Savior Of The Swiss Watch Industry Nicholas Hayek

The story of the Hayek family is accompanied by legendary experience and the turmoil of the times. It has been passed down from generation to generation, so that the name of the family has become a symbol of the industry today. Before talking about Hayek’s watch legend, we still need to bring time back to the end of the 1970s and early 1980s, reminiscing about a history of watches and clocks that is often talked about in the industry but has to be said. Nicolas G. Hayek
The financial crisis of Swiss clocks
    The financial crisis is probably the most sensitive vocabulary of the moment, and those who know a little about the modern history of mechanical watches must also know the industry tsunami that the Swiss watch industry has experienced. At the end of the 1970s, people’s feelings about Swiss clocks were as panicked and overwhelmed as today’s public is facing the global economy.
    The cheap Japanese quartz watch has grown rapidly in the pride of Europeans, and has swept the world. When people came back, the export volume of Swiss watches and clocks has fallen from 82 million to 31 million. Nearly half of the watch and clock companies have closed down, and the number of employees has plummeted from 190,000 in the heyday to over 30,000.
    Now we do not need to investigate whether the first quartz watch was produced in Japan, Switzerland or the United States, but there is no doubt that when the results of this physical research were applied to clocks in a flash, Swiss clocks were doomed once. Number of robberies. We often say that times create heroes, and only when the crisis comes will there be great men. They will lead the end of an era and start a new chapter.
This time, the key to the new world of clocks fell into the hands of Nicholas G. Hayek.
Thinking of ‘Swiss Son-in-law’
    In fact, Hayek was not a native Swiss, but was born in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital in 1928, and became the son-in-law of the Swiss after meeting the beautiful Metzger girl. In 1954, with a bank loan of 2,500 Swiss francs, he set up his own consulting firm to provide revitalization solutions for German companies that were abolished after World War II. During this period, he basically had no contact with the watch industry and never thought he would have any connection with saving the Swiss watch industry. If there was no subsequent crisis, perhaps his future would be a well-known boss in a certain place, enjoying a stable and rich family life like everyone else. But history is often driven by opportunity.
     At a time when the Swiss watch industry was faltering, the 7 banks headed by the Swiss bank jointly financed the acquisition of the two largest watch groups, ASUAG and SSIH, and merged them into the SMH watch group in 1983. In this context, Hayek joined SMH. It can be said that Hayek was in danger and was charged with the task of regenerating the glory of Swiss clocks. But in fact, Hayek’s position is not good, not only has he never touched the clock, but he has to face the increasing pressure of the quartz watch.
    Perhaps it is this background that has prompted Hayek to look at the industry from the perspective of non-traditional Swiss watchmakers. He began to think about the reasons behind the failure of Swiss watches. We don’t know how many cigars he burned and how many cups of coffee he drank while looking at the street thoughts outside the office window, but now we see the result of his thinking, only two words-brand.
In the 2012 London Olympics, Swatch Group’s Omega has once again become the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games
Rebuilding starts with the brand
    With hundreds of years of history and superb craftsmanship, why are Swiss watches so vulnerable to the fledgling Japanese surface? Is it just the inevitable that new technology will replace tradition?
     In the case where the local Coca-Cola was overwhelmed by Coca-Cola, Hayek realized that the truth is: our failure is not a matter of technology and price, but that we have ignored our biggest advantage-the brand. The biggest difference between Swiss watches and Japanese watches is that ‘Swiss watches have history’. History is the cornerstone of Swiss watch reconstruction. Only brands can win the future.
    Watch is not a cold time machine for people. For example, a diving watch can dive thousands of meters deep, but how many people who buy it will actually dive into such abyss? Therefore, the person who buys a watch is definitely not to watch time, but a proof of identity, a symbol of personality: I have the ability and taste to buy such a watch, and I love sports and nature. That’s why people regard watches as products that convey their personality and emotions. They can have second, third and even more watches according to different moods and occasions just like changing fashion. It is this intangible thing that watch manufacturers want to convey to consumers. By no means electronic technology can be simply copied.
    With this in mind, Hayek suddenly opened his eyes. We can even imagine that he jumped up from his chair like Newton who was hit by an apple one afternoon and shouted excitedly: ‘I know!’ And what Hayek will do next, the goal is Very clear.
Swatch brings second shock
    In fact, if we look at history today, we can more easily see the situation at that time. At that time, about 500 million watches were sold each year in the world, and Swiss watches had zero market share at the low end and over 90% at the high end. Facing the competition from Japan’s low-end quartz watches, the first reaction of Swiss watches was to retreat. Because they seem to be unprofitable in the low-end market, and believe that cheap watches manufactured in batches on the assembly line will definitely fail. In this way, after the Swiss watch retreated, the Japanese watchmaking industry, which occupied the low-end market, was upgraded to the mid-end market. Then, the Swiss company that originally occupied the middle market was ready to retreat.
    Hayek saw the crisis in it, and if he gave it up again and again, eventually Swiss watches would not be able to gain a foothold. He no longer gives in. The traditional watch must have a broad market base. In each market segment, there must be a strong, lucrative and growing global brand. This means breaking the norm and creating a brand (later Swatch) in the most unfamiliar low-end market to stabilize the market for all traditional Swiss watches.
    In 1985, Hayek officially established the Swatch Group after restructuring Asuag and SSIH for more than four years. The watchmakers of the Swatch Group have not only created a new ultra-thin watch record, but also invented a completely new watchmaking process. When the first Swatch was placed on Hayek’s table. He saw an unprecedented watch. The colorful and avant-garde design is entirely made of plastic and other synthetic materials. The three parts of the mechanical chassis, case and panel are combined into a single case, and the number of parts has been reduced from 91 to 51.
Swatch 2012 London Olympic Games Memorial Watch
    Fifty days later, a huge 500-foot-long advertisement was hung on the tallest skyscraper in Frankfurt, Germany, with a colorful, avant-garde plastic watch and the words ‘Swatch, Swiss Made, 60 German Mark’ .
As long as 60 German marks can own a Swiss watch?
    This explosive news immediately became the headlines of major media, and the market was ignited the first time. Soon, the same ad appeared in Ginza, Tokyo, Japan. In the first year of listing, Swatch achieved an amazing sales of 800,000 yuan.
    The Swatch watch is made of Swiss quartz movement and synthetic materials. It has the advantages of waterproof and shockproof, accurate timing, and affordable price. It is especially suitable for mass production and has a rich color choice. Changing people’s impression of Swiss watches in the past, many people have more than one Swatch watch, because they want to wear different colored watches at different times and on different occasions. Swatch’s strategy has flocked many fascinating customers, constantly buying new fashion watches. A businessman owns 25 Swatch watches, and every day he changes a suit, tie, shirt and a Swatch watch. Isn’t this exactly what Hayek thought?
    If the upsurge of quartz watches was the first global shock of the watch industry, then the birth of Swatch brought a second revolutionary shock.
    Soon, the large-scale production of quartz watches and electronic watches reduced themselves to low-grade products that were dismissive, so people’s pursuit of them disappeared instantly. People have realized the preciousness of traditional mechanical watches again. The value of the brand is finally fully revealed at this moment. Today, many brands even use phrases such as ‘We have never made a quartz watch.’
face to the future
    With this successful counterattack, the Swiss watch rebuilt itself. Low-end products occupy the market, and high-end products create profits. Then Hayek began to race wildly, and a large number of Swiss watches such as Omega, Longines and Tissot were snatched to his Majesty, and gradually built a perfect product line covering all levels. It also took four years to bring the Breguet brand back to the front line.
    Today, the Swatch Group has become a business miracle-in just 20 years, it has developed into the world’s largest watch empire with an annual turnover of more than 4 billion Swiss francs.
    Hayek, who is currently behind the scenes, is still the smartest and most successful fast success model in the hearts of global entrepreneurs. Hayek’s own explanation for success is simple, ‘We sell a lifestyle, and watches just happen to be its carrier. Maybe someone does not like our products, but he can refuse to personalize, fashion , The choice of a free life?

How Far Have Gangdi And Jindi Risen?

It is not too late to get to the topic. I just put down the phone and I was worried after talking to my brother who was a watch trader. Daytona is really ridiculous. Now think about it, the green ghost is nothing. The store is out of stock. This is normal. I wrote ‘Green Ghost is about to break 7?’ 》 Some players do n’t believe it. Now some of the new watches have broken the price of 7. Even the old watches with single prefixes can be sold for 57, 8 or nearly 60,000. But why do I still feel that this is not much, because there are actually a lot of green ghosts, now whether it is a new watch or a second-hand full set, more than 60,000 can be bought, many people are selling it. Even if it is 7, it is sold at the public price. The most terrible watch is Daytona. It’s been a few years since the ceramic ring was over, even if the super public price is ignored, now I suddenly feel that not only has not fallen, but there is still a slight upward trend. Talk to my brother on the phone about which Daytona to buy and I don’t know which one to buy. Buying a Dayton now feels like ‘the overlord is hard on the bow’, no model is ‘leakage’, it is ‘hard on’. I won’t say much, I will show you the various situations of Gangdi and Jindi on the market, and let everyone feel.

Rolex ceramic ring Daytona 116500.
Let me talk about the ‘culprit’ ceramic circle Daytona 116500

   The ceramic ring 116500 is definitely the ‘culprit’. When the steel ring of the ceramic ring comes out, it directly drives the market of Daytona. Before the 116500 ceramic ring was launched, the market price of the steel ring Gangdi 116520 at a public price of 92800 was more than 70,000, and when it was low, it was 50,000 or 60,000. As a result, as soon as 116,500 ceramic rings came out, not only the ceramic ring Gangdi himself, but also the old models of steel rings are now up.

The white plate 116500 is the hottest model now.
   Everyone knows that there are black and white ceramic shells. The old steel rim steel disco is black steel disco, white disc is worse. Now the new 116500 is just the other way round. The white plate is a bit hot because of the color of the ‘Panda’ and the historical Paul Newman. The black plate is worse in the 116500 ceramic circle generation. The 116,500 white plate is hotter than the black plate, which directly reflects the market. This generation of 116,500 ceramic ring steel di, the public price is 95,000, super public price is a must, not exceeding the public price that is not called Rolex. Now the market price of 116,500 white plates is 120,000. Regardless of factors such as exchange rates, European holidays, etc. or rumors, in short, I feel that the white plate 116500 has risen more than the previous period. The price of the black plate of the ceramic circle is lower than that of the white plate. Now it can be 5,000 cheaper than the white plate. Two days ago, a brother told me that there was a ceramic ring with a black surface of 100,000, and I said it was good. In this case, if the money is not bad, it’s a white disk. If you don’t care about black and white, the black disk is a black disk. Anyway, the black and white public price is 95,000.

The black plate is 116500, and the market is lower than the white plate.
   Needless to say, the steel shell offshore timepiece 26470 is now around 120,000 in total. Daytona at a public price of 95,000 and an offshore price of 195,500 a time. Rolex is so amazing … so I never have any brand in my heart. Brothers want to buy AP, buy AP, buy labor to buy labor, anyway, now the price is the same, do not feel Rolex does not have AP brand, because people who understand Understand.
‘Lay down’ 116520
   I don’t think it’s unusual for the ceramic ring Diton to take 116,500 super public price, because it is new. But now what happened to the old steel rim 116520 following the price increase? The ceramic ring is a new type, and they are all being fried. There is nothing 116520 here, and now 116520 is ‘laying a gun’ for no reason. Heigangdi of 116520, in the case that the ceramic ring Ditong has not been feverish for a long time, has also followed the ‘fever’, and the ‘burning’ is not light. Now many people have said that the old 116520 steel ring Hei Gangdi’s new full set will also reach 110,000. Although I see lower prices, the super public price is appropriate (116520 public price is 92800). Because 116520 has been discontinued, it is really the second spring. However, there are some omissions in 116520 now, the price is cheaper, at least the normal price (mainly the prefix, single table). If you are interested, you can pay attention.

The discontinued steel ring Daytona 116520, driven by the ceramic ring, 116520 also ignited.
   In addition, I think the more amazing thing is that because the ceramic ring steel is not easy to buy, in order to cater to the current market, a version of the steel ring 116520 changed to a ceramic ring appeared, very fun.

‘Tape’ Gindy replacing belt model

   The new ‘tape’ Kindy from Dayton is used to replace the previous belt model. ‘Tape’ Odysterflex strap used by Jindi, the inner layer is elastic metal sheet wrapped with rubber. The reason why Rolex will launch the ‘tape’ Daytona to replace the previous belt version, some people think that the tape more than the belt can reflect the characteristics of Daytona professional chronograph.

Everlasting rose gold case 116515
   After the introduction of the new tape Jindi, the hotness of the tape Jindi is worse than that of other Dayton. A large part of the reason also lies in this ‘tape’. Because many people think that the tape is not as convenient as a metal chain, and unlike a steel or gold chain, the tape can be disassembled. The official price of Jindi tape is much cheaper than Jinlian Jindi, but because the new tape model is just launched, it is not possible to occupy any cheap in the secondary market. Not too cold. Several models of Dayton picked it, and first passed the tape model. In fact, I do n’t know the current price of tape Ditona (116515, 116518), because it’s a new watch and there is no second-hand. A little tall). If you compare it, I’ll buy a second-hand gold head gold chain Ditong at this price. For the same price, the gold chain is always better than the tape.

Gold shell 116518
Green face jindi 116508

   The Rolex brand cannot be stained with green, it must be a burst of fire when it is stained with green. Such as green glass, green ghost, green daytona. Now the green face of Jindi’s market has also risen, at least the price that can be obtained now is higher than before. The official price of this watch is almost 240,000 Hong Kong dollars (note that it is Hong Kong dollars). Equivalent to RMB 200,000. This is only reflected in the actual price is not low. If 240,000 Hong Kong dollars is equivalent to 200,000 yuan, the actual price is not much different from this public price (except for second-hand single tables).

Green face 116508 is now the hottest Gindy

   The green Rolex is really hot. The Daytona of this green-faced gold shell and gold chain is not a high price among various Kinds. But the green side is really nice with gold, and green is the iconic color of Rolex. A man cannot have green on his head, he must have green on his hand. Generally, Ditong used Gangdi to fire, and Jindi was tepid. Now Greenface’s 116508 should be the hottest Gindy.
Behr same daytona 116505

Everlasting rose gold case 116505
   The 116505 of the same model by Pei is actually the rose gold gold head gold chain Daytona, the public price of 280,000. Through this situation, I began to think that the rose gold 116505 should be the value of Jindi. Because the difference is big. Rolex’s rose gold is eternal rose gold, and the difference between different rose gold is that platinum is added to rose gold. This caused Rolex’s eternal rose gold watch to be more expensive than the gold model. At the same time, everyone knows that there are too many factors that affect the actual price of a watch, and the actual price of the watch and the public price will be different. So the advantage of rose gold 116505 is demonstrated. According to the current situation, the public price of 280,000 rose gold 116505, the actual price will not be higher than the green face 116508, the green price of 116508 is only 240,000. The public price of rose gold 116505 is 280,000, and the difference between rose gold 116505 is large.

Rose Gold Shell 116505
   Therefore, if you do n’t follow the trend, do n’t follow the trend, and friends who want to spend less and do more, Rose Gold 116505 is currently one of the more valuable of Gindy.

Gangdi said it, Jindi said it, and finally said a word.

Jianjin 116503 is actually the lowest actual price of Daytona.
   I think the brothers know that in the world of Daytona, Gangdi’s status is higher than that of Jindi. So this creates a very interesting phenomenon. The actual price of Jindi, which is relatively high, is often cheaper than Gangdi. Not to mention abroad, in the country, the price of Jindi is the lowest among various Daytoniary. The complete or single watch of Jiandi, the price is not too high, it is cheaper than the discontinued 116520 old steel Di (the diamond will be higher). Brothers who want to buy a Daytona can go to see Jinjian Dee.