Horological Meandering

At a star studded party filled with watch industry executives, retail store owners and buyers, industry influencers, and journalists (but not yours truly), Jean Claude Biver, the famous watch industry veteran, announced his own line of watches. Having wor...  

He is one of my favorite entrepreneurs of all time, and seems like a total class act. It's good seeing he's doing well health-wise, as in an interview he mentioned he had cancer. The watch isn't personally my thing aesthetically and definitely more than I... 

Aesthetics can be very personal, and so far the pictures aren't getting me too excited. Of course, an in-person viewing may change that. I thank JCB for what he's done to help our favorite industry survive! And I too wish him continued good health!

I personally think he should have gone for a time only watch, perhaps with an interesting escapement, observatory tested and well finished. Pricing would have been more in line with other independents and the whole project wouldn't look like a money grab.... 

Yes, I'm not sure about the font and the logo. I agree with you. And I also agree that this Tourbillon minute repeater was definitely very ambitious. The watch isn't very thin, and might be a bit thick for me. And YES, you are right! The watch journalists... 

It is certainly easy for me to comment as I wish because I am not beholden. After a few attempts at working in the industry I am comfortable now as an 'outsider' so am free to be subjective. Having dipped my toes though, the number of times I have heard h... 

There's a lot of security behind these events at W&W, there are tons of guards, detectors, access control systems, facial recognition, etc. Very difficult. Although the last year I attended, there was a robbery at 2019 SIHH. But overall, it's difficult. T... 

Some obvious questions: 1. I understand the use of the JCB name, but who actually designed this thing? JCB himself, really? 2. Who has he partnered with, who are the actual watchmakers who will build this watch? 3. What does a 22-year-old have to contribu... 

Although I bet it's good! I've met a few very impressive 22 year olds. Both in Silicon Valley and in Paris/Geneva. And while they're not always right, the good ones are rarely wrong. Keep in mind, some of these 20 year olds have seen much of the world des... 

of pulling together a small team on a project-basis, it would cool if, like Max, he makes these connections explicit. JCB & Friends has a nice ring to it….

But I agree entirely, that’s why I treasure my HM #1….

And something to be treasured!

...They definitely know each other.

smells like a marketing gag. Design definitely not distinctive and who wants to wear a chunky Beaver, aaah Biver on the wrist! 🤭

Not sure you know what you are taking about - sorry to be kind of direct…

To some a tourbillon regulator is not a complication as it doesn't add any further function to the watch but assists only in timekeeping. Others disagree with this. I'm aware that this is not unanimously accepted.

Did you hear of a Carillon?? This is one!! You should not go cynical !

My comment, although perhaps more tongue in cheek than cynical, is supported by some watchmakers and of course other watchmakers will take the opposite position and certainly include the tourbillon regulator on a list of complications. I think Mr Biver mi... 

Of course I'm sure you received it too, but here's also the release they sent with the requirements for the "JCB Seal." I haven't seen it published anywhere yet, so here it is below for our interested members! Cheers. ...  

All the press releases are coming in all at once! It's madness! Now, that's a long list of seal requirements!

I'm already retired. More or less. Partially joking. Hopefully not retired forever. We'll enjoy nice pasta together. I was in Italy recently and I brought back 20 kilograms of nice Italian pasta! In the USA it's hard to get good pasta that has a nice al-d... 

I'll walk the dog. Take the dog to its modeling appointments. And we'll eat pasta every morning in winter (I like hot breakfasts with carbohydrates in the winter). And every night we can chat under the stars about whatever topics are on our mind while sip... 

Probably something from Minotti or Flexform? Who knows, maybe it's Swiss or French. Ligne Roset or Roche Bobois?

That's probably one of the best boxes I've ever seen. The watch is probably not one of the best watches I've ever seen - again I haven't seen it in person, so the jury is still out.

The bad news is people aren’t immediately digging your half-a-million dollar watch. The good news is they love the box and sofa!

But yes, it's true, the box has universal acclaim - and the jury is still out on the watch. And nobody has seen the box in person nor the watch in person. The rendered photographs of the watch aren't great though. JCB has got to realize that. I hope he ta... 

JCB's expertise is definitely in more mass market watches. Even though his passion is in haute horlogerie, it doesn't mean he can transfer his extensive work experience. We shall see!

That being said, I have a good thing to say, a bad one and a neutral thought. 1) The bad: I don't find the design attractive. It looks cheap (maybe it's because of the renders). 2) The good: the finishing of the movement really seems as good as they promi... 

But like everyone, I have an opinion too. And my opinion exactly aligns with yours. 1. I don't like the renders too, although I believe the watch will look better in person. 2, I agree, excellent movement finishing and quality is a given at this price poi... 

I'd be interested to see how they would price a three hander

It'll probably be expensive. Even if it is in titanium. Probably $30K to $80K, considering the finishing.

In consumer, it's MUCH easier to expand down market than vice-versa. It's also safer as gearing up for large production requires heavier capex.

Yes, for a small Cap-Ex, it's generally wise to start small and high end first, then go down market while expanding the manufacturing base and client base.

He's one of the legends of this industry, whose breadth and depth of contributions are impossible to overestimate. But will this new Brand and its incredibly bold approach survive "the test of time"? This is THE main, legacy-defining question that fascina... 

I too hope the brand will succeed and make great watches, but I can't get too excited about something that expensive. I'm not their typical client though, so my opinion doesn't really matter haha

Something we haven't discussed yet is that the current price tag will soon be "justified" by a similar, unique piece auctioned by Phillips, which will (hopefully) fetch well over $500k -- just to put things in context. But again, this is arguably a huge (... 

I definitely am not in the habit of buying such expensive watches neither. And I too hope that the brand is successful.

Very few new brands have survived the test of time. Consumers seem to revert back to the old famous brands; Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet seem to be the hottest brands currently. Most members of my family have only heard of the "big brands" like Seik... 

From everything I’ve learned about JCB the man - his vision, his values, his understanding of the market and his relationship with collectors - this watch is none of that. This has left me quite confused…

JCB came from mass market brands; Tag Heuer, Hublot, Zenith, Omega, and these are generally more entry-level luxury timepieces. Now he's selling a Rolls-Royce equivalent. So there's a huge disconnect. But still, he probably has a good plan. Pass the popco... 

What is your rational behind those phrases? Ps: I know JCB myself. SoI know about his visions and values.

To me, JCB has always been a man of the people, genuinely interested in bringing accessible entry-level luxury to his audience. What he did with the brands Tag Heuer, Hublot, Zenith, Omega sum that up perfectly. My favorite JCB moments are the personal no... 

The branding design, just like the recent JUNGE, really doesn't look appealing to me but again, I'm not the 1%.

JCB has been around for so long and has been involved with so many projects too, that almost all of our WPS members have been affected somehow. And many of us even own a product he was involved in. So hence the post. I wasn't invited to the party though! ... 

I’m just saying their release but like some major brands, I guess they do release big ticket models too. Thanks for sharing Patrick…again, not meant to refer to your post but now I realize their release is no different from other brands.

Thank you for the clarification!

Image Credits: Hodinkee Some initial thoughts: Stone dials haven't been very popular in the past, as evidenced by Piaget and Roger Dubuis watches with stone dials, which were always a bit difficult to sell. However, I must say that the unique and modern a...  

You’d have to think with JCB’s reputation and notoriety, he should not struggle to sell twelve pieces. That was probably a smart move to be able to quickly announce the first edition is Sold Out.

I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case...

Thank you!

I think that before the money issue one has to *love* the design language or DNA. Not for me!

Like a tired Rolex bracelet, and this is a new watch or new concept presentation…

but I don't :-(

may be is in purpose !

But the front is a bit...Seiko presage? The JCB cocktail time?

Exactly!

😂 ...  

The nearly 20k Tag Heuer tourbillon was one of his highest peaks, IMHO. What I find extremely funny is the JCB seal, like there was the need to other certifications other than existing ones.

He turned Hublot from nothing to red hot so fast too

Then again, I suppose they can't really use the Patek Philippe seal.

I admire JCB career and it seems he’s a very cool guy, that is all what I can say about this…mmm… luxury watch?

Glad to read you!

All the best

Dislike discussing investment, so to sound positive... those with established wealth for many decades may like this timepiece.