JEAN-CLAUDE BIVER - FIRST, DIFFERENT, UNIQUE

JEAN-CLAUDE BIVER

FIRST, DIFFERENT, UNIQUE

Jedan od najutjecajnijih ljudi urarske industrije za naš magazin govori o budućnosti industrije satova, novim trendovima, proizvodnji sireva i naravno – moru i brodovima In this issue of our magazine, one of the most influential people in the watchmaking industry talks about the industry’s future, new trends, cheese production and, of course, the sea and boats

Ikona urarstva, legenda industrije satova, guru luksuznih brendova, spasitelj švicarskih satova… Jean-Claude Bivera najbolje je opisati kao superjunaka urarske industrije. Karijeru je započeo u Audemars Piguet, a potom je transformirao švicarske urarske gigante poput Omege, Blancpaina, Hublota, TAG Heuera, Zenitha… Kao inspirativni menadžer i kreativni lider JeanClaude Biver pomaknuo je granice marketinga i pokazao kako se i tradicionalna industrija satova može naučiti nekim novim trikovima. Za magazin ACI No. 1 jedan od najutjecajnijih ljudi u svijetu satova govori o budućnosti urarske industrije, novim trendovima, proizvodnji sireva i naravno – moru i brodovima. Watchmaking icon, watch industry legend, luxury brand guru, saviour of Swiss watches... JeanClaude Biver is best described as a superhero of the watchmaking industry. He started his career at Audemars Piguet and then went to transform Swiss watchmaking giants such as Omega, Blancpain, Hublot, TAG Heuer, Zenith, etc. As an inspirational manager and creative leader, Jean-Claude Biver pushed the boundaries of marketing and demonstrated how the traditional watch industry can also be taught some new tricks. In this issue of ACI No. 1 magazine, one of the most influential people in the world of watches talks about the future of the watchmaking industry, new trends, cheese production and, of course, the sea and boats.

Ricardo Guadalupe i / and Jean-Claude Biver

U jednom intervjuu nazvali ste se kumom. Možete li pojasniti?

Kum u smislu da sam u industriji satova prisutan od daleke 1975. godine i da sam bio na čelu pet uglednih urarskih brendova (Blancpain, Omega, Hublot, TAG Heuer i Zenith), a od toga sam bio vlasnik dviju (Blancpain i Hublot).

Među tih pet brendova možete li izdvojiti najdraži?

Ovo je za mene preemotivno pitanje. Odabrati jedan brend je preteško. To su sve moje bebice… Ni majka ne može izdvojiti koje je dijete od njih pet najdraže.

Vaš slogan je First, Different, Unique. Čini nam se kako se u te tri moćne riječi krije i vaša životna filozofija. Kako ste naučili razmišljati izvan okvira?

Uvijek sam se pokušavao razlikovati od ostalih ljudi. Vjerujem da sam takav stav razvio dok sam se aktivno bavio sportovima poput nogometa, skijanja i trčanja. Naravno da se vaša percepcija svijeta mijenja s godinama i iskustvom. I percepcija luksuznih satova mijenjala se s vremenom. Današnje generacije drugačije gledaju na naš svijet. Što je i normalno. Tko želi izgledati kao svoja mama ili tata? Također, tijekom godina sam naučio ostati 'mlad u srcu i glavi' slušajući i promatrajući mlađe generacije koje su mi otvorili nove vidike. Bio sam preko sto puta u Tokiju kako bi upijao atmosferu s ulica i pokušao prepoznati što se mladima sviđa. Sjećam se kako je 2004. Hublot postao prvi brend koji je luksuzne satove kombinirao s uličnom modom. Tada smo pokazali kako satovi ne moraju biti dosadni predmeti namijenjeni samo starijim generacijama.

Tijekom karijere bili ste poznati kao osoba koja je promotivnim kampanjama koristili velik broj slavnih osoba. Bernie EcclestoIn an interview, you called yourself a godfather. Can you tell us why?

I meant godfather in the sense that I have been present in the watchmaking business ever since 1975 and that I was at the head of five reputable watch brands (Blancpain, Omega, Hublot, TAG Heuer and Zenith), two of which I owned (Blancpain and Hublot).

Among these five brands, can you pick one as your favourite ?

This question is too emotional for me. Choosing one brand is too hard. They’re all my babies... There is no mother that could single out one of her five children as her favourite.

Your slogan is First, Different, Unique. It seems to us that these three powerful words contain your philosophy of life. How did you learn to think outside the box?

I’ve always tried to be different than other people. I believe I developed this attitude while actively playing sports like football, skiing and running. Of course, your perception of the world changes with age and experience. And the perception of luxury watches has changed over time. Today’s generations view our world differently. Which is normal. Who wants to look like their mum or dad? Also, over the years I have learned to stay ‘young at heart and in mind’ by listening to and observing younger generations, who have opened new horizons for me. I’ve been to Tokyo over a hundred times to soak up the atmosphere in the streets and try to find out what young people like. I remember how, in 2004, Hublot became the first brand to combine luxury watches with street fashion. We showed then that watches do not have to be boring items intended only for older generations.

Naučio sam kako su padovi sastavni dio svakog posla, u krajnjoj liniji i života, ali isto tako sam naučio da ne napravim istu pogrešku – dvaput! I learned that failures are an integral part of any job, ultimately of life itself, but I also learned not to make the same mistake – twice!

ne, Usain Bolt, Jay-Z, Kobe Bryant samo su neki od ljudi koji bili ambasadori vaših brendova. Po kojem ste kriteriju birali ljude?

Uvijek mi je najvažnije bilo da osoba koju mislimo angažirati pokaže interes i motivaciju za naše brendove. Prije potpisivanja ugovora, jedan ručak ili večera bili bi mi dovoljni da donesem konačnu odluku uklapa li se ta osoba u našu filozofiju.

Koja je prva lekcija koju ste naučili u biznisu? Isto tako, dosta često sudjelujete kao motivacijski govornik u različitim prigodama. Kakve savjete dajete ljudima za uspješnu poslovnu karijeru?

Naučio sam kako su padovi sastavni dio svakog posla, u krajnjoj liniji i života, ali isto tako sam naučio da ne napravim istu pogrešku – dvaput! Moj recept za uspješnu karijeru je vrlo jednostavan i temeljen na bogatom iskustvu. Gajite svoje sumnje, one postoje kako bi vam pomogle; uvijek slušajte i uvijek pokušajte učiti i nemojte se previše bojati neuspjeha. Jer ništa se ne može postići bez grešaka i neuspjeha. Motivacija, duh, etika, kultura, pozitivan stav i inicijativa ili poduzetništvo su elementi koje sam tražio od ljudi koji su htjeli raditi za mene.

Svojedobno ste izjavili kako je prodaja Blancpaina bila velika pogreška. Jeste li nešto naučili iz toga?

Da, nisam drugi put kupio Blancpain (smijeh). Kada sam postao vlasnik Blancpaina, ta ugledna urarska kuća bila je potisnuta razvojem quartz satova koje mi nismo željeli raditi, pa smo naš nedostatak pretvorili u prednost sa sloganom: 'Od 1735. godine nije postojao Blancpain quartz sat. Nikada ni neće.' Imao sam ideju izgraditi obiteljsku tvrtku oko toga, ali sam prodajom brenda ubio taj projekt zbog čega sam kasnije požalio. No, s druge strane upravo zahvaljujući prodaji Blancpaina doživio sam mnogo drugih fantastičnih iskustava i uspjeha. In your career, you were known as a person who featured a large number of celebrities in your promotional campaigns. Bernie Ecclestone, Usain Bolt, Jay-Z, Kobe Bryant are just some of the people who have been ambassadors for your brands. What were the criteria you used to choose them?

For me, the most important thing was always that a person we were thinking of hiring showed interest in and inclination to our brands. Before signing any contract, one lunch or dinner would be enough for me to make the final decision on whether that person fits our philosophy.

What was the first lesson you learned in business? Also, you often participate as a motivational speaker on different occasions. What advice for a successful business career do you give to people?

I learned that failures are an integral part of any job, ultimately of life itself, but I also learned not to make the same mistake – twice! My recipe for a successful career is very simple and based on considerable experience. Cultivate your doubts; they exist to help you. Always listen and always try to learn. And do not be too afraid of failure. Because nothing can be achieved without mistakes and failures. Motivation, spirit, ethics, culture, positive attitude and initiative or entrepreneurship are elements that I looked for in people who wanted to work for me.

You once stated that selling Blancpain was a big mistake. Did you learn anything from it?

Yes, I didn’t buy Blancpain for a second time (laughing). When I became the owner of Blancpain, this reputable watch manufacturer was kept back by the development of quartz watches, which we didn’t want to make, so we turned our disadvantage into an advan-

Idealan sat mora imati veliku tradiciju, mora biti različit ili jedinstven, inovativan, dobro dizajniran. I za kraj, jedna stvar koju mnogi zaboravljaju. Mora biti seksi! The ideal watch must have a long tradition, must be different or unique, innovative, well designed. And, finally, one thing that is often forgotten: It has to be sexy!

GPHG Prix Special du Jury za gospodina Bivera / GPHG Prix Special du Jury for Mr. Biver

Svijet se potpuno promijenio u pandemiji, a samim time i naše poimanje svijeta. Baselworld je jedna od velikih žrtava u urarskoj industriji. Kako zamišljate vaš sektor u budućnosti?

Prvo moram reći kako je Baselworld kao koncept zastario. Bilo je čudo kako se i održao toliki broj godina s istom idejom. Sve velike priredbe, pritom ne mislim samo na urarske, moraju se prilagođavati vremenima i situacijama. U industriji satova puno je velikih brendova koji imaju veličanstvenu prošlost, pa si dosta često dopuštaju da žive u tim slavnim vremenima, postaju talac tog komfora prošlosti. No, za mene prošlost spada u muzeje, a inovacije tjeraju brendove naprijed.

Kako zamišljate idealan sat?

Mora imati veliku tradiciju, mora biti različit ili jedinstven, inovativan, dobro dizajniran. I za kraj, jedna stvar koju mnogi zaboravljaju. Sat mora biti seksi!

Osim urarske industrije, vaša velika strast je proizvodnja sireva?

To je hobi. Moja strast za sirom dolazi iz strasti za satovima. Sir i satovi - oni pripadaju zajedno. Ako se vratimo daleko u povijest, onda ćemo vidjeti kako su umjetnost urarstva razvijali farmeri na svojim farmama. Zimi su aktivno proizvodili, sklapali i izrađivali satove, dok su ljeti, naprotiv, aktivno proizvodili sir i dovozili krave u Alpe kako bi radili neke od najboljih svjetskih sireva. Zato su se i zvali farmeri-urari. U prošlosti nisam imao nikakve veze sa sirom. Čak ga nisam ni pretjerano volio. Jeo sam ga s vremena na vrijeme. Danas sam otišao u drugi ekstrem. Jedem ga previše (smijeh).

Jahting ima velikih poveznica s urarstvom. Volite li brodove?

Koja vam je omiljena destinacija za plovidbu? Obožavam brodove i dosta često sam znao jedriti na Ženevskom jezeru, ali dobar sam poznavatelj Kariba i Mediterana. Prije sam volio samo jedrilice, ali sada sam zavolio i motorne brodove. Tijekom ljeta nema ništa bolje od krstarenja našim Mediteranom.

Koliko ste puta posjetili Hrvatsku?

Tijekom 60-ih i 70-ih godina prošlog stoljeća kao hipijevac bio sam na vašoj obali barem osam puta. Posljednji put sam posjetio Rovinj prije dvije godine. Nova marina i hoteli su me oduševili. Isto tako, hrana, emocija, kultura i ljubaznost ljudi razlog su zbog kojeg ću sigurno opet doći u Hrvatsku.  tage with the slogan: ‘Since 1735 there has never been a quartz Blancpain watch. And there never will be.’ I had an idea to build a family business around it, but by selling the brand I killed that project, which I later regretted. But on the other hand, thanks to the sale of Blancpain, I have had many other fantastic experiences and successes.

The world has completely changed in the pandemic, and so has our understanding of it. Baselworld is one of the bigger victims in the watchmaking industry. How do you see your sector in the future?

First, I must say why Baselworld is outdated as a concept. It was a miracle how it held on for so many years following the same idea. All major events, and I don’t mean just trade shows in the watch industry, have to adapt to times and situations. There are a lot of big brands in the watchmaking business who had a magnificent past, so quite often they allow themselves to live in those glorious times, becoming hostages to the comfort of the past. But for me, the past belongs to a museum, and innovation is what drives brands forward.

How do you imagine the ideal watch?

It must have a long tradition; it must be different or unique, innovative, well designed. And, finally, one thing that is often forgotten: A watch has to be sexy!

Besides the watchmaking business, your great passion is cheese production?

It’s a hobby. My passion for cheese comes from my passion for watches. Cheese and watches – they belong together. If we go back in time a long way, then we’ll see how the art of watchmaking was developed by farmers on their farms. In winter, they actively produced, put together and created watches, while in summer, in contrast, they actively produced cheese and brought cows to the Alps to make some of the world’s best cheeses. That’s why they were called watchmakers/farmers. I had nothing to do with cheese in the past. I didn’t even like it very much. I ate it from time to time. Today I’m at the other extreme. I eat too much of it (laughing).

Yachting is strongly linked to watchmaking. Do you like boats? What is your favourite sailing destination?

I adore boats and have often sailed on Lake Geneva, but I am also quite familiar with the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. I used to love sailing boats only, but now I’ve grown to love motor boats as well. In the summer there is nothing like sailing in our Mediterranean.

How many times have you visited Croatia?

In the 1960s and 1970s, as a hippie, I visited your coast at least eight times. I last visited Rovinj two years ago. I was very impressed by the new marina and hotels. Also, food, emotions, culture and the kindness of people is the reason why I will surely come to Croatia again. 