hayek was one of the titans of the post quartz era. His non-watchmaking and Lebanese background added to the allure of his personality which comes through in bounds in all the interviews I've read. His legacy is remarkable. The NYT obit is he... 

Most of us can probably be thankful to the man. It is probably thanks to his energy and passion that we can continue to enjoy nice mechanical Swiss made watches today!...Unfortunately, the body is like a mechanical movement and the heart in particular, so... 

The world of Horlogerie will not be like what it is today without you sir. We can only say thank you very much for everything that you have done. My deepest condolence for the family. The world just lost the hero of horlogerie.

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he was an original in every sense and will be greatly missed. Sincerely, Tim

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his legacy will speak for many many years after him just to name few bright examples - Breguet, Blancpain, J*D, ETA etc. I'm shocked and sad but unfortunately all things comes to an end including our lifetime. I'll never forget the first time I saw Mr Hay... 

Enjoy your well-deserved rest.

God Bless

Sorry to hear about the passing of Mr. Hayek. My condolences to his family for their loss. Regards, ED-209

My sympathies are with his family and friends. We have lost a visionary of the business of horology and a terrific business leader.

moves people...... RIP Sincerely, MTF

A great visionary is no longer among us, but his legacy will endure many future generations. With sympathy and sadness, Alejandro

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He played by his own rules and didn't rely on conventional tools for running his businesses........which is why he was so successful. My sympathies to his family

To live a long life filled with passion and enjoyment of one's work until the very end! Not only wearing his prerequisite 2 watches on each arm, he probably died with a fine cigar and a glass of stellar vintage wine nearby. More power to him. Hard to see ... 

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The world has lost a LEGEND!.

Sad day and a great loss to the watch community. Deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Hayek.