Bernhard H. Mayer®, QNET’s Swiss luxury brand for fine jewellery and timepieces, has named Egyptian design student Fatema Tarek El Sayed the winner of its inaugural Open Innovation Challenge.
Her winning concept, VELORA, will be developed into a Bernhard H. Mayer® timepiece. The project connects emerging design talent with Swiss watchmaking expertise and will support women affected by breast cancer.
Fatema is a student at the Faculty of Arts and Design at October University for Modern Sciences and Arts in Egypt. As part of her prize, she will travel to Biel, Switzerland. There she will gain first-hand exposure to Swiss watchmaking and work with the brand’s experts as her concept is adapted for production.
The finished timepiece is scheduled to be unveiled in October 2027. A portion of the sales proceeds will support a breast cancer organization in Egypt.
The challenge launched in October 2025 as part of the brand’s Pink October breast cancer awareness initiative.
It invited young designers across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to create an original watch concept inspired by hope, strength, and compassion for women affected by breast cancer. In collaboration with arts and design institutions across the region, Bernhard H. Mayer® offered students a chance to develop work with the potential to become a finished timepiece.
Mattias Mildenborn, Chief Executive Officer of QNET, said:
“Fatema’s achievement shows the value of connecting emerging talent with industry expertise across borders. Through Bernhard H. Mayer®, we can give a young designer the opportunity to develop her idea with Swiss watchmaking specialists and see it become a finished timepiece. This challenge reflects our belief that business can create opportunities for people while supporting a meaningful cause.”
The initiative reflects Bernhard H. Mayer®’s commitment to preserving its watchmaking heritage while encouraging a new generation of designers. By bringing students into contact with experienced specialists, the challenge links creative education with practical product development.
VELORA draws inspiration from the metamorphosis of a moth emerging from its cocoon. Fatema connected this image to the experiences of women who have faced breast cancer.
She shared:
“What I am most proud of is that this project taught me that design can communicate something beyond its appearance; it can carry a message, create an emotional connection, and give meaning to an experience of resilience. Winning this challenge is an incredible honour, and I am excited to see where this idea takes me and to learn from the world of Swiss watchmaking.”
Dr. Tarek Saleh, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design at October University for Modern Sciences and Arts, said:
“We are immensely proud of Fatema. Opportunities like this allow students to move beyond academic projects and experience what it means to develop a design with a real brief, a real audience, and a real purpose. Seeing her concept move towards becoming an actual timepiece is an exceptional experience for both Fatema and our institution.”
Fatema’s achievement was celebrated at an event in Cairo attended by representatives from Bernhard H. Mayer®, QNET, academia, and the creative community.
The Bernhard Open Innovation Challenge has also received international recognition. It won two Bronze Stevie Awards in the categories of Most Innovative Social Impact and Most Innovative Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility.
QNET is a global lifestyle and wellness company that uses a direct-selling business model. It offers a diverse portfolio of products in wellness, personal care, home and living, watches, and other lifestyle categories.
Through its e-commerce platform, QNET provides customers around the world with access to products designed to support healthier and more balanced lifestyles. The company also offers individuals the opportunity to become Independent Distributors and build a sales business by introducing QNET products to customers.
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