Mr. Jean-Claude Biver recently invited aBlogtoWatch into his home for a candid interview about where the high-end Swiss watch industry is going, and where it has come from. Brimming with stories and explanations about the companies and people who make some of the world’s most iconic or interesting watches and leader of the LVMH Watch Division that puts TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith under his supervision, Jean-Claude Biver delights us with his personality, humor, wit, and rich collection of stories that make being a watch enthusiast all the more tangible for us.

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Jean-Claude’s opinions and insight are important because he is considered today’s most effective and talented watch brand manager when it comes to innovative marketing practices, synergistic “bridge-building” relationships, and helping to bring interesting products to market. A life-long veteran of the Swiss watch industry, Jean-Claude Biver is also a seasoned watch collector himself. Being personally interested in timepieces has arguably allowed this “product-focused” luxury watch brand executive to bring the most compelling products to market, while also satisfying his own expectations for product quality and design.

Jean-Claude Biver currently directly manages or oversees TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith, which are LVMH portfolio brands. He has a broad level of oversight and power to set actions in motion. Jean-Claude has earned a unique status in the watch industry because he is known for having an accelerated ability to “get stuff done,” which is usually a serious challenge as watchmakers are typically known for their conservative stance toward taking new actions and making “risky” decisions. One can easily attribute a lot of Jean-Claude Biver’s success to simply being able to get more things done than many of his colleagues.

Among Hublot’s many links with the planet of this high-end game, partnerships with famous football clubs and institutions are particularly impressive. Because of this arrangement with UEFA, Hublot Watches Floyd Mayweather functioned as the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch of the Euro 2012. It is going to also function as Official Timekeeper for the next two FIFA World Cups, beginning with the Brasil 2014 that will be the first time to get a luxury watchmaking to be involved in this field. Anyway, Hublot is the Official Watch along with the Official Timekeeper of several of the world’s most Well-known clubs, including Manchester United, FC Bayern München and Juventus of Turin, as well as the Official Timekeeper of Ajax Amsterdam. As component of these partnerships, Hublot launched various limited editions of its King Power model, each dedicated to one of those clubs.Hublot is the actual watchmaking partner with all the giant, Ferrari, which includes all of the activities of these companies, both in terms of the brand image and the industrial activities. In tribute to this venture, the renowned watchmaker made several high-end versions, including a true horological masterpiece — Big Bang Chrono Tourbillon Ferrari. Furthermore, from March 2010 into the end of 2012, Hublot was the exclusive spouse with Formula 1. Collaborating with Viviane Senna, Hublot affirms the Ayrton Senna Foundation in its own struggle to offer education for underprivileged children.

Jean-Claude Biver, President du Conseil d’administration de Hublot, CEO de Tag Heuer et Directeur du pole horloger LVMH. Nyon, Novembre 2015 © Fred Merz | lundi13

At this point in his career, Jean-Claude Biver works out of choice much more so than out of necessity. To him, the ability to bring fun watches into existence seems to make it all worth it. Once keenly interested in all areas of the industry, more recently Jean-Claude Biver has had the fortune which allows him to narrow his focus on his brands and colleagues. With that said, we always relish in hearing stories about the people and occurrences that helped make the watch industry – both the beautiful and fractured parts – what it is today.