Time is of the essence

Olivier Bernheim has worked his way up in the watch industry to become president and CEO of prestigious Swiss watch manufacturer, Raymond Weil. Above all, he values openess in business, and is a strong advocate of family businesses. Sangeetha Swaroop finds out what makes him tick.

One night was all it took for Olivier Bernheim, President and CEO of Raymond Weil, to make a life-changing decision. This decision would see him switch – literally overnight – from a promising career in the FMCG industry where he dealt with yoghurts and margarine to enter the precision-based technological world of horology and timekeeping.

Bernheim remembers the day in 1982 when he was asked by his father-in-law – the legendary Raymond Weil whom he holds in high esteem – "whether I was interested to join the company. It was the same day that I was offered a new position within Unilever where I was working at the time."

Despite the fact that there is a world of difference between the two industries, Weil's request did not perturb Bernheim. "I was born into a family that ran its own business, and I was always keen on being part of a family business," he says.

"Also, as part of the marketing development team at Unilever, I was exposed to a range of consumer goods, and the plans and strategies that we adopted and implemented then were probably 20 years ahead of what happened later on in the watch industry.

"I knew that I had to be well-informed about those products; to know how to approach an end-consumer and how to analyse the end-consumer's expectations has been key to my role with Raymond Weil," he says. "The educational process I'd gone through within the two companies I previously worked with has been immense and prepared me for my new assignment in the watch industry."

Born in 1954, Bernheim studied law at the Business School of Strasbourg. He started his career at Kronenbourg before joining Unilever in Paris. He is married to Diana, the elder daughter of Weil. When he joined Raymond Weil in 1983, the challenges, he says, were "to become informed about watches, about their technicalities and the sales processes that were prevalent then."

At that time the company, founded in 1976, was going through a period of rapid expansion and Bernheim took over the responsibility for marketing and communications. Consequently, the brand started to evolve into other markets, becoming a more prominent brand worldwide.

"Thirty five years ago, there were no studies or statistics to track or study consumer behaviour," he says. "And while in 1983 we were selling watches, today, we sell a brand."

His sons, Elie (Marketing Director) and Pierre (Areas Sales Director) entered the family business in 2006, thus assuring the continuity of the family line. Bernheim devotes a lot of time to travelling the world, in order to ensure the smooth development of the brand in the world of luxury.

He was in Dubai recently for the official launch of the fourth Raymond Weil boutique in the emirate, located in the Gold Souq of The Dubai Mall.

I, ME, MYSELF

I believe in the time-tested, time-honoured and timeless values of honesty, integrity, fairness and being straightforward. These are the values I uphold. I grew up with and these are the principles by which I continue to live, be it in my personal or professional life.

I think being a family business is a position of strength. In a family business you concentrate on the true value of the company without being diverted by fluctuations in the stock exchange or having to adhere to shareholders' requests to venture into new directions. You can understand your roots and origin and create your own vision. It brings about a new dimension to doing business and is more challenging than being part of a group.

With Raymond Weil, it is the family philosophy that has led to the brand philosophy. We have the resources and we have our vision – and because that vision is coherent and understandable, consumers have faith both in the company and the brand.

I consider time to be my life-regulator. I am an energetic person – a workaholic – so it is time that organises my life.

I wouldn't be able to live without time as a guide. Yet I wish I had more time as I don't have enough hours in a day to achieve all that I want to do.

I believe in celebrating the moment. Life is too short; you have to celebrate every moment in your life. Take the opportunity to change every single minute of your life; otherwise you will end up being frustrated.

If I hadn't joined the watch industry, I would have been a farmer. I still dream of being one! I love nature. I like the wilderness; to live in the open air.

When I hear ‘times are difficult', I feel there is no reason to panic; this phase will pass. I am a very positive person. My philosophy is to concentrate on what we can do and find ways to emerge from difficult times rather than dwelling on the past.

I believe my life's high notes have been the birth of my three kids. I have two sons and a daughter. We are a close-knit family and enjoy spending time together with each other, be it on vacations, playing sports or even dining. Mealtimes are a great tradition in our family.

When differences of opinion with family (at work) crop up, we discuss it. I believe in getting problems off my chest as it is unhealthy to keep something to yourself. I always address issues as they arise.

Disagreements or differences of opinion are part of the creative process. It is what creativity is all about. It gives room for new opportunities, new direction and is instrumental in re-analysing existing processes. This is the reason why I am so happy to have my sons with me because they are opening the company to a new generation and to a younger clientele. I believe this is very important for both the firm and the brand. Discussing points of disagreement is the perfect way of sharing your knowledge and vision.

I believe the key to success lies in innovation. I need to offer new products. Otherwise how will I keep my clientele base? Innovation is crucial. If you don't innovate, you eventually come to a standstill.

I am a stickler for details and believe that being precise, organised, and structured is a big part of achieving success. With watches, as in music, I believe, the soul lies in the details.

I admire my wife because she is always open to new ideas and is constantly discovering new ways for both of us to evolve. She has taken care of the family side of our life and her support has been my source of strength. I also admire my father-in-law. He is my business icon, as well as my mentor, because he taught me how to be coherent, honest and straightforward.

I cannot imagine life without... music. It is has been an intrinsic part of my life from childhood. My wife is a professional pianist, so the whole house is filled with music. I wake up to music. When I drive and when I fly, I listen to music. I enjoy listening to Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Verdi and Beethoven.

I am grateful for being alive and in good health. I consider good health to be the most important thing in one's life.

I, ME, MYSELF

Me and my musical strategy with the RW timepieces

Many of the Raymond Weil collections take their name from operas like Parsifal and Don Giovanni or have musical themes such as Tango, Saxo and Chorus.

A short while after joining the company, I thought we should anchor the company to something that would be timeless. As music is an important part of our lives. Since my wife and my father-in-law also love music I thought that we should take that direction. It seemed natural for our watch collections to be named as such.

Once while visiting Paris, we watched a play – Amadeus – and we decided to name our new watch after it. And thus began the musical names of our watches. These names are like notes in a composition; we are writing our own composition by creating a new collection every time.

Me and my rise within the company

In 1983 when I joined Raymond Weil, companies were not structured the way they are today. The company had grown quickly between 1976 and 1983 and there was a need to re-organise and restructure the company in order to employ a fundamental way of running the business. It was essential to develop and consolidate the company's presence at an international level, while preserving its family identity. I was involved in sales and marketing working with the creative team. From there I went on to become the president and CEO of the company.

Me and my biggest accomplishments to date

I think my main accomplishment is to have kept good working relations with my team and with our customers. This has been instrumental to our success.

Me and my relationship with Raymond Weil

He is a truly admirable person. He has a unique personality and trusts people. It was a huge challenge for me to meet his expectations, but he gave me the freedom to be creative and implement my ideas.

Me and my charitable endeavours

I contribute greatly to the preservation of nature, especially birds. This stems from my keen interest in nature.

I go for walks as often as possible.

And every time I go into a forest, I am intrigued by the sight of birds. They are beautiful and for me, they represent freedom.

Me and my love of sports

Skiing is a big part of my life. As a child, whenever there was snow, I would go skiing. I also enjoy horse riding, playing tennis and a little bit of golf here and there, but it is time consuming.

I, ME, MYSELF

Raymond Weil was born out of the crisis that struck Swiss watchmaking in the 1970s.

Do you believe that out of every crisis something positive emerges?

I think we should only take the positives out of every situation. I hope that the world will be courageous enough to learn from past experiences, and set up new rules and new systems that will protect us from future turmoil. So yes, I do believe that any crisis, despite its negative impact, also helps in creating new ideas.

I believe that at times like these, a brand such as ours – a stable family-run business – holds tremendous promise and inspires confidence.

We have also been rewarded because we have advanced one step at a time, by working our markets and always placing our product and our name first.

Have you had to sacrifice or put aside your goals or dreams while carrying forward the vision of the company?

When you work for someone else, you have to accept that that person is the leader. You have to share the vision or you have to quit and go on your own.

I think I was very much in line with the founder's vision and today my sons are in line with the same. Whenever they are not, we talk it through and resolve the issue.

Why are the Swiss so renowned when it comes to watchmaking?

Watchmaking is part of Swiss history and culture. The art has been passed from one generation to the next.

I think this tradition is still alive today and it is a highly protected label that creates a sort of fence for the Swiss watch industry.

Is watchmaking a science or an art?

It is both. I believe in the concept of the rational and the irrational. Art is irrational and science is rational, yet both come into play with watchmaking. Just as in life, you incorporate elements of both in a watch. One cannot supersede the other. You cannot have a precise timekeeping device encased in an awful design, nor can you succeed with a fabulous design if the watch is technically imperfect. What you need is a perfect balance between technology, high quality and design.

Were watches an important part of your childhood?

No, I was interested in trains, planes and skiing – all the things a boy would be interested in. In my childhood, in the late '50s and early '60s, only elderly people generally wore watches. I was given my first watch when I was eight or nine years old. It was a tiny little Swiss watch and was rather like a lady's watch. But today, most five-year-olds have their own watch and perhaps even a computer!

What do you value the most for your children?

Honesty, generosity and loyalty I believe these are values every parent wants to become a part of the fabric of their children's lives. These are universal values that should be inculcated and they're as relevant today as they were in the earlier times.

Do you believe time is money or vice-versa?

I don't relate time to money, nor do I relate money to time.

Money helps enable certain needs but time helps me enjoy my life. My enjoyment of life is not premised on money. I need nature, not money.

When was the last time you were hard-pressed for time?

Recently when I had 120 e-mails in my inbox, appointments all day long, a flight to catch to Dubai – all in all it was a very hectic day!