Comments:
thank you very much for the dedication given to bring this interesting content to the forum members!
Thank you very much for this interview. I never met Mr JCB in person, but as far as I read from watch magazines in Thailand he is such a passionate and intelligent man. It is he who makes Hublot a success story now. This brand sells very well in my country too because it offers something "new" to the watch collectors. It is not just another Swiss watch brand. I bought the preJCB hublot and at that time nobody knew Hublot. Now many Thai watch collectors want to have Hublot!
Ahh, the Unico. I adore that one. I am in the process of buying another Hublot though so I will have to wait a little longer for a Unico
Always love to see events in Tokyo.
Mr.Biver is very infectious with his personality and his speeches is legendary.I had the opportunity to listen to him and meet him at a Hublot dinner in melbourne in october 2009.
Hublot Reception & Interviewing Mr. J.C. Biver in Tokyo
Hello all,
I was invited to the reception at The Hour Glass Japan of Hublot 2011 Baselworld Collection & Interviewing Mr. J.C. Biver. Mr. Biver's visit coincides with the taping of Japanese TV program featuring SEIKO in which Hublot/Mr. Biver appears as comparison (to be aired in mid April).
He had had 23 interview sessions already that day since the breakfast and he also loves to chat with the clients or prospective clients at the reception - many of who got to love to talk with him more and more - and my interview time at the guest room at The Hour Glass got delayed and delayed and in the end, had to be cut short due to his next schedule. So the solution was for me to continue the interview in the cab to the next appointment - dinner with fashion/ trend/ lifestyle magazine journalists - and even to join it, then continue after the dinner.....
Please read on to the following parts. It was for me a very interesting night.
Ken
This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-03-05 08:53:19 This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-03-08 07:51:18 This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-03-12 17:09:23
I was invited to the reception at The Hour Glass Japan of Hublot 2011 Baselworld Collection & Interviewing Mr. J.C. Biver. Mr. Biver's visit coincides with the taping of Japanese TV program featuring SEIKO in which Hublot/Mr. Biver appears as comparison (to be aired in mid April).
He had had 23 interview sessions already that day since the breakfast and he also loves to chat with the clients or prospective clients at the reception - many of who got to love to talk with him more and more - and my interview time at the guest room at The Hour Glass got delayed and delayed and in the end, had to be cut short due to his next schedule. So the solution was for me to continue the interview in the cab to the next appointment - dinner with fashion/ trend/ lifestyle magazine journalists - and even to join it, then continue after the dinner.....
Please read on to the following parts. It was for me a very interesting night.
Ken
This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-03-05 08:53:19 This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-03-08 07:51:18 This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-03-12 17:09:23
Part I - Before the Reception - Preparation and some of the new pieces
4:30 PM
Preparation of the show window of The Hour Glass to welcome the reception guests and Mr. Biver/ TV crew.
This one looks great.
To be continued to Part II
This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-03-05 08:43:47
Preparation of the show window of The Hour Glass to welcome the reception guests and Mr. Biver/ TV crew.
This one looks great.
To be continued to Part II
This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-03-05 08:43:47
Part II - Interview
6:20 PM
I was told that I would have 30 minutes with him during the reception between 6:00 and 6:30, but the previous interview got delayed and he showed up at the reception a bit late, and he loves to chat with clients and has to take care of TV crew..... so I had just a few minutes at the reception. So, this is just the first of literally several sessions of the day.
(Note: I had been in the guest room of The Hour Glass to simply avoid TV camera - it is a no-no for my day job and my apologies for not providing you with the photos of the reception. I had to spend fairly long time in the room alone without wine or foods, hearing the sound of fun party :-( )
KIH: First off, thank you so much for joining PurisSPro and I appreciate it very much, and I am so happy to meet you finally in person.
JCB: Pleasure is all mine. Thank you for having us on board. Sorry for having kept you waiting.
KIH: I wear this one today just for you. Do you remember this?
JCB: Yes, of course I remember. Beautiful piece. Limited Edition? No, limited production, yes. This one is my baby.
(Note: This piece - Blancpain 7002 was created when Mr. Biver was at the helm of Blancpain after he bought the brand, circa mid 80s)
KIH: I have spent many years in NY and just came back to Tokyo last year. And I was amazed that so many celebrities here - TV personalities, pro sports players, even sumo wrestlers - wear Hublot and I see them on TV. What do you think is the attraction of Hublot to those people?
JCB: Gee, I didn't know that so many celebrities wear my watch here. I don't know why. Maybe because they don't look like watches? It is "Next watch". Seriously, these celebrity people tend to precede the trend - they are the first to buy/ wear "what is next", and Hublot always aims to be the "Next" watch and that may be one of the reasons why those people are attracted to Hublot.
KIH: Other than those celebrity people, Hublot also sells well to the "general public" as well, I heard from the staff of The Hour Glass. Why do you think is that?
JCB: Some people likes Mercedes but he also likes Lamborghini, perhaps. For such car lovers, these brands don't compete but are complimentary in their garage. I have many vintage and modern Patek and other hi-end brands, and have many Hublot. Hublot does not compete with other brands in the people's collection. Like I said before, Hublot is the "Next" watch and they are complimentary to each other. That is why Hublot is accepted by so many people.
KIH: I understand and everybody knows that "Fusion" is the main concept of Hublot. Although you may have spoken about it many times, would you care to elaborate here again so that your new audience at PuristSPro understand better.
JCB: Sure. First in life, you need tradition. No tradition, no future. But once you are connected to tradition, then you have strength to look at the future. With the strong tradition, you can have the strong future. Hublot watch has the "trace" of the past, but at the same time, the "trace" of the future. Hublot watch has both. This Blancpain 7002 is a beautiful and perfect watch with vibration of 99% of the past tradition, which is good. This Blancpain is my baby, and at Hublot I cannot forget this baby, but cannot copy/repeat this baby. What we do at Hublot is to connect yesterday and tomorrow, with new idea, new concept, new material, etc.
A very good example is the combination of Les Paul - the great guitarist - and Gibson - the guitar brand - to create the electric guitar. Les Paul was using the Spanish guitar - no change for the past 200 years - and suggested Gibson, "why don't you connect my guitar to the loud speakers?". Gibson said, "what?" Les Paul insisted, "Come on, let's try". And the electric guitar and the new sound was created, and thus new music was created. That is Fusion and what we do....
(Hublot staff knocks on the door and he was asked to come back to the customers)
KIH: You seem to be enjoying these events despite you must be so tired.
JCB: There are two fantastic moments - one is when we create new watches. It is exciting. Another is when I meet Hublot owners. So rewarding because the result of your effort is visible on the clients' wrists. I wish I could do these events everyday
7:10 PM
We rushed to the cab while the TV camera followed him. I went into the cab first, but the camera was tenaciously taping us in the cab and I was so uncomfortable :-( I know that they must be wondering "who the hell is this guy in the cab with Mr. Biver", but it is not my fault! I had no other choice fro me to conclude this interview. I asked later the Hublot PR team to make sure that my face won't be aired Fingers crossed.
(Mr. Biver started checking and replying to his emails.)
KIH: Umn, may I?
JCB: Of course! Please continue.
KIH: Where were we... How often do you or have you come to Japan?
JCB: about 5 to 6 times a year since about more than 20 or 30 years ago... so easily more than 100 times. But never more than 2 day. I have been to Kyoto only once and that is about it for my experience of Japan outside Tokyo. It's disaster. I would love to stay longer.
(I guided the sights of Tokyo central area a little - although I have less knowledge of Tokyo than average Japanese)
KIH: I want to ask you about Ayrton Senna. I had been watching F-1 since 70s and Ayrton Senna was one of the greatest drivers in the history. How did you get to know him? Did you know him well personally?
JCB: No, I didn't know him personally. I met his sister Viviane Senna, the president of "Institute Ayrton Senna". We donate a lot to the charity every year - about 2% of the revenue. Our priority for donation is those Children foundations - education, against the violence to the children, etc. At one meeting of such donors, I met Viviane Senna, who I had never heard of. She told me that she was sister of Ayrton Senna, took over his foundation to help children, and that the foundation had so far paid 8 million children for 10 years scholarship. That is huge! And I said, "This is fantastic. Can we do something for you?". And she said, "yeah, if you are interested, I have all the rights of him and if you make watch, you make watch of Ayrton Senna, and give part of the money from the sales. I said immediately, "Done". I had known the great Ayrton Senna, but never knew about his foundation.
KIH: Senna is pretty big in Japan (he died in 94, when I was still in Tokyo before leaving for NY), he loved Honda and when he moved to McLaren, he insisted the team must have Honda or he can't win. So, he is a legendary driver here.
JCB: Maybe we should do some ad campaign of him and Hublot in Japan, for specific generation one day. I understand that soccer is so much bigger here now (than F1) and the world cup is coming. Anyway, that was how we got involved with Ayrton senna. Most of the times, we get associated with those people or figure by chance. Maradona was by chance as well. We didn't try to get in touch with him from our side. We just happened to see a picture of him wearing two same watches on his both wrists. I wondered why. We contacted the retailer in Argentina and asked why he wears two same watches. The retailer said, "yes, he is a good customer and he always buy two same watches because he has two daughters. So, one with one daughter's name/face engraved and on the other one with another daughter's name/face engraved - so his daughters are always with him". I said, "Fantastic! Can we get in touch with him?". A few weeks later, our people was able to meet him and signed an agreement - we make 250 LE of Maradona model and we donate at least half a million to Children foundation in Argentina. These things come totally by chance. Dwayne Wade (of Miami Heats) is the same story. My people found that he wears Hublot and the meeting was arranged and I went there. First thing he said was, "Guys, if you want to do something with me, it has to be for my children's foundation". I said, "Fantastic, that's what we do. Let us work together."
KIH: Now that you have acquired a movement manufacturer and new factory, do you have something in your mind that might change the direction of Hublot?
JCB: No, the direction won't change. Acquiring that company gave us 5 years ahead - 30 or more quality people in that space, and all the machines to do that. It was one of the luckiest situation in the history of Hublot. Out of the people we acquired was Mathias Battet, the owner of BNB Concept, and he is now responsible for R&D and Production of all Hublot - he insisted the quick integration of two companies.
Now we make in-house not only movement but also, for examples, screws, axis, wheels, alloy, our own gold, our own ceramic, and our own carbon! We make all the important component in-house and that helps our creation of new model. Normal supplier do not sell you only 5000 wheels. Now we can make our own wheels at whatever quantity. We now have so much capacity to innovate - we now can make minute repeater made with carbon in the carbon case. Everybody can make minute repeater, so there is no sense for Hublot to make "normal" minute repeater. Carbon Minute Repeater has never existed and that's why we make it - you can swim with it, it is so light, and it sounds phenomenal.....
We arrived at the restaurant and the interview was to be concluded after the dinner....
11:15 PM
We left the restaurant with full stomach and went into the cab again. The final session of the interview starts.
KIH: Well, thank you so much for the dinner. Cheese and wine were wonderful (see photos in the next part).
JCB: You are welcome. I love spending time with people. I never eat non-Japanese food in Japan, but today was an exception and it was good.
KIH: Let me continue the interview. I have just a few more questions. I understand that your store in Tokyo will be open soon. How many stores are you planning to open this year and how many will it make in total?
JCB: Let's see. We now have 39 and the new Tokyo Ginza store will be our 40th. We have 15 more stores being planned after Ginza this year, so at the end of this year, we will have 55 stores worldwide. But, out of 55, only 8 will be owned by us, another 47 will be franchise. Ginza, Paris, Madison Avenue, Shanghai, Beijing, and two others belong to us. The proportion of Hublot-owned and franchise is actually good. Retailers, who own those franchise Hublot store is specialized in selling while we are specialized in production. It is good to have specialist to sell Hublot. Going forward the proportion of Hublot-owned stores will remain 15 to 20% of all the stores.
KIH: Which market is your focus? Maybe difficult to answer?
JCB: Not difficult at all. Our focus has not changed. The focus market is what I call "the tractor market" like Switzerland, UK, France, Japan, Germany, and Americas - because unless we have deep root and establish ourselves in our home/core market, we cannot succeed in the new and emerging markets. That will remain the same for a while. India is exception - a very special and lucky situation. My former boss at Omega was Indian and when he left Omega, I asked him to work for Hublot and he introduced personally Hublot to the Indian market. In addition, I belong to the Yacht Club in Monaco and there was a member there, the second richest man in India who kindly offered me to support when I am ready to enter India. I said I am ready and he stood by me when we did press conference in India of introduction of Hublot - it is like President Clinton standing by you at the press conference, you know? So, these lucky connection led Hublot to crazy growth in India.
KIH: You are always compared with AP. What do you think of it?
JCB: Well, AP introduced Royal Oak in 1972. Hublot, which means "Porthole" in French introduced the "porthole" which is the round shape bezel watch with rubber strap in 1980. At that time nobody said they look similar. Now, in 2000 or 2001, AP introduced RO Offshore which finally has non-bracelet band - croco or rubber, I don't remember - and at that time, for the first time, two watches had some similarities. But, then again, Hublot had had non-metal bracelet from the beginning - that is part of the Fusion concept - and AP had had metal bracelet for a long time. That is it and there is no argument from either side.
KIH: Okay, thank you very much, Mr. Biver, for your time and dinner.
JCB: That's it? No, thank you very much and sorry to have taken you around for such a long time.
That is it. Mr. Biver seemed a very charming and candid person. It is understandable that Hublot has lots of fans all over the world and, in a way, attracting non-watch nuts to the world of horology. With the new people/ machine/ and facility, I kind of sense that Hublot will attract more watch nuts as well going forward.
I hope you enjoy reading the interview and see the Appendix parts of this thread - Mr. Biver making comments on the Masthead Photo Contest winning photos on video, and the pics of the wonderful dinner at Maison Paul Bocuse.
Also, please stay tuned for the factory visit report from a colleague of ours in the near future!
Ken
This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-03-08 06:19:05
I was told that I would have 30 minutes with him during the reception between 6:00 and 6:30, but the previous interview got delayed and he showed up at the reception a bit late, and he loves to chat with clients and has to take care of TV crew..... so I had just a few minutes at the reception. So, this is just the first of literally several sessions of the day.
(Note: I had been in the guest room of The Hour Glass to simply avoid TV camera - it is a no-no for my day job and my apologies for not providing you with the photos of the reception. I had to spend fairly long time in the room alone without wine or foods, hearing the sound of fun party :-( )
KIH: First off, thank you so much for joining PurisSPro and I appreciate it very much, and I am so happy to meet you finally in person.
JCB: Pleasure is all mine. Thank you for having us on board. Sorry for having kept you waiting.
KIH: I wear this one today just for you. Do you remember this?
JCB: Yes, of course I remember. Beautiful piece. Limited Edition? No, limited production, yes. This one is my baby.
(Note: This piece - Blancpain 7002 was created when Mr. Biver was at the helm of Blancpain after he bought the brand, circa mid 80s)
KIH: I have spent many years in NY and just came back to Tokyo last year. And I was amazed that so many celebrities here - TV personalities, pro sports players, even sumo wrestlers - wear Hublot and I see them on TV. What do you think is the attraction of Hublot to those people?
JCB: Gee, I didn't know that so many celebrities wear my watch here. I don't know why. Maybe because they don't look like watches? It is "Next watch". Seriously, these celebrity people tend to precede the trend - they are the first to buy/ wear "what is next", and Hublot always aims to be the "Next" watch and that may be one of the reasons why those people are attracted to Hublot.
KIH: Other than those celebrity people, Hublot also sells well to the "general public" as well, I heard from the staff of The Hour Glass. Why do you think is that?
JCB: Some people likes Mercedes but he also likes Lamborghini, perhaps. For such car lovers, these brands don't compete but are complimentary in their garage. I have many vintage and modern Patek and other hi-end brands, and have many Hublot. Hublot does not compete with other brands in the people's collection. Like I said before, Hublot is the "Next" watch and they are complimentary to each other. That is why Hublot is accepted by so many people.
KIH: I understand and everybody knows that "Fusion" is the main concept of Hublot. Although you may have spoken about it many times, would you care to elaborate here again so that your new audience at PuristSPro understand better.
JCB: Sure. First in life, you need tradition. No tradition, no future. But once you are connected to tradition, then you have strength to look at the future. With the strong tradition, you can have the strong future. Hublot watch has the "trace" of the past, but at the same time, the "trace" of the future. Hublot watch has both. This Blancpain 7002 is a beautiful and perfect watch with vibration of 99% of the past tradition, which is good. This Blancpain is my baby, and at Hublot I cannot forget this baby, but cannot copy/repeat this baby. What we do at Hublot is to connect yesterday and tomorrow, with new idea, new concept, new material, etc.
A very good example is the combination of Les Paul - the great guitarist - and Gibson - the guitar brand - to create the electric guitar. Les Paul was using the Spanish guitar - no change for the past 200 years - and suggested Gibson, "why don't you connect my guitar to the loud speakers?". Gibson said, "what?" Les Paul insisted, "Come on, let's try". And the electric guitar and the new sound was created, and thus new music was created. That is Fusion and what we do....
(Hublot staff knocks on the door and he was asked to come back to the customers)
KIH: You seem to be enjoying these events despite you must be so tired.
JCB: There are two fantastic moments - one is when we create new watches. It is exciting. Another is when I meet Hublot owners. So rewarding because the result of your effort is visible on the clients' wrists. I wish I could do these events everyday
Interruption ...
7:10 PM
We rushed to the cab while the TV camera followed him. I went into the cab first, but the camera was tenaciously taping us in the cab and I was so uncomfortable :-( I know that they must be wondering "who the hell is this guy in the cab with Mr. Biver", but it is not my fault! I had no other choice fro me to conclude this interview. I asked later the Hublot PR team to make sure that my face won't be aired
Fingers crossed.(Mr. Biver started checking and replying to his emails.)
KIH: Umn, may I?
JCB: Of course! Please continue.
KIH: Where were we... How often do you or have you come to Japan?
JCB: about 5 to 6 times a year since about more than 20 or 30 years ago... so easily more than 100 times. But never more than 2 day. I have been to Kyoto only once and that is about it for my experience of Japan outside Tokyo. It's disaster. I would love to stay longer.
(I guided the sights of Tokyo central area a little - although I have less knowledge of Tokyo than average Japanese
)KIH: I want to ask you about Ayrton Senna. I had been watching F-1 since 70s and Ayrton Senna was one of the greatest drivers in the history. How did you get to know him? Did you know him well personally?
JCB: No, I didn't know him personally. I met his sister Viviane Senna, the president of "Institute Ayrton Senna". We donate a lot to the charity every year - about 2% of the revenue. Our priority for donation is those Children foundations - education, against the violence to the children, etc. At one meeting of such donors, I met Viviane Senna, who I had never heard of. She told me that she was sister of Ayrton Senna, took over his foundation to help children, and that the foundation had so far paid 8 million children for 10 years scholarship. That is huge! And I said, "This is fantastic. Can we do something for you?". And she said, "yeah, if you are interested, I have all the rights of him and if you make watch, you make watch of Ayrton Senna, and give part of the money from the sales. I said immediately, "Done". I had known the great Ayrton Senna, but never knew about his foundation.
KIH: Senna is pretty big in Japan (he died in 94, when I was still in Tokyo before leaving for NY), he loved Honda and when he moved to McLaren, he insisted the team must have Honda or he can't win. So, he is a legendary driver here.
JCB: Maybe we should do some ad campaign of him and Hublot in Japan, for specific generation one day. I understand that soccer is so much bigger here now (than F1) and the world cup is coming. Anyway, that was how we got involved with Ayrton senna. Most of the times, we get associated with those people or figure by chance. Maradona was by chance as well. We didn't try to get in touch with him from our side. We just happened to see a picture of him wearing two same watches on his both wrists. I wondered why. We contacted the retailer in Argentina and asked why he wears two same watches. The retailer said, "yes, he is a good customer and he always buy two same watches because he has two daughters. So, one with one daughter's name/face engraved and on the other one with another daughter's name/face engraved - so his daughters are always with him". I said, "Fantastic! Can we get in touch with him?". A few weeks later, our people was able to meet him and signed an agreement - we make 250 LE of Maradona model and we donate at least half a million to Children foundation in Argentina. These things come totally by chance. Dwayne Wade (of Miami Heats) is the same story. My people found that he wears Hublot and the meeting was arranged and I went there. First thing he said was, "Guys, if you want to do something with me, it has to be for my children's foundation". I said, "Fantastic, that's what we do. Let us work together."
KIH: Now that you have acquired a movement manufacturer and new factory, do you have something in your mind that might change the direction of Hublot?
JCB: No, the direction won't change. Acquiring that company gave us 5 years ahead - 30 or more quality people in that space, and all the machines to do that. It was one of the luckiest situation in the history of Hublot. Out of the people we acquired was Mathias Battet, the owner of BNB Concept, and he is now responsible for R&D and Production of all Hublot - he insisted the quick integration of two companies.
Now we make in-house not only movement but also, for examples, screws, axis, wheels, alloy, our own gold, our own ceramic, and our own carbon! We make all the important component in-house and that helps our creation of new model. Normal supplier do not sell you only 5000 wheels. Now we can make our own wheels at whatever quantity. We now have so much capacity to innovate - we now can make minute repeater made with carbon in the carbon case. Everybody can make minute repeater, so there is no sense for Hublot to make "normal" minute repeater. Carbon Minute Repeater has never existed and that's why we make it - you can swim with it, it is so light, and it sounds phenomenal.....
We arrived at the restaurant and the interview was to be concluded after the dinner....
11:15 PM
We left the restaurant with full stomach and went into the cab again. The final session of the interview starts.
KIH: Well, thank you so much for the dinner. Cheese and wine were wonderful (see photos in the next part).
JCB: You are welcome. I love spending time with people. I never eat non-Japanese food in Japan, but today was an exception and it was good.
KIH: Let me continue the interview. I have just a few more questions. I understand that your store in Tokyo will be open soon. How many stores are you planning to open this year and how many will it make in total?
JCB: Let's see. We now have 39 and the new Tokyo Ginza store will be our 40th. We have 15 more stores being planned after Ginza this year, so at the end of this year, we will have 55 stores worldwide. But, out of 55, only 8 will be owned by us, another 47 will be franchise. Ginza, Paris, Madison Avenue, Shanghai, Beijing, and two others belong to us. The proportion of Hublot-owned and franchise is actually good. Retailers, who own those franchise Hublot store is specialized in selling while we are specialized in production. It is good to have specialist to sell Hublot. Going forward the proportion of Hublot-owned stores will remain 15 to 20% of all the stores.
KIH: Which market is your focus? Maybe difficult to answer?
JCB: Not difficult at all. Our focus has not changed. The focus market is what I call "the tractor market" like Switzerland, UK, France, Japan, Germany, and Americas - because unless we have deep root and establish ourselves in our home/core market, we cannot succeed in the new and emerging markets. That will remain the same for a while. India is exception - a very special and lucky situation. My former boss at Omega was Indian and when he left Omega, I asked him to work for Hublot and he introduced personally Hublot to the Indian market. In addition, I belong to the Yacht Club in Monaco and there was a member there, the second richest man in India who kindly offered me to support when I am ready to enter India. I said I am ready and he stood by me when we did press conference in India of introduction of Hublot - it is like President Clinton standing by you at the press conference, you know? So, these lucky connection led Hublot to crazy growth in India.
KIH: You are always compared with AP. What do you think of it?
JCB: Well, AP introduced Royal Oak in 1972. Hublot, which means "Porthole" in French introduced the "porthole" which is the round shape bezel watch with rubber strap in 1980. At that time nobody said they look similar. Now, in 2000 or 2001, AP introduced RO Offshore which finally has non-bracelet band - croco or rubber, I don't remember - and at that time, for the first time, two watches had some similarities. But, then again, Hublot had had non-metal bracelet from the beginning - that is part of the Fusion concept - and AP had had metal bracelet for a long time. That is it and there is no argument from either side.
KIH: Okay, thank you very much, Mr. Biver, for your time and dinner.
JCB: That's it? No, thank you very much and sorry to have taken you around for such a long time.
That is it. Mr. Biver seemed a very charming and candid person. It is understandable that Hublot has lots of fans all over the world and, in a way, attracting non-watch nuts to the world of horology. With the new people/ machine/ and facility, I kind of sense that Hublot will attract more watch nuts as well going forward.
I hope you enjoy reading the interview and see the Appendix parts of this thread - Mr. Biver making comments on the Masthead Photo Contest winning photos on video, and the pics of the wonderful dinner at Maison Paul Bocuse.
Also, please stay tuned for the factory visit report from a colleague of ours in the near future!
Ken
This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-03-08 06:19:05
Highly entertaining interview,
thank you very much for the dedication given to bring this interesting content to the forum members!
I thought there were a few more questions I asked or I forgot to ask.... :-)
It was really a long day. The task that was supposed to take 30 minutes actually took 5 hours.... But it was fun!
Thank you for your great interview
Thank you very much for this interview. I never met Mr JCB in person, but as far as I read from watch magazines in Thailand he is such a passionate and intelligent man. It is he who makes Hublot a success story now. This brand sells very well in my country too because it offers something "new" to the watch collectors. It is not just another Swiss watch brand. I bought the preJCB hublot and at that time nobody knew Hublot. Now many Thai watch collectors want to have Hublot!
Part III - Appendix 1 - [Video] Mr. Biver's comments on the photo contest winners
6:55PM
He has to leave for dinner, which starts 7:30 at a bit distant place, so we would have to leave in 10 minutes. I didn't want to lose the video taping opportunity, so I taped this for you. Enjoy those who won the photo contest!
Congratulations again, winners! See the next appendix for the wonderful dinner.
Ken
This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-03-08 06:09:06
He has to leave for dinner, which starts 7:30 at a bit distant place, so we would have to leave in 10 minutes. I didn't want to lose the video taping opportunity, so I taped this for you. Enjoy those who won the photo contest!
Congratulations again, winners! See the next appendix for the wonderful dinner.
Ken
This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-03-08 06:09:06
Ken, the video is perfect!!
It's such a treat to see you hand the winning pictures to Mr. Biver and to hear him explain why he picked those pictures. That made the contest even more personal, and wish all our contests were like this!
Cheers,
Anthony
I hope the contest winners see this video. Gives the contest that personal touch. [nt]
Part IV - Appendix 2 - Dinner at Maison Paul Bocuse at Daikanyama
7:45 PM
The cab arrived at the restaurant. Didn't know such event was planned - not for the fans, not for owners, but only for the journalists friends and I was unexpectedly invited there
Yes, the famous Fromage M. Biver is on the menu - he brought in himself.
Why Bocuse? Mr. Biver always eats Japanese when he comes to Japan (this is his more than 100th visit, btw), but Mr. Bocuse is special. Mr. Bocuse is a good friend of Mr. Biver since decades ago - in fact, when Mr. Biver came to Japan for the first time, perhaps sometime in 70s - it was with Mr. Bocuse. Hublot is the official timer for "Bocuse D'Or" (very prestigious French cooking contest) and that is also the reason why this place was picked for this special occasion. Still, Mr. Biver asked a very crucial question when the staff picked this place - "is the chef Japanese?" And the answer was "yes" and then he smiled "good". In Japan, he trusts only Japanese chef...
Mr. Biver owns chateau and only 800 bottles of this are made annually. He also brought them in his baggage(?) and therefore there is no additive/ preservative - the result is as he always says, "fantastique".
The foods were so nice that I forgot to photograph most of them but a few ones. I hope the photos can convey the smell and taste
This is not dinner, but dessert Nah, this one is today's Mr. Biver's watch.
The famous "Fromage M. Biver" is here!
The cab arrived at the restaurant. Didn't know such event was planned - not for the fans, not for owners, but only for the journalists friends and I was unexpectedly invited there
Yes, the famous Fromage M. Biver is on the menu - he brought in himself.
Why Bocuse? Mr. Biver always eats Japanese when he comes to Japan (this is his more than 100th visit, btw), but Mr. Bocuse is special. Mr. Bocuse is a good friend of Mr. Biver since decades ago - in fact, when Mr. Biver came to Japan for the first time, perhaps sometime in 70s - it was with Mr. Bocuse. Hublot is the official timer for "Bocuse D'Or" (very prestigious French cooking contest) and that is also the reason why this place was picked for this special occasion. Still, Mr. Biver asked a very crucial question when the staff picked this place - "is the chef Japanese?" And the answer was "yes" and then he smiled "good". In Japan, he trusts only Japanese chef...
Mr. Biver owns chateau and only 800 bottles of this are made annually. He also brought them in his baggage(?) and therefore there is no additive/ preservative - the result is as he always says, "fantastique".
The foods were so nice that I forgot to photograph most of them but a few ones. I hope the photos can convey the smell and taste
This is not dinner, but dessert
Nah, this one is today's Mr. Biver's watch.The famous "Fromage M. Biver" is here!
Although I hardly knew any of other attendees, I had a good time with good people. Thank you for the wonderful dinner...
Thank you!
Thank you!
This message has been edited by MTF on 2011-03-08 07:13:38
Thanks for the interview Ken!
Ahh, the Unico. I adore that one. I am in the process of buying another Hublot though so I will have to wait a little longer for a Unico
Always love to see events in Tokyo.
Isn't he a great guy? I'm glad you got the special time with him
despite the long wait alone in the dark room with no food or drink!
The working life of a journalist is not always as sweet as people think - I do a lot of automotive shows and just getting near a pile of shrimp on a table brings out the elbows and you end up bruised and resentful...
Thanks for sticking with Mr. Biver for the long interview. He's really an inspiring person.
The BP Half Hunter watch he signed for me...
Cheers
Cazalea
The working life of a journalist is not always as sweet as people think - I do a lot of automotive shows and just getting near a pile of shrimp on a table brings out the elbows and you end up bruised and resentful...
Thanks for sticking with Mr. Biver for the long interview. He's really an inspiring person.
The BP Half Hunter watch he signed for me...
Cheers
Cazalea
great photos and interview Ken
Mr.Biver is very infectious with his personality and his speeches is legendary.I had the opportunity to listen to him and meet him at a Hublot dinner in melbourne in october 2009.
Thanks for the post
I follow Mr Biver on Hublot TV etc but nothing beats an up close and personal discussion.
Regards
Rene
This message has been edited by Oztimelord on 2011-03-09 01:41:59
Regards
Rene
This message has been edited by Oztimelord on 2011-03-09 01:41:59
Yes, he is a very charming gentleman and has lots of passion for watches! I had fun. [nt]
No message body
Fantastic post!
Thanks for the wonderful post, Ken!
Mr. Biver seems so interesting and passionate! I find him intriguing on so many levels. Here's a man who heads a watch company that strives to make the "next" watch (to use his words) and also makes artisanal farmhouse cheese? It's an intriguing dichotomy. I look forward to seeing what Hublot will offer watch enthusiasts from this upcoming phase in its evolution into a true manufacture.
Cheers,
Daos
Mr. Biver seems so interesting and passionate! I find him intriguing on so many levels. Here's a man who heads a watch company that strives to make the "next" watch (to use his words) and also makes artisanal farmhouse cheese? It's an intriguing dichotomy. I look forward to seeing what Hublot will offer watch enthusiasts from this upcoming phase in its evolution into a true manufacture.
Cheers,
Daos
Yes, my point exactly.
I can't wait to see what their new capability/ facility will offer "Next"!
Ken
Ken
Great post Ken - loved reading it and enjoyed your
chronological recount of the interview and the madness that surrounded it. You could feel the almost chaotic nature in which the interview was conducted. I think MrJ C Biver is one of the most sav vy watch CEO's in the business. I remember him once telling me that he was like a cat: always lands on his feet. Much of that is due to his work ethic and enthusiam. He gives me hope in that the older he gets, the more energy he seems to have!
Thanks again
Andrew H
This message has been edited by 219 on 2011-03-08 08:18:36Great post
Great Interview and video Ken, very jealous of your evening. How was the wine? I have a bottle but am not sure whether to open it or keep it sat in pride of place in my wine cellar
Andrew
Andrew
Mr. Biver himself was looking forward to his piece :-)
I would LOVE to see and hear it on video when it is out!
Ken
Ken
Amazing post !
Thank you for this profound and well written post.
I have read every single word of the post !
Mr. Biver is such a character !
I have read every single word of the post !
Mr. Biver is such a character !
Phenomenal Interview Ken!
Great set of questions. It's amazing how you had to hop in and out of cabs to interview this busy gentleman.
Thanks!
Jon
Wow Ken - you did an amazing job and I'm impressed
Great coverage report and interview even in the most hectic of situations. Really awesome post Ken, and keep up the great work!
Best,
Anthony
Appreciate your patience
to give us this interesting article.
I can understand your point of not mixing your day time job with your role as a moderator/ collector. I also draw a clear line between my job and my passion for watches.
Melvin