By Yemisi Suleiman

John Obayuwana

John Obayuwana is the managing director of Polo, the exclusive agency in Nigeria for some of the finest Swiss watch and jewellery brands such as Vacheron Constantin, Piaget, Chopard, Baume and Mercier, Montblanc, Rado, Technomarine and Balmain. The company which commenced business in Nigeria more than a decade ago has, over time, assumed the leading position in the luxury-medium level watch and jewellery market.

For Obayuwana, the idea behind Polo is beauty; a devotion to beauty with focus on bringing excitement to people’s lives. His work style speaks of excellence, a quality which recently got him the franchise as a Rolex agent in Nigeria.

In this interview, Obayuwana tells the Polo success story, how far it has gone and the tie off with Rolex. He also speaks on the significance of the Nigerian market, the Nigerian consumer and his lifestyle. Read with delight!

What has been the reason for your success over the years?

We have been able to do this by staying true to our core values of intimacy with our customer service, of staying true to our core beliefs in integrity – that we are true to our word and we stay true to values that bring nobility, honesty, enablement to individuals. We have firmly resisted the short cut because the short cut can bring you big success in the short term but in the long term, you will be out of business and you are nothing without a name. We have resisted this even when it is not the fashionable thing to do because out there, everybody is in a hurry; we are not very fashionable. If you like, you can call us traditional. We believe that there are some core values that shouldn’t shift with fashion; we have passed through phases and here we are.

We started up many years ago on Allen Avenue to AIB. From AIB, we went to Hilton in Abuja. We are at the Palms Shopping Mall; at this time, we are doing a pilot store, a flagship store which is going to be our number one signatory store in the country. We are working on this and later in the year, we will all meet to celebrate the grand opening of that. We look forward to it with excitement.

So, what is this tie with Rolex that you recently got?

Everybody knows Rolex. It occupies a very unique position at the top of the Swiss jewellery making industry and has a very special pride of place; which is why everybody wants Rolex. It is the core. If you have a watch collection and there is no Rolex in it, it is not complete because that is its own. Not only is it recognised and sought after by kings, royalty, and leaders in government, politics, commerce, industry, name them; it is also the most inspirational brand in the world. Everybody wants to own a Rolex. You just must have a Rolex, and when you have bought one, then you want to buy another, then you want to buy another because they have a whole range collection for everyday walkabout in stainless steel to the dress world for the gala evening for special dinner, for big dinner meetings. And, they have activity watches – sport watches you can take under the sea up to a depth of 4000.

These are marvelous watches, and then we have watches they call the ‘pilot watch’. What is unique in all of these is that Rolex holds its values. This is the strongest point about Rolex –that it absolutely retains its value. It is not a fashion object that you use – it is flashy in your face and then after one or two years it seizes to be hot or discarded. No! No! Rolex is an iconic brand that started in the 1920s. And, some of those pieces today still exist in private collections and the most actively traded watch at auction is Rolex. You know what auctions are; you buy a watch, after 20 or 30 years – maybe, you sell it to auction houses.

You can always be sure that the value of Rolex will keep increasing and you lose very little. Plus the fact that you get immediate recognition when you wear a Rolex; and with this immediate recognition comes the added value of status, prestige and you are seen as a man of achievement. You can see changes immediately; the level of service you get, the level of attention you get changes because the watch is recognised, and as the watch is recognised for very, very successful people who are educated, enlightened, cultured, who are travelled, this is what is unique and very special about Rolex.

How did you get to win this special franchise as a Rolex agent?

Well, as we say in Nigeria, it is divine intervention but truly we are honoured. We are very specially privileged to have been chosen to be the ambassador in Nigeria to keep the Rolex flying because it is a very special brand that has been there a very long time. Today’s modern technology is the watch that Sir Zitimont wore to conquer Mount Everest and it was working in those rarefied heights when many watch brands have stopped working. So, I mean it is a very special privilege in the Nigerian market with a firm volition and strong commitment to make it number one in the market.

There is the leaders’ watch, the scientists’ watch; there is the divers’ watch, and they have all sorts of watches. Talk about the divers’ watch, it is not as if you are going for a deep dive because we don’t deep dive. It is a life time plan, a life time model. It is like you drive a jeep; many of us don’t go to the village with jeeps or whatever. The guy who drives the jeep or Hummer – they live just across the street. It is a life time thing. That is why they call them sport activity vehicle; it is like that with the special Rolex sport model. They are rugged and can withstand a lot of shock and a lot of sporting activity. They make you out as a man of action or a woman who understands the time of day.

So, we bring Rolex to the Nigerian market. We are happy to introduce Rolex to the Nigeria market and we commend it to all tastemakers, to all people in places of success because they call it ‘crown for every achievement’. In fact, they describe Rolex in addition to what they say that Rolex is the king of watches and also the watch for kings!

What stands Rolex out from the other brands?

Their after sale service is number one in the world. One of the requirements for becoming a Rolex agent is that you must invest in the after sales facility; it is a non-negotiable requirement – meaning that this investment is not small potato because they want to guarantee that whenever their product is sold officially, that watch will receive impeccable after sales attention. So, we are installing a workshop. We have sent our technicians to Switzerland for training; rigorous crash programmes that enable us to provide clients with the after sales services required.

You don’t want to invest thousands of dollars in a watch and you cannot wear it because one little thing is unhooked or some other thing is not functioning properly and therefore you cannot enjoy the value of your investment.

What have been the challenges of building the brand?

It has been tough, very tough dealing with security, because if you have a hundred million in cash, you need several bullion vans to carry it. But if you have a hundred million in a few watches, you have to be extra careful not to be cleaned down in a split second. That is why sometimes I envy people who sell cars. They put the car on the street; they remove the batteries and it is safe. That is why we don’t advertise front page but we would like to. And, of course, every day the Swiss pounds goes up and the dollar crashes and that affects our prices as well.

What keeps you going?

My job – it is great fun. You meet people, you can manage to make small money but you also do what you enjoy. What brings you joy and your passion; any other benefit along the way is really a bonus. It is great to be surrounded by beautiful things and people in a beautiful environment and this drives you to want to create and do more. I think it is nice.

How would you describe the style industry now compared to what it was when you started?

A lot of things have changed big time. The Nigerian young man, young woman, even elderly folks they are so beautiful. Nigerians are beautiful people and if you take a good look, we are fashion crazy and conscious about things we wear. In those days, nobody knew anything; you just wore a pair of jeans. If you have three suits, it is enough to last you a life time. But today, it is truly different. Our people have gone off the hook. It is flying and it is just opening. Our people are well travelled and they see what is happening in the world.

Also, through the impact of the media – television, radio and internet – you can get to know everything in vogue. You can shop on-line, social networking; everybody is like on the same page. So, it is a big transformation but of course, the level of affluence has also greatly expanded. A lot of young people are in money; you see so many new cars on the road. These are young people making things happen.

What does style mean to you?

Everything that is beautiful because style is not just about clothes; it is a whole way of life. It is not about your hand bag, shoes or briefcase. It is about elegance, about carriage, comportment and all of these you can see in one word beauty; how you sit, how you talk, how you walk, how you relax, how you address and respect people.