DECOMMISSIONING THE SPACESHIP
What makes a visionary? Jean-claude Biver might be on to something. Looking back at an extraordinary career in the Swiss luxury watch business spanning more than 40 years, the multihyphenate ( among other things, he’s also an amateur cheesemaker) has left quite the mark. With a storied Midas touch, he has travelled from Blancpain to Omega, then moved on to Hublot, tag Heuer and Zenith, reversing each brand’s fortunes and transforming them into gold.
Biver’s first major success was in revitalising Blancpain and selling it off in 1992 for 60 million Swiss francs (nearly S$82.5 million) – almost 3,000 times what he bought it for a decade prior (about 22,000 Swiss francs) – after rebuilding it from near death. The man isn’t one to rest on his laurels though. “Selling Blancpain ended up with so many positive outcomes. I could’ve done nothing after and just slept on my millions,” he says. “But all the experiences at Hublot and other brands that made me who I am now, I would not have had. I’d probably have remained the little boss of Blancpain and hey, maybe I wouldn’t be unhappy with that. But in retrospect, I believe everything turned out wonderfully after I let the brand move on.”
On how he has repeatedly saved various brands that were teetering on the edge, Biver points out that he simply respects each one for what it is. “I don’t build a new brand when I take over; I build upon its dna, philosophy and message. The brands I’ve been with will live far longer than me, so I am just the servant. In maybe 10, 20 or even 30 years, I will die or disappear. My time is very limited, so I don’t care to leave my signature on the brand. Instead, I try to work on the long term, the roots, the history, the tradition, and I don’t try to change what it’s about.”
And now, on the verge of retirement and stepping down, he has an inkling of a new dream: He wants to create his very own watch brand, but fears that it may be “too late”, given his age. But even at 69, Biver carries himself with great enthusiasm and an easy-going charm, and still shows the restlessness and decisiveness he has long been known for.
When asked about millennials’ relationship with timepieces, Biver laments: “There is a real problem to make the new generation watch conscious – to teach them that a watch can be a status symbol, an object of beauty, a present or something to be passed on as an heirloom. It may be tough to convince them to wear a watch; they can say their Nike shoes, Supreme tees and Off White sweaters are also status symbols. We don’t have an issue right now because it’s still early, but we may feel the strain in 10, 20 years, when they become potential customers. That’s unless we can talk to them now, but that’s difficult. I think Hublot is the one that speaks the most to millennials currently.”
Indeed, Hublot – what’s arguably Biver’s greatest success – boasts a huge presence in popular culture, with a string of celebrity endorsements under its belt spanning sports, music and art. Striking collaborations abound, with limited editions such as the Classic Fusion Aero fusion Chronograph Orlinski paying tribute to French artist Richard Orlinski’s pop art sculptures. Another special collection for English electronic band Depeche Mode had 55 unique pieces modelled after every single produced by the band.
Recently relinquishing his operational duties to become Non-executive Chairman of the lvmh Watchmaking Division (which owns various watch brands including Hublot and tag Heuer) in November 2018, Biver remains a humble man, insisting that he owes his success to his team. “My team has remained relatively the same across five brands, since the first person joined in 1979. I was never moving alone, and they helped me from brand to brand. Every person on my team is better in their fields than me, and that’s my strategy. I never had to recruit a new marketing director – not at Hublot, tag Heuer or Zenith, because it was always the same person.” Quizzed about the longevity of his team, Biver sums it all up to respect. “I respect my team, and it concerns little details like how they have families and may not be able to work as many hours as me. I also share everything I have, except the failures, which I shoulder alone. My knowledge, doubts, visions and successes – my team has free access to them all. But most of all, I forgive mistakes. I think that gives more room for risk-taking, which encourages the team to be more dynamic. If you share, forgive and respect, nobody wants to quit.”