Watch Industry Veteran Joseph Sindt Dies at 71

Sindt is remembered by friends in the industry as a dedicated, genuine person with a knack for storytelling.

Lenore Fedow lenore.fedow@nationaljeweler.com

Wayne, N.J.—Joseph Sindt, a longtime watch industry executive, died of congestive heart failure on July 7.

He was 71.

Born in Linz, Austria, Lindt and his parents left a refugee camp when he was 2, immigrating to the United States in 1950 and settling in New York City.

They later moved to New Jersey, where Sindt would live for the rest of his life.

He graduated from Bergen Catholic High School then went on to earn a degree in political science and business from Fairfield University and a master’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson.

Sindt met his future wife Nancy Pier at his first job.

They married in 1975 and moved to Pier’s hometown of Wayne, N.J. in 1986 to raise their son, Jameson Sindt.

The two were avid travelers, taking trips across the U.S., Asia and Europe.

“Joe was always up for a fun adventure, and he enjoyed collecting souvenirs everywhere he went,” according to his online obituary.

Sindt spent his career in the watch industry, serving as an executive at Seiko Corporation of America for several years.

He later ran its sister brand, Lorus, and was a driving force behind its cult-classic Mickey Mouse watches.

He also served as president of Hirsch USA, a notable watch band company from his home country of Austria.

Sindt established his own company in the mid-1990s, supplying brand-name watches to several corporate clients.

He was remembered by veteran watch journalist and author Roberta Naas on her blog “A Timely Perspective.”

Naas was a longtime friend of Sindt and his wife, Nancy Pier-Sindt, whom she worked with at National Jeweler in the 1980s.

“He was an incredibly dedicated person who worked tirelessly to grow the brands he was responsible for, to hire the right people, and do the right thing,” wrote Naas.

She said Sindt had “a great sense of right and wrong, of ethics and fair business practices. Still, he had a no-nonsense, almost headstrong way about him that made him incredibly genuine.”

Norman Miller, former Gem Awards chair and another National Jeweler alumnus, remembered his friend as someone he could rely on for advice and mentorship.

“I remember Joe as always being there with an answer and a great story. I would call him, in my younger days in the industry, when I had a question that I thought was too silly for anyone to answer,” he said in a statement on Naas’ blog.

Though Sindt retired from the watch industry about 15

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years ago, he did not sit idle for long.

Sindt and his son Jameson operated several seasonal pop-up Halloween stores throughout the northern New Jersey area for the past 10 years.

The father-and-son team also opened Gotham Comics, a comic book and collectibles store, in Caldwell, New Jersey four years ago.

Lindt was a sportsman in his youth, playing rugby, softball, tennis, and golf. Later in his life, he found an appreciation for collecting vintage movie memorabilia and fine wines.

“To his family and many friends, Joe was honest and opinionated, but always generous and giving. He will be missed dearly,” said his online obituary.

Lindt is survived by his beloved wife Nancy, their son, Jameson, and his mother, Rosalie Sindt. He was predeceased by his father, John Sindt, and by his sister, Anne Marie Larkins.

Lenore Fedowis the senior editor, news at National Jeweler, covering the retail beat and the business side of jewelry.

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