Elite Traveler July-August 2017

INFLUENCE THE BIG INTERVIEW

Nayla Hayek on guiding history into the future The legendary house ofHarryWinstonhas beenknownas a leader indiamonds and jewelry ever since its founding inNewYorkCity in 1932. HoweverRobertaNaas finds, under its current ownership, this luxury brandhas also carveda strong leadershipposition for itself in thewatch world, becoming abenchmark inhaute horlogerie. Now, withawoman—NaylaHayek—at the helm, the brand comes full circle

Four years ago, when the Swatch Group purchased Harry Winston, Nayla Hayek became CEO of the brand. No stranger to business — after all she is the daughter of the famed Nicolas G Hayek, who almost single-handedly saved the Swiss watch industry during the quartz crisis — Hayek set several goals as she planned a course to steer the brand to an all-new level of global recognition in both the watch and jewelry worlds. Hayek had already served as chairwoman on the board of the Swatch Group (which her father founded and owns brands such as Breguet, Blancpain, Omega and Longines, among others) since 2010, and was highly familiar with the inner workings of the behemoth corporate structure. Harry Winston, however, was a particularly special brand requiring unique handling. Before the purchase of Harry Winston by the Swatch Group, the brand was the subject of much conflict between the co-owner sons of Harry Winston. As they struggled to resolve issues and one brother finally sold to the other, Harry Winston’s presence waned and their feuding stilted the company’s growth. So, when Nayla Hayek stepped in four years ago, there was a lot to be done. A horse-breeding expert who owns stables full of Arabian horses, Hayek took the helm with a firm hand, rolled up her sleeves and got to work. Hayek had a tall order in front of her: raise the profile of the brand globally while recalling its rich American past, and add strong product categories on the watch side in an effort to reach new customers without losing existing customers. The caveat: restoring the

With the goal of raising the brand profile as a creator of unusual and special pieces — something Harry Winston regularly did in the 20th century — Hayek implemented a procession of stunning works of arts

legend and legacy of Harry Winston to all-new glory while respecting its history. “The most important thing with Harry Winston has always been to keep the DNA of the brand intact, even though we still need to move forward,” explains Hayek. “This involves a lot of discussions with the team, with the clients, and again with team to determine if something will work, and how it would fit in our collection. We scrap a lot of ideas because many times they are wonderful, but not feasible. Harry Winston is a jewel, and we need to keep true to the brand.” Hayek admits that when one thinks of Harry Winston, one thinks first of diamonds, New York socialites and Hollywood actresses in Winston jewelry. Watch lovers think about the brand’s strong presence in men’s watches thanks to its bold, oversized Histoire de Tourbillon series, the pioneering Project Z watches made of proprietary Zalium, and the

celebrated Opus series of timepieces made in collaboration with independent watchmakers. At the time Swatch Group purchased the brand, the only real women’s watches made by Harry Winston were exactly what one would expect: high-diamond masterpieces that often came in the form of secret watches, convertible pendants or brooches, or wristwatches with mega-carat diamonds. This is one of the key aspects of the business that Hayek targeted. “We needed to reach the women with our watches, too. They already know and love the brand, so it made the most sense to raise the profile of the women’s watches. By introducing new automatic watches in the Midnight and Avenue collections, we started in the right direction,” says Hayek about her strategy. Further reinforcing the plan, Hayek moved full steam ahead with the launch last year of the new Emerald collection for women. The Emerald collection that

The Emerald Time clock and the Broadway Glasses are just some of the stunning objects of art that Nayla Hayek has overseen