Jeg har i de siste ti årene hengt på Watchuseek, i mangel av et godt norsk forum. Men nå som TS er godt fungerende, så får jeg engasjere meg litt her også. Som ny bruker på forumet har jeg lyst til å dele en fin klokkehistorie. Historien er en liten sak jeg skrev på Watchuseek for noen år siden. Jeg var ferdig med studiet i utlandet, og skulle premiere meg selv med en klokke. I jakten på min doktorklokke kom jeg over denne, og tenker det er interessant lesning for vintage- og Omegafolket.
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Pie Pan Connie: Nicolas Hayek and the Doctor's watch
To celebrate their 60th anniversary as watchmaker and dealer, Teresa and Wojchiech Strojny, owners of the firm Strojny in Krakow, arranged a charity auction in 2001 to the benefit of blind children. Watches were donated to their auction by Pope John Paul II, Prince Albert of Monaco, Lech Walesa, Andrzej Wajda, Roman Polanski, Helmut Kohl, Annie Lennox and many other great personalities. Nicolas Hayek also donated one of his watches to the auction, an Omega Constellation.
Nicolas Hayek and his Constellation, from the auction catalog, 2001
Nicolas Hayek passed away in 2010, and was the CEO of the Swatch Group until his death. He is one of the titans of the watch industry and is known to everyone in it, as well as to those with interest for watchmaking history. In the early 1980s Switzerland’s watchmaking traditions almost perished due to the flood of lesser priced watchers from Japanese brands such as Seiko and Citizen. Hayek was the one person who saved the Swiss companies by reorganizing their brands, merging companies threatened by bankruptcy and restructuring the business. This coincided with the invention of the Swatch watch, that could compete against the lower priced Japanese watches. After the recovery of the Swiss makers, Hayek went on to be the CEO of the Swatch group from 1986, managing brands such as Omega, Breguet, Tissot, Longine, Blancpain etc. After his death in 2010, his daughter Nayla and son Nick Hayek jr. Have taken over as chairman of the board and CEO.
The Constellation given to the Strojny auction by Hayek was purchased by one of Krakows most important financial persons. Eleven years later it was put out for sale through the jeweler Antykwaryat AB on Rynek, Krakow's main square. It is a 1962 caliber 561 Constellation pie-pan with date, in 18k gold with silver dial, reference number 168.005, in near mint condition. It has its original black Omega leather strap with gold buckle, original glass and original crown, in the state it was worn by Nicolas Hayek.
As I am writing this, that very timepiece is on my wrist. I purchased it today, not knowing about its history. I bought it as a memory of this city that I have spent six years in while studying medicine. I graduated as a doctor last week, and I'm moving back to my family in Norway tomorrow. After buying the connie, the jeweler told me that it originated from a charity auction arranged some ten years ago by the watchmaker up the street. I went directly to visit the watchmaker with the watch, he recognized it at once and told me the whole story.
There I stood, with my doctor's watch on my wrist. An hour earlier I was nervous about buying a watch with no papers, no box, and no guarantee. Now knowing it's history, this connie will always remind me of Krakow, about charity, as well as being a part of watchmaking history and the personal heritage from the man who is the godfather of the entire Swiss watch industry, Nicolas Hayek.
The Doctor's watch. Rynek, Krakow
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Pie Pan Connie: Nicolas Hayek and the Doctor's watch
To celebrate their 60th anniversary as watchmaker and dealer, Teresa and Wojchiech Strojny, owners of the firm Strojny in Krakow, arranged a charity auction in 2001 to the benefit of blind children. Watches were donated to their auction by Pope John Paul II, Prince Albert of Monaco, Lech Walesa, Andrzej Wajda, Roman Polanski, Helmut Kohl, Annie Lennox and many other great personalities. Nicolas Hayek also donated one of his watches to the auction, an Omega Constellation.
Nicolas Hayek and his Constellation, from the auction catalog, 2001
Nicolas Hayek passed away in 2010, and was the CEO of the Swatch Group until his death. He is one of the titans of the watch industry and is known to everyone in it, as well as to those with interest for watchmaking history. In the early 1980s Switzerland’s watchmaking traditions almost perished due to the flood of lesser priced watchers from Japanese brands such as Seiko and Citizen. Hayek was the one person who saved the Swiss companies by reorganizing their brands, merging companies threatened by bankruptcy and restructuring the business. This coincided with the invention of the Swatch watch, that could compete against the lower priced Japanese watches. After the recovery of the Swiss makers, Hayek went on to be the CEO of the Swatch group from 1986, managing brands such as Omega, Breguet, Tissot, Longine, Blancpain etc. After his death in 2010, his daughter Nayla and son Nick Hayek jr. Have taken over as chairman of the board and CEO.
The Constellation given to the Strojny auction by Hayek was purchased by one of Krakows most important financial persons. Eleven years later it was put out for sale through the jeweler Antykwaryat AB on Rynek, Krakow's main square. It is a 1962 caliber 561 Constellation pie-pan with date, in 18k gold with silver dial, reference number 168.005, in near mint condition. It has its original black Omega leather strap with gold buckle, original glass and original crown, in the state it was worn by Nicolas Hayek.
As I am writing this, that very timepiece is on my wrist. I purchased it today, not knowing about its history. I bought it as a memory of this city that I have spent six years in while studying medicine. I graduated as a doctor last week, and I'm moving back to my family in Norway tomorrow. After buying the connie, the jeweler told me that it originated from a charity auction arranged some ten years ago by the watchmaker up the street. I went directly to visit the watchmaker with the watch, he recognized it at once and told me the whole story.
There I stood, with my doctor's watch on my wrist. An hour earlier I was nervous about buying a watch with no papers, no box, and no guarantee. Now knowing it's history, this connie will always remind me of Krakow, about charity, as well as being a part of watchmaking history and the personal heritage from the man who is the godfather of the entire Swiss watch industry, Nicolas Hayek.
The Doctor's watch. Rynek, Krakow
