Jewellery World Magazine - May 2021

Graham championed regular instore sales training for all company
brands, along with the launch of a tremendously successful annual
roadshow to demonstrate the depth and strength of The Swatch
Group stable. “The exhibition-style event travelled to most capital
cities across Australia to showcase our latest collections and
campaigns. It became a must-attend event for all retail partners
and their staff,” Mr Grinter said.
Graham was also quick to recognise the power of celebrity and
sporting ambassadors in helping build the success of his brands.
He was proud to be the first brand to sign future swimming
champion Ian Thorpe as a 14-year-old, with Omega providing
him a scholarship in the lead-up to the Sydney 2000 Olympics, a
partnership that spanned many years.
Mr Blennerhassett enjoyed a strong working relationship with
Graham for almost 30 years, travelling the world together for
various brand conferences, promotions and the Basle Fair.
“Graham understood the importance of building strong working
relationships with our brands and retail partnersand was
instrumental in raising the profile of the Australian watch market
with our Swiss colleagues. He facilitated countless visits of
local retailers to Switzerland, recognising the value of first-class
hospitality and the goodwill and strong sales it helped to generate.
The constant travelling was often gruelling and exceptionally hard
work, but we played hard as well,” he said.
Known to be exceptionally fair to his staff, Graham treated them
like family and was immensely proud of the fact that at one
stage, over 50 per cent of the staff had at least 20 years’ service.
Although he was a very private man, Graham often spoke of the
inspiration and wise counsel he drew from his wife, Annette.
“His office door was always open, and he was a great listener to
new ideas. He was fastidious about the finer details and I’m sure
that all of his colleagues would remember him saying more than
once when working on a project: ‘Check it, check it again and
check it again after that’,” former colleague, Rory Cowan said.
“It’s his presence I will remember most,” says another former
colleague, Antoinette Byrne. “He was old school, traditional and
softly spoken. He often didn’t have to speak for you to know what
he was thinking: a simple nod of the head meant you’d done well;
a bowed head meant you needed to do better. You had to work
exceptionally hard to earn his trust and respect. Once you had it,
he backed you 100 per cent.”
Mr Blennerhassett is grateful for his long, enduring friendship with
Graham. “I will miss talking to him now that he has passed on, but
I am sure that he will be looking down on us and smiling.”
Graham is survived by his wife, Annette, sons Philip and Andrew,
and seven grandchildren.
Seiko recreates its
first Alpinist watch
It was in 1959 that Seiko’s first Alpinist
watch was introduced to meet the needs of
mountain climbers and recreational field sports
enthusiasts. Remarkably, it was the first Seiko
watch ever produced with sports in mind and
it blazed a trail that led to the development
of many landmark timepieces and timing
devices for sports, from stopwatches to diver’s
watches, in the decades that followed.
Now, the first Alpinist watch from 1959 is re-born in a
re-creation that has the high functionality that characterises
the Prospex collection, whose very existence owes so much to
the first 1959 Alpinist.
While the re-creation is faithful to the
original design, it has been brought right
up to date in technology and has the
high specifications and functionality
for which Prospex is renowned. It now
incorporates a date window between
four and five o’clock and is water
resistant to 10 bar.
The box-shaped sapphire crystal is
treated with an anti-reflective coating
on the inner surface, delivering high
legibility. The watch is powered by the
slimline Calibre 6L35 which has a power
reserve of 45 hours. Despite the addition
of a date and the enhanced performance,
the case is just 1.0mm thicker.
May 2021 47