I am lucky to live in a city that is home to one of the world’s most prestigious retailers. BEYER.
I have written numerous times about Beyer: For example I was the first blog ever to show you the Beyer museum here. Their Rolex collection here. The first blog to report on the Rolex Wilsdorf gave his friend Beyer. I also did in an interview with the man in charge (René Beyer) long before any of the mainstream blogs discovered the brand Beyer.
But just when I thought I knew everything about Beyer, I discovered 5 new things that I want to share.
(Credit main picture: watchprosite).
1: Rolex helped Beyer financially during WW2.
I always knew that Beyer and Rolex had a close relationship, both Hans Wilsdorf (the founder of Rolex) and Theodore Beyer (the owner of Beyer) were close personal friends.
What I didn’t know is that Rolex helped Beyer out financially during the second world war. Rolex was an established company by then and I am sure that many retailers were struggling during the war. Rolex did its part by not only helping their friend Beyer (confirmed by Beyer in the 250 anniversary magazine dated 2010) but also with supplier their prisoner of war watches to British officers with payment to be made at a later date (see below).
(Credit: Perezcope).
2: Annette Beyer played a key role in buying the Breguet Sympathique.
If you visit the Beyer Museum – there are many important pieces – but among the top 3 is the ‘Breguet Pendule sympathique‘.
The Museum was built up by Theodore Beyer (who was the husband of Annette Beyer) and together they traveled the world to find rare pieces. Apparently, they found the Pendule Sympathique at an auction and when Theodore Beyer reached his limit he stopped bidding. It was Annette Beyer who pushed her husband to continue to bid for the extraordinary Breguet desk watch.
There are only 3 in the world, (one sits in a museum, the other is supposedly owned by the Queen of England). Made by the master himself, Louis Abraham Breguet – this desk watch was made for Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain from 1808-1813.
3: Theodore Beyer was offered to buy Breguet in the 1990s.
In the 1980s Breguet the watch company was in financial dire straits due to the quartz crises – but also due to the wrong leadership at the company.
Sometime in the 1990s Breguet was offered for sale to Theodore Beyer who respected and admired the brand. Even though he wanted to help the brand, he could not buy it as he was lacking the financial resources. However he wanted the brand to go to a good home and was happy to learn that his friend Nicolas Hayek of Swatch group would later go on to buy the entire company. Few are aware that the brand was first offered to Beyer.
Breguet has not only a tremendous history, with the founder (Louis Abraham Breguet) being the greatest watchmaker of all time – but made some great watches like the Type 20 for the French military air-force below.
(Credit: Art of Breguet Antiquorum Hapsburg Press).
4: René Beyer was also close to the long time Rolex CEO Andre Heiniger.
Did you know that when René Beyer was small, he would walk with his father to the CEOs office of Rolex and there Andre Heiniger would give advice to the young René Beyer. That would leave lasting impressions on him. In fact, when Rene Beyer was confirmed he received an Rolex Oyster-quartz from his father that still remains in his collection.
The close friendship of the Rolex family and the Beyers go back multiple generations.
(Above: The Rolex oyster quartz Rene Beyer received for his confirmation. Credit: Beyer magazine 2010 250th Anniversary).
5: Maradona walked into the Beyer boutique and bought 12 watches in 8 days while stationed in Zurich.
While Maradona played for Napoli, he had a training session in Zurich for a few days. He walked into Beyer and during the next 8 days bought 12 watches including a Nautilus with diamonds for himself. He was served by Annette Beyer.
Maradona could easily afford to buy 12 watches. He was widely considered at time to be the best player in the world (many people think, including myself, that he was the best player ever in football).
(Diego Maradona being served by Annette Beyer in the Beyer boutique sometime in the 1980s. Credit Beyer magazine 2010 250th Anniversary).
For more information on Beyer please see their website here. To see their vintage section please see their offerings here.
