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Jean-Claude Biver: L'homme qui a sauvé la montre mécanique
" Cet instrument qui fait tic-tac et qui date de près de 400 ans est désuet sur le plan technique parce que relativement imprécis - pour indiquer l'heure, mon téléphone est plus précis que ma montre -, en revanche, et cela est remarquable, il est un "morceau d'éternité" dans un boîtier. Car même dans mille ans une montre mécanique marchera et pourra être entretenue et réparée. Les montres sont faites par des hommes qui transmettent à l'objet leur passion, leur maîtrise, leur excellence et donnent ainsi naissance à l'âme de la montre."
Jean-Claude Biver C'est le parcours d'un entrepreneur hors norme qui est retracé dans ce livre. Jean-Claude Biver a redonné ses lettres de noblesse à l'horlogerie suisse dans les années 1980 et 1990, quand, face à l'arrivée des montres à quartz japonaises, il a successivement fait revivre Blancpain, repositionné Oméga et donné un nouvel essor à Hublot. Il dirige aujourd'hui la division montres de LVMH. Sa réussite va de pair avec une vision très forte de l'entrepreneuriat, du management et de l'innovation, qui fait de lui un défricheur, un inventeur de nouveaux chemins. Car, a-t-il coutume de dire, réussir suppose toujours d'être "le premier, différent et unique". Jean-Claude Biver partage ici, avec nous, son expérience de grand capitaine d'industrie.
Jean-Claude Biver C'est le parcours d'un entrepreneur hors norme qui est retracé dans ce livre. Jean-Claude Biver a redonné ses lettres de noblesse à l'horlogerie suisse dans les années 1980 et 1990, quand, face à l'arrivée des montres à quartz japonaises, il a successivement fait revivre Blancpain, repositionné Oméga et donné un nouvel essor à Hublot. Il dirige aujourd'hui la division montres de LVMH. Sa réussite va de pair avec une vision très forte de l'entrepreneuriat, du management et de l'innovation, qui fait de lui un défricheur, un inventeur de nouveaux chemins. Car, a-t-il coutume de dire, réussir suppose toujours d'être "le premier, différent et unique". Jean-Claude Biver partage ici, avec nous, son expérience de grand capitaine d'industrie.
198 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 24, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 29, 2022
I was given this book as a birthday present by a good friend of mine and thought it was a perfect gift since I’ve been a fan of Jean-Claude Biver ever since I had been to one of his talks at University, I’m a watch-lover in general and I love reading. Unfortunately, this turned out to be the worst-edited book I have ever seen. And the writing wasn’t much better.
Lelarge messes up the differentiation between his questions and Biver’s answers over and over again, evidently isn’t very proficient at English (the interviews were probably held in French) and just didn’t manage to achieve any sensible structure to the book.
All of this is a huge shame, since Jean-Claude Biver is such an interesting man who has played a pivotal role in the Swiss watch industry multiple times. His biography would be easy to write in an enjoyable and captivating way. While the book also at some places feels like a marketing publication for Hublot, that comes with the great marketeer’s way of non-stop promotion and thus didn’t bother me much. This is a book about Biver, and using it as a platform for Hublot is quintessentially JCB.
While I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I had hoped, I would recommend anyone to read up on Biver’s life and achievements (using another source) and am very thankful for the present, since without having read it, it indeed was the perfect choice.
If you can, you should attend one of JCB’s speeches. Doing so has definitely further fanned the flames of my passion for watches. My first big boy watch I’ve purchased was the full titanium TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer01, which was one of the last models developed in the Biver-era of LVMH’s watchmaking division.
Lelarge messes up the differentiation between his questions and Biver’s answers over and over again, evidently isn’t very proficient at English (the interviews were probably held in French) and just didn’t manage to achieve any sensible structure to the book.
All of this is a huge shame, since Jean-Claude Biver is such an interesting man who has played a pivotal role in the Swiss watch industry multiple times. His biography would be easy to write in an enjoyable and captivating way. While the book also at some places feels like a marketing publication for Hublot, that comes with the great marketeer’s way of non-stop promotion and thus didn’t bother me much. This is a book about Biver, and using it as a platform for Hublot is quintessentially JCB.
While I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I had hoped, I would recommend anyone to read up on Biver’s life and achievements (using another source) and am very thankful for the present, since without having read it, it indeed was the perfect choice.
If you can, you should attend one of JCB’s speeches. Doing so has definitely further fanned the flames of my passion for watches. My first big boy watch I’ve purchased was the full titanium TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer01, which was one of the last models developed in the Biver-era of LVMH’s watchmaking division.
February 14, 2017
Questa celebrazione della filosofia e dei successi di un protagonista dell'orologieria contemporanea è una conversazione-agiografia di limitato contenuto informativo e un'occasione perduta. Si poteva fare meglio, come dimostra il libro-intervista di Friedemann Bartu dedicato a Nicolas Hayek una decina d'anni fa.
November 7, 2020
Profondément inintéressant. Hormis les rares passages où l'on parle de montre, le reste ne ressemble qu'à de la promotion pour Hublot et de l'auto-promotion à n'en plus pouvoir.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews