Ulysse Nardin

Marcus Hanke
[PuristSPro Moderator]
11296

• Show profile
• Show other posts

A tsunami of memories ...

... is sweeping over me, while I am sitting in front of the computer - stunned, shaking, unable to focus on a specific thought ...

For the past ten years, Rolf Schnyder has been one of the pillars of my life, solid like a rock. I often did not think about this pillar, because it was always there. Now, that it has fallen, all of a sudden I realize how important it was.

Of course, the intellectual side always knew that this day would come, somewhen, like for all of us. Rolf was not the youngest, but for me, he seemed to live in another dimension of time; time would not be able to hurt him, to fell him. Like a granite statue, his presence was one of the simple facts that I took as granted.

That my passion for mechanical timepieces became much more than one of those straw fires that light up quickly, only to expend all their energy in a flash, was alone due to Rolf Schnyder. He thundered into my life, gave my superficial interest a focus and supplied it with relentless energy; all this almost in passing by, I doubt he was ever aware of the influence he had on me. During the years that followed, Rolf became a mentor, guide and friend, and whenever a glimpse of respect flashed through his overwhelming energy, I happily consumed it like a thirsting man would swallow a drop of water. This may sound overly pathetic, but my wife just told me how enthusiastic I always appeared, saying: "Rolf told ... Rolf did ..." in the past. I really, really admired him.

I wanted to illustrate this post with a picture of Rolf, one that I had shot myself, instead of one of the official press pics. However, I had to realize that among my collection, there seems to be not a single one where he is not blurred, because of his always agile vitality; he appeared to be permanently on the move, and when he was not, his face mirrored the full concentration he dedicated to the conversation. Consequently, I prefer to see him as he appears in my memory.

While for Rolf's lifework, Ulysse Nardin, there was a succession plan, this is, unfortunately, not the case with my feelings - the gap he leaves is huge, and hurts.

Marcus