Recommended Reading Jean-Claude Biver To Launch New Watch Brand Under His Own Name

Speaking with Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS) yesterday morning as part of the station's Médialogues segment, Biver opened up about a bicycle accident that resulted in a recent three-month hospital stay and how the recovery process helped him realize just how much he missed his one true passion in life: horology. 

And after decades spent working in leadership at larger brands, and eventually, at the world's biggest watchmaking conglomerates, Biver has decided that he now wants to do things on his own terms – you can't keep the famously energetic septuagenarian down for long.

"I'm going to start a brand," he said, speaking in French. "I decided my name is valuable, credible, and known – why not make a brand with my own name, JC Biver? Passion isn't something that goes away in retirement. Retirement might mean your position goes away, but not your passion. I have a lot to pass on, and I want to pass it on. The best way to do that is to start a small brand, family-owned and very exclusive, and voila – the decision was made."

Yesterday's announcement appears to be Biver's first step in this new initiative. In the interview, he mentions that he now needs to find a staff and a solution for movement production. He even goes so far as to say he plans to view a potential office/headquarters later in the day. 

I can't imagine Biver will have to look too hard to find a team. This is the man credited with reviving the mechanical watch industry in Switzerland – there isn't a single individual working in watchmaking today who doesn't owe Biver some sort of debt.

But it appears he'll start by looking close to home. Ownership of the newly formed JC Biver company will stay within his family.

"Everyone is passionate about watches [in my family]," he says. "Whether it's my first child, my last, my wife, or my brother, my brand will be a gathering of passion shared by my family and friends."

His youngest son, Pierre, has made waves in watch-industry circles in recent years after working with Phillips Auction House, in London. (Don't miss the retrospective video Phillips released in 2019, featuring Pierre, Jean-Claude, and former HODINKEE editor Arthur Touchot.) 

A few hours after the Biver bombshell, Gregory Pons of Business Montres followed up with a brief report (paywall warning) stating that a trademark had officially been filed for the JC Biver brand, as well as for a logo that Pons cites as "not definitive." 

Will this be the final chapter of Jean-Claude Biver's one-of-a-kind horological legacy? We're eager to find out more – we've reached out to both Jean-Claude and Pierre to see what we can find out. In the meantime, you can check out the RTS article and segment for yourself, right here. 

Fair warning – the RTS and Business Montres stories are published in French, so you might need to pull Google Translate up for the Francophonic assist.

A special thank you to the multitalented James K./@waitlisted for helping with our translation.