Kristen Bell attends the 68th
Annual Prime Time Emmy
Awards 2016. (Photo by Steve
Granitz/WireImage). Below:
The New York Companion.
I salute Swatch Group’s productive and realistic progress because it does
fall in line with people’s de velopment and careers. I think this is part of
the Hayek legacy. What are the true elements of such a collective and
responsible leadership, in particular when I see that backed with humility
and transparency within the patrons of those people’s development?
NH: When we have a responsibility towards our people, when we have a
responsibility towards our business, our company, towards Switzerland,
then we will not fire people for economic reasons. And if you fire people for
economic reasons, then you are doing so for the purpose of acquiring better
margins in your business, better share, better price and dividends. This is
not the Hayek family nor Swatch Group and it will never be.
I have said it all year round that the Swiss watchmaking industry is not
in crisis. Do you agree with me when I say so especially when such “crisis”
has also been echoed to be linked to the connected watch?
NH: We have parts of the world that have political problems. The crisis in
Hong Kong for example is a political problem, it’s not a watch or jewelry
problem, it’s not an economic problem. In such parts of the world, it’s
not only the watch industry which is touched; the automobile industry,
the real estate, every industry is hurt when faced with countries’ polit-
ical problems. If you have countries at war, people running away, then for
sure your products sales will decline in those countries. But this is a not
a watch and jewelry industry crisis, and for sure it’s not because of the
connected watches.
154 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | SUMMER 2017