1982 – 2000 United States of America

Andreas Arrives

April 7, 1982—Ursula’s due date—came with a dramatic late-winter storm. She woke me early, saying something was happening and that I’d better stay home. That “something” quickly turned into full-on contractions. I scrambled to get the car ready while she called the doctor.

The morning was beautiful but treacherous—twenty inches of fresh snow on the ground. Thank God for our 4WD Subaru. The hospital in Mt. Kisco was twenty minutes away, and with contractions intensifying, I drove like a madman: sliding on ice, ignoring stop signs, racing against time. We pulled up just before her water broke. An hour later, our healthy baby boy, Andreas Olivier, arrived. Pure joy!

That Saturday, we brought him home. The crib wasn’t ready, so Ursula had prepared a large weaver’s basket as a temporary bed. By Monday, reality hit me on the commuter train: we were now a family of three. Ursula would stay home, and I was the sole breadwinner. Not scary, exactly—but suddenly, responsibility weighed heavier on my shoulders than ever.

Ursula was a rock—patient, calm, logical, never panicking. She compared notes with Patty Malone, another first-time mom from Lamaze class, and their fellow young parents. Mine and Ursula’s mothers visited at different times to lend a hand. Meanwhile, I built Andreas’s crib—pine wood, casters, adjustable platform, fold-down railing—the works.

From the start, Andreas was alert, curious, and a little fearless. Crawling, dismantling cabinet doors, exploring every corner—he took his first steps at ten months. Nothing was safe, but he was happy, rarely crying except for hunger or frustration when he couldn’t figure out how to take a toy apart.

Expanding Our Home
Within a year, it was time for baby number two. Our ranch-style home suddenly felt cozy in the extreme. Since buying a new house wasn’t financially an option, we decided to expand our home. Ursula, the architect, drew up plans for a second story and got approval.

I started by building a staircase into the attic—Andreas’s favorite climbing adventure. That August, while on vacation in Key West, a carpenter handled the rough framing. Ursula was already three months pregnant. By the time we returned from Florida, the structure and roof were in place.

That fall, Wally came to help install windows, and a contractor finished the siding and insulation. The new second floor was ready just in time for winter. Inside, we carved out children’s rooms, a play/study area, a bathroom, and a master bedroom with an en-suite bath—a warm, welcoming transformation for our growing family.

Anina Joins the Family
January 5, 1984, brought a surprise: a new baby. Anina Christine arrived remarkably fast. Ursula went into labor while I was at work, and a neighbor rushed Ursula to the hospital—leaving his car door open and engine running the whole way! Forty-five minutes later, Anina was born.

A week later, Ursula’s mother flew in, and together we brought Ursula and Anina home. At first, Oma wasn’t sold on the name “Anina”—she might have preferred Ruth, Beatrice, or Manuela—but as soon as she held the baby, her doubts vanished. Years later, she’d laugh at her initial reaction.

Like her brother, Anina started life in a weaver’s basket before moving to a crib. Cheerful and curious, she soon crawled and walked, always trying to keep up with Andreas. Frustration came when she couldn’t—but she fiercely defended her toys, sharing only on her terms. Andreas quickly learned that negotiating with Anina was an extreme sport.

Career Challenges
By 1985, the North American Watch Corp.’s service division had become overwhelming to manage by myself. The solution was to hire an administrator to handle customer service, which allowed me to focus primarily on technical operations and training.

NAWC got its first RCA computer system around that time—a blessing and a curse. Its spare parts module was a mess, constantly mismanaging stock, which led to massive backlogs. Complaints began to pile up, and my excellent reputation suffered a setback. For the first time in 16 years, I found myself frustrated and unhappy at work. Being 100% vested in the company's profit-sharing, I began looking for a new opportunity.

New Beginnings
Change came in 1986 when my friend François Girardet announced he was leaving Ebel USA and suggested I step in as the new Service Director. A meeting with Ronnie Wolfgang, Ebel USA’s president, turned into a tour of the 5th Avenue offices. Ebel’s collection of watches was impressive—solid, elegant, truly Swiss—and Ronnie was charismatic, sincere, full of vision. A few days later, I accepted the position. Ursula was all in on the move, and I resigned from North American Watch.

Joining Ebel proved to be one of the best career moves I ever made. The company was small, close-knit, and Ronnie trusted me to build the service side of the business. I will never forget the first month our sales hit the million-dollar mark.

My service operation was expanded nationwide. Bernhard Scharfoth, a good friend who had managed the service operation for me in Beverly Hills, California, also resigned from North American Watch Corporation. I was delighted to welcome him as Operations Manager for our Ebel-Swisswave office in Long Beach. Two years later, my top watchmaker, Ernesto Rolo, was chosen to lead the newly established Ebel Service Center in Miami, Florida, together with his wife, Melida. Both Bernhard and Ernesto proved to be invaluable assets, contributing significantly to the success of Ebel USA and to the exceptional standard of after-sales service. We proudly maintained a 6-day turnaround on 92% of all repairs, thanks to a genius Moment exchange program. At the same time, we enjoyed excellent support from our Service team at headquarters in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, with Francois, Yvan, and Lina doing top-notch work.

Meanwhile, we continued to develop our in-house custom software for the service operation. I dove headfirst into PCs and programming, often working nights to add new features and to improve the performance. Through the late ’80s and early ’90s, Ebel, dubbed The Architects of Time, achieved significant growth by tripling sales figures, opening boutiques, launching brilliant advertising campaigns, and sponsoring major Golf and Tennis tournaments.

Family Life
Back in Switzerland, my parents retired to the Swiss Alps, building a chalet overlooking the Simmental Valley. Dad earned his driver’s license at age 65 and became a small-scale sheep farmer.

Here in the US, we continued improving our Yorktown house—remodeling the kitchen, converting rooms, and finishing the second story. Ursula and I did most of the work ourselves—carpentry, plumbing, electrical, insulation, sheet rock—while hiring contractors who did the plastering and painting.

Andreas and Anina grew active and independent. Living by a lake, they learned to swim early. Andreas loved climbing trees, and I taught him safety tricks I’d learned as a boy. Later, when they discovered my .22 rifle, I decided teaching proper handling and respect was better than letting curiosity run wild. Shooting beer cans in the forest became a favorite pastime for a while.

Vacations were always low-budget, family-oriented, featuring hiking trips to nearby States, and occasionally to Switzerland. But in 1992, we splurged on a trip to Club Med-Punta Cana, where we enjoyed the gorgeous beach, windsurfing, evening shows, and even a flying trapeze for the kids—that was unforgettable.

By the early ’90s, Ursula launched her own businesses: first distributing Longaberger baskets, then Shaklee Homeproducts. The additional income helped us afford life insurance and college savings plans, and also allowed for extra retirement contributions.

The kids thrived—enjoying music, soccer, skiing in Vermont, summers on Lake Winnipesaukee with Swiss friends, and German lessons on Wednesdays. Ursula made Sundays at the Lutheran Church part of their education, though we knew it would eventually be their choice.

Turning Points
In 1996, I trained for the New York Marathon but tore a meniscus. Cycling, encouraged by my friend Geoffrey Chin, became my new passion. Geoffrey and I participated in numerous organized bicycle events in Westchester County and trained diligently during our free time.

Ebel, unfortunately, faced challenges. Overextended in real estate, the company faltered during the early ’90s crash. LVMH acquired the brand and forced Ronnie Wolfgang out. By the year 2000, I saw what was coming and decided to seek a new job.

Offers came from Cartier in Japan and Rolex. The Rolex offer as VP and Service Director in Dallas was too good to pass up, even if it meant uprooting the family. Ursula, the ever-supportive, agreed it was worth it. The kids struggled, understandably—it felt like their world had flipped upside down.

So, to make a long story short, I signed the contract, and in November 2000, we moved to Texas, ready to start a fresh chapter in our American journey.Read more