First, Different, Unique

As Jean-Claude Biver moves into an advisory role, he explains to us the importance of giving back.

- Wei-Yu Wang

A wave of concern spread throughout the watch community as many would have known Biver personally as a loquacious and engaging individual who delighted in meeting customers, business associates and other insiders, and who never shied away from the limelight. Those who did not know him would still feel the announcement’s magnitude as Biver is one of the horological world’s most significant and influential personalities.

But the news is not so dire. Biver is back to his globetrotting ways, travelling around North America, Europe and Asia with seemingly little concern. Although optimistic about his health, he acknowledges that his illness has taken its toll. “I am like a second-hand car,” he explains with one of his typical anecdotes. “It can look nice on the outside, but when you drive it, you can still feel everything that has gone wrong.” One would be hard-pressed to notice though, and it is difficult to believe Biver is just shy of 70 years. His famed energy is still there, in the way he constantly taps the table to highlight a point, and in the strong and passionate way he articulates his innumerable ideas.