Severin Wunderman

SEVERIN WUNDERMAN
1938-2008
Noted Watch Industry figure Severin Wunderman passed away of a stroke June 25, 2008 while on vacation in Nice, France. Wunderman, a Holocaust survivor, was a self-made man who revolutionized the timepiece industry. He was also a renowned philanthropist and art collector. Among the causes he supported were Holocaust remembrance, medical research, and individual self-sufficiency. Born to Jewish parents in 1938 in Brussels, Belgium, he was able to evade capture by the Nazis with the aid of the Pere Bruno network. After World War II, he immigrated to Los Angeles and attended Fairfax High School. A chance meeting with Aldo Gucci began a twenty-five year relationship that created a new business model for the watch industry. Carefully balancing luxury appeal and mass marketing, Severin Wunderman was instrumental in turning Gucci Timepieces into a premier brand of the Watch industry. In 2000, he purchased another watch company, Corum Timepieces and resurrected it. In addition to his business activities, Wunderman was an avid collector of 20th Century art, and had the world's largest collection of Jean Cocteau's works. That collection will be housed in a museum to be built in Menton, France opening in 2010. Other notable artists in his collection included Dali, Magritte, & Botero. For his contributions to mankind he was appointed Knight in the Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur by the President of the French Republic. Severin Wunderman had a unique approach to philanthropy, which was guided by his personal ethos of giving back and encouraging others to do the same. He founded the Severin Wunderman Family Foundation and the Severin Wunderman Museum. Some of his causes were medical research at UCLA and the British Lung Foundation, as well as the Children of the Shoah. He was an avid fisherman and hunter, dog lover, antique collector, and movie connoisseur. Severin Wunderman was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, and mentor to many. He is survived by his brother, Max, his sons, Nathan and Micheal, his daughters, Deborah, Raphaelle, and Elisabeth. In lieu of flowers, donations to a charity of your choice are requested. A memorial service will be held at 12 Noon on July 3, 2008 at Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries in Burbank, California. "Having been so fortunate, I have always felt inclined to assist others and encourage those around me to do the same."