Bienne has a lovely lake, surrounded by nature while being a 10 minute walk from the city centre. What relates it to our topic is first that the park that gives onto the lake is named after Nicholas G. Hayek, the founder of Swatch Group, known for having saved the Swiss watch industry from the 70s quartz crisis. Right around the corner is the Swatch Group HQ, governing the 18 brands part of the group (including Omega, Breguet, Blancpain, Tissot, Longines, to name a few) and its many other industry affiliates, among which ETA, the world’s largest movement manufacturer. Swatch Group is the leading watch group globally by revenue. The office of its CEO, Nick Hayek Jr., can be easily recognised from the outside: there’s a pirate’s flag hanging outside the window!