Jean-Claude Biver at 70: The watchmaking legend’s quest to master ‘invisible luxury’ with his family-run brand

Jean-Claude Biver is an iconic figure in Swiss watchmaking. He has worked for some of the biggest watch brands in the world: Audemars Piguet, Omega, Blancpain and, perhaps most famously, Hublot, where he was responsible for creating the brand’s legendary Big Bang in 2005. In 2023, he resigned from his role as LVMH’s head of watches and jewellery division and founded his own brand, Biver.

The latest chapter in his saga unfurled in Hong Kong, at The Upper House. Here, he unveiled the Biver Lounge, an intimate, appointment-only boutique space, that seemed more like the meeting place for a secret society for the horologically savvy. In a conversation with Tatler, Biver shares insights into his business, the concept of invisible luxury and the evolving landscape of the watch industry.

See also: Sébastian Vivas of Audemars Piguet: “We may be 150 years old, but we’re still young at heart”

Jean-Claude Biver in Hong Kong (Photo: courtesy of Biver watches)

You spent decades at the top of some of the world’s most famous brands. What made you decide to start your own venture, and how do you continue to innovate?

After 52 years in the Swiss watch industry, I realised I had missed out on doing something with my family. At [the age of ] 70, I decided it was time to create something for the family and the industry.

When my son showed interest in watches [five years ago], I proposed we start a family business together. His mother … didn’t want him to stop his studies [but he was very keen]. Now it’s done, and I hope she will never regret it.

For me, in [these later years] of my life, I want to finish the circle. I started [my career] at 12 [o’ clock]; now I’m at ten [minutes to] 12, so I hope to still have ten years [before retirement]. I want to transfer [my knowledge] not just to my son, but to the people working with us. I want to give back.

When you’ve been successful for 50 years, you want to give back. You think that you owe something—I owe something to God, to whoever. Because why did I succeed? Why did so many people help me? Why did I meet only good people? So something or somebody must have looked after me, and somebody must have said, “Come on, we’re going to help this guy.” And now that I’ve had all this help, I want to give it back. That’s my main task now—to spend 10 years giving back.

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Biver lounge in Hong Kong (Photo: courtesy of Biver watches)

How does the Biver lounge reflect the values and legacy of the brand?I wanted to do what other brands don’t do anymore—hide parts of the craftsmanship. The key message of our brand is invisibility in luxury. What’s invisible in life? Love.

You can feel it, detect it, guess it [exists], but you cannot see it. Luxury, over time, has become an industry focused on showing off; we decided to put our energy and work into the parts nobody can see. In watchmaking, this means perfecting elements hidden beneath the dial or on its reverse side. Our brand goes back to the basis of luxury— mastering invisibility. The soul of a watch can only exist if it’s hidden— that’s our definition of luxury.

This is also why we are more at ease in small apartments like this [at The Upper House] or houses rather than [in malls or on streets] with other jewellery stores. We prefer private, confidential, small, discreet, high-quality spaces.

You often speak about passion in interviews. Can you share a moment when yours was tested?

My passion has never been strongly tested, but it has gone through doubts. I always say doubt is my friend, but also my enemy. When doubt comes, I tell it to go away. The fact that I have to dominate doubt, beat it, win the fight against it—that’s what has brought me to where I am. Doubt was aggressive with me at first, but in the end, I must thank it. I owe it a lot. I tell students in my conferences: if you don’t have doubts, you’re dangerous. Doubt helps you make the best decisions.

Biver lounge in Hong Kong (Photo: courtesy of Biver watches)

How do you see your brand evolving in the coming years? Is there a set vision or will it be an organic evolution?

It’s more organic. It’s difficult to have a vision and it’s very difficult to [foretell] where the new generation is headed. [However,] there are values that go from one generation to the [next], and I concentrate on those: honesty, sharing, communication, teaching, forgiving mistakes. When you use these values, you may not be [visualising] the future, but at least you’re headed in the right direction. Ethics are always the same. In 200 years, it will still be bad to steal, lie or cheat. I try to stick to traditional values rather than chasing new trends.

What was the most significant challenge you faced when establishing the Biver brand?

I asked myself: “Are you sure that, at 70 years old, you want to start again, when 99 per cent of people are retiring? Are you crazy? Are you not afraid of failure after 50 years of success?” I had so many doubts.

Then, during a radio interview which was not about watches, I spontaneously announced that I was starting my own brand. It went all over the world. My wife asked why I did that. I realised that, by announcing it publicly, I had eliminated the option of backing out. I forced myself to make it happen. I jumped into the deep end and swam out.

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