After having saved the mechanical watchJean Claude Biver, who has sold Blancpain for €60 million and Hublot for €400 million, has set himself a new challenge: to create his own watchmaking company.
On March 26, 2023, Jean-Claude Biver & Pierre Biver, his son, launched their own watchmaking company, near Geneva, in front of an audience of international media and industry personalities.
After more than 50 years of experience in the watch industry, Jean Claude Biver and his son, Pierre Biver, are embarking on a new adventure: the creation of their own watchmaking companyThe aim is to offer very exclusive and prestigious time guards.
Before talking about Biver Watches, let's recall who Mr Biver is in a few key dates:
1982: acquisition with Jacques Piguet, the rights of the Blancpain factory, manufacturer of traditional watches, in full decline because of the quartz crisis
1992: JC Biver sells Blancpain to the SMH Group, which will later become the Swatch Group we know today
In 1993, he became marketing director and managing director at Omega, and then took part in the board of the Swatch Group. He had the brilliant idea to relaunch the Omega Speedmaster Professional.
2004, he leaves Omega to take over Hublot
2012, Jean-Claude Biver leaves the position of CEO of Hublot while remaining president.
2014, he was appointed president of the watch division of the LVMH group (Hublot, TAG Heuer and Zenith) and took over the management of TAG Heuer.
2017, he became CEO of Zenith.
2018, He gives up his operational responsibilities at LVMH due to health concerns.
With such an impressive track record, it was obvious that JC Biver wanted to create his own watchmaking company. He confided a year ago:
I want to leave a trace in the watch industry
Passionate, with a great experience within several watchmaking houses, Jean Claude Biver gives his name and creates his own house, with the motto: "Eternity has no competition".
This new brand wants to be very exclusive, that's why he surrounded himself with the best in each field in order to create prestigious timepieces.
Accompanied by his son, they created their first watch: a tourbillon minute repeater, with micro rotorYes, just that! Quite a start for a young watchmaker.
At Biver, technology is at the service of the founders' philosophy, not the other way around.
We want the minute repeater to be the cornerstone of the brand. With a design we can all relate to, and a movement that serves the aesthetic we have defined. A contemporary watch, inspired by tradition and representative of my father and me.
But how to make the minute repeater, a mechanism invented in the 18th century, contemporary?
"With a new and different sound that is sure to catch the ears of collectors. We added a third hammer, which requires very fine tuning of the tempo to get the tone right."
Biver timepieces are decorated entirely to the highest artistic standards (polished, satin-finished, grained and flame-blued), including the smallest and most invisible parts.
"We decided to decorate all the faces of all the components of the movement. To achieve this, we had to push our partners to develop techniques for decorating certain parts of the parts that were not originally designed to be decorated. The underside of the bridges, for example, is hand-grained, which is very rarely done."
The dial in sodalite is curved, a real technical challenge, the thickness not exceeding 0.6mm, it was very difficult to obtain a curved aspect without breaking during the polishing phase.
The hands are dauphine shaped with planed ridges, the angles are polished or the top is satin finished. Everywhere you look, you can admire the details of this timepiece, both the contrasts of the dial and the details of the movement, the essential goal of the Biver being to build a temporal bridge linking past, present and future.
The case is waterproof to 5 ATM, not enough to immerse it completely without fear, but enough to be resistant to water drops during bad weather.
It is available in 3 iterations: Bicolor, Rose Gold or Titanium.
The Biver Carillon Tourbillon is therefore a real collector's item, it embodies the know-how and art of watchmaking. Each component/material is carefully selected and improved through an impeccable finish, symbol of fine watchmaking.
A watch has value for us by its spiritual aspect, by the soul it carries. Because an object without soul is a dead object. We want to bring the soul of the watch to life.
Our point of view is simple: it was mandatory that Jean Claude Biver creates a watch, and participates in the watchmaking heritage. A timepiece is transmitted from generation to generation, creating a watch is creating a piece of history that we can pass on. From his various experiences in the field, it was obvious that the man who participated in saving the mechanical watch marks his piece of history.
Thanks to the experience of JC Biver, his entourage of the best, his son, the first chapter of Biver Watches is a great success, the piece is a masterpiece of watchmaking, with great complications (tourbillon, minute repeater, micro-rotor), the attention to detail, showing the desire to want to make a piece of high watchmaking, with its own philosophy: to build a temporal bridge linking past, present and future.
Why are Jacob & Co watches so expensive?
Jacob & Co. watches are considered fine timepieces and are made with high quality materials such as gold, diamonds and other precious stones, which contributes to their high price. The design and production of these watches is complex and requires advanced watchmaking skills, which also adds to their cost.
When was Jacob & founded?
Jacob & Co was founded in 1986 by Jacob Arabo, also known as Jacob the Jeweler. Based in New York, the company is renowned for its luxurious and extravagant jewelry and watch designs.
What are Jacob & Co's greatest achievements?
Jacob & Co is known for its exceptional creations and innovative designs. The Astronomia, the Billionaire, the Twin Turbo Furious, are some of their most beautiful creations.
What is the most expensive watch ever made?
The most expensive watch ever made is the Graff Diamonds Hallucination. This exceptional watch is valued at approximately $55 million. Other houses like Jacob and Co have produced some of the most expensive models ever made like the "Billionaire Timeless Treasure".
About the author
Mathieu CeliPassionate about timepieces, and everything that revolves around them for many years, my ambition is to share my watchmaking adventure, and help you to enlighten yourself on this world that seems so inaccessible, and yet, is not. Every watchmaking story is initiated by encounters, and continues with an endless curiosity, a real addiction to the very embodiment of time.
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