Industry icons, Rolf W. Schnyder and Bijan Pakzad, bid adieu to the world
On April 14, 2011, the watchmaking industry lost Ulysse Nardin CEO Rolf W. Schnyder, one of its greatest visionaries, and on April 16, the fashion world lost luxury fashion designer Bijan Pakzad, who made clothes for some of the world’s most powerful men. Both were masters in their fields, and the news of their death has come as a shock to the watchmaking and fashion industry respectively. In their lifetime, both these icons turned heads with their philosophies and most significantly, their creations.
• Ulysse Nardin CEO Rolf W. Schnyder
The CEO of Swiss watchmaking firm Ulysse Nardin died at the age of 76 on April 14 after a short illness in Kuala Lumpur. Ulysse Nardin has been dedicated to excellence for over 165 years in manufacturing mechanical watches. The good folks over at Ulysse Nardin were profoundly moved and distraught at this sudden loss. Rolf W. Schnyder had acquired the family firm Ulysse Nardin in 1983.
Last year, Ulysse Nardin unveiled a special Freak Diavolo to celebrate Rolf W. Schnyder’s 75th birthday. The watchmaking firm, under the valued guidance of Rolf W. Schnyder, has given the world some of the best mechanical watches. Ulysse Nardin has given us the famous Chairman hybrid smartphone, Tellurium J. Kepler and lately, the Alexander the Great Minute Repeater Tourbillon unveiled at Baselworld 2011.
• Beverly Hills designer Bijan Pakzad:
Renowned Iranian-American fashion designer Bijan Pakzad died of a stroke on April 16, 2011. Reports say that he suffered a stroke on Thursday night and was then taken to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. His by-appointment-only boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills is billed as “the most expensive store in the world.” He has had the honor of making clothes for famed celebrities from the entertainment and politics world.
His client list included big names like Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Michael Eisner, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Cruise and renowned designers Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford and Oscar de la Renta. His Beverly Hills store, opened in 1976, had on its shelves luxury items like the $15,000 vicuña coat, a $120,000 chinchilla bedspread and a $65,000 crocodile-trimmed luggage set.
May God Rest their Souls in Peace!
