Plan to start branch of Swiss watchmaking school in UAE

The world’s biggest watchmaker is seeking to set up its prestigious school here in an effort to rescue the endangered craft.

Nayla Hayek, chairperson of the Swiss group Swatch and CEO of New York-based jewellery maker Harry Winston, told Khaleej Times in an exclusive interview that the company has initiated talks with various parties to set up a branch of the Nicolas G. Hayek Watchmaking School here as it feels responsible to preserve and develop the art of horology.

Watch collectors and connoisseurs in the UAE immediately welcomed it as a significant initiative that would not only help preserve the endangered profession but also turn the region into a centre for horological excellence.

The Nicolas G. Hayek Watchmaking School was founded by its eponymous former chairman to address the need to educate a new generation of skilled watchmakers through a comprehensive course developed in partnership with the prestigious Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Education Programme (Wostep).

Nayla said Swatch Group, main shareholder of the Dubai-based Rivoli group, is looking at various cities in the region, including Dubai, as location is one of the prime issues. “We want to be in a place where students from all nationalities are welcome.”

“We are looking for a location where we can also find enough students,” she added. “Here, we want the school to have full global status,” Nayla defined her priorities.

In the UAE, she said, it is very hard to have full ownership, so the group needs to find a partner who will agree to an open policy.

“Investment is not a problem for us. We are looking for somebody who can really help us — not in terms of money but in ways of assisting to set it up. It has to be a quiet partner. We are not interested in starting a venture where the partner’s interest is making money. This is not something to gain money, it’s rather a commitment to craftsmanship and society,” Nayla explained.

The Nicolas G. .Hayek Watchmaking School has branches in Shanghai in China, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Glashütte and Pforzheim in Germany, Miami in the United States and Hong Kong. There is also a partnership arrangement with the British School of Watchmaking in Manchester.

“Yes, we have the experience of running watchmaking schools in various countries. We have lots of people learning in Switzerland. Our idea is to mould a committed breed of people ready to enter the watchmaking profession with confidence,” Nayla said.

“I am genuinely excited to hear of such a significant initiative taking place in the UAE and the region, with the potential to turn Dubai into a centre for watchmaking excellence,” said Tariq Malik, watch connoisseurs and managing partner and co-founder of Momentum vintage shop in DIFC.

“There are very few institutions in the world today dedicated to preserving and passing on the knowledge and art of watchmaking. Consequently, watchmakers are a very rare and endangered species. Institutions such as the Nicolas G. Hayek Watchmaking School play a vital role in continuing the legacy, bringing the tradition to new markets, and instilling the appreciation and love for watch craftsmanship in young people,” he said.

Tariq said the initiative will also provide support to the high-end luxury watch market in the Middle East, which regrettably does not always provide the appropriate after-sales service locally, given the lack of skilled watchmakers in the region.

“This is paramount, as luxury products are so intrinsically related to excellence and a high-level of customer service. Having skilled people in workshops here means that a watch does not need to be sent to Switzerland for repair.”

According to Swatch, applicants to the Nicolas G. Hayek Watchmaking Schools go through an arduous five-step admission process. The class sizes are kept small to ensure that each student receives extensive knowledge from master watchmakers on the many mysteries of their trade. The curriculum requires 3,000 hours of classroom study over two or three years, depending on the academic calendar in the country where the school is located.

The Wostep curriculum includes Micromechanics, Mechanical watch, Advanced mechanical and electronic watch, Organisation of after-sales service and Preparation for the Wostep certificate examination.

suresh@khaleejtimes.com