Marcus Hanke provides an exclusive look into Ulysse Nardin's 2009 Christmas Party in Le Locle, themed "Yello(w)" in honor of co-founder Dieter Meier's band, Yello. His report captures the festive atmosphere, unique costumes, and the strong sense of community among UN staff, offering a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the manufacture.
Ulysse Nardin's "big yellow" Christmas Party 2009
by Marcus Hanke
I
was extremely excited when I received the invitation to attend this
year's UN Christmas party on Friday, December 4, in Le Locle. Every
year, the party event is subjected to a general theme, and people are
wearing costumes according to the theme. This year, the staff decided
the theme to be "Yello(w)". Why the brackets around the "w"? Well, it
needs some company history to explain that. When Rolf Schnyder acquired
the company Ulysse nardin in 1983, saving it from bankruptcy, he did
not do so alone. It was clear that he needed to invest a lot of money
to achieve what he eventually achieved. So he won two illustrious
partners: the Swiss artist Dieter Meier, and his brother Balthasar, a
well-known investment manager. Dieter Meier gained international fame as leading voice of the Swiss Electronica band "Yello". (For information see: en.wikipedia.org
)
In
2009, Dieter Meier celebrates his 30th anniversary with "Yello". Since
he and his brother Balthasar have always been faithful supporters and
shareholders of Ulysse Nardin, it was decided to dedicate this year's
Christmas party to Yello, by turning completely yellow. Unfortunately,
Dieter Meier was not able to attend the party himself, which he done so
in all the previous years as a rule. A concert in Cologne kept him
away from Le Locle, so he sent his greetings and wishes on a video,
presented by his brother. Also absent was the company's main person at
the helm, Rolf Schnyder. For the first time in twentysix years, he had
to miss the party, for he had caught a serious cold, with high fever
(but not the infamous swine flu!). Since he had a dense travel schedule
in the following, with long trips to China, he decided it would be
better to stay in bed, instead of celebrating until early in the
morning. So he, too, sent a written speech, that was read by his deputy
director, Mr. Pierre Gygax.
I don't know if the boss' absence
stimulated the employees to celebrate even wilder, all I can say is
that the event was extremely friendly, funny and - eh - yellow. And,
yes, the food was delicious, too. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to
photograph it ...
Pierre Gygax, deputy director and head of the technical department
Dr. Ludwig Oechslin and Susanne Hurni, Rolf Schnyder's longtime assistant and administrative mastermind of the company
Some of the departments coordinated their costumes. Here we see
the famous Simpson family, with Homer, Bart, Maggie and Marge ...
... but the crazy school bus driver Otto and Lisa must not miss.
The development and prototyping branch appeared as Tweety-birds from the comic
Which department identifies itself with prisoners, though, remains unknown to me ...
Mr. Gygax then sums up the year. As for most parts of the
industry, 2009 was a rather turbulent year, also for Ulysse Nardin.
Fortunately, however, it seems that the company comes out rather
unscathed from the crisis, and is looking very optimistic into the
future.
Mrs. Hurni reads the address written by Rolf Schnyder, in which he expresses his thanks to all his team members and supporters.
Shareholder and partner Balthasar Meier transmits the greetings of his brother Dieter and ...
...
supplies the staff with yellow helmet and umbrella to shield them from
the economic crisis, which is not yet over. As a renown banker and
investement manager, he presumably knows it all too well ..
Finally,
Pierre Gygax honours those employees who completed their tenth year
with UN. In the center, with the yellow hat, is Lucas Humair, the
constructor of the "Sonata".
Since
I had to drive home on the very next morning, I retreated already at
about one o'clock in the morning. But the party was to go on for quite
some time. I would like to express my sincere thanks for the
hospitality of the whole staff, and this wonderful evening I had amidst
them. I wish them all a good Christmas time and especailly a happy and
successful New Year!
The next morning, I stopped
by the UN factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds. When I had seen it last time in
August, the place was a mess, since a whole new floor was added to the
building. Now the works are completed and the new facilities are
operative.
This message has been edited by Marcus Hanke on 2009-12-12 06:12:18 This message has been edited by Marcus Hanke on 2009-12-14 02:21:29 This message has been edited by Marcus Hanke on 2009-12-19 08:40:45 
