Genius at Work

Watch industry titan Jean-Claude Biver and his son Pierre have teamed up to create their eponymous watch brand, Biver. Here in Singapore with his father to debut three new carillon tourbillon timepieces at The Hour Glass earlier in June, Pierre spoke to us about building a new brand, creating watches and working with a legend like his dad.

- ALLYSON KLASS

Congratulations on the launch of Biver. How long did it take to create the watches?

Thank you! It took 13 months to conceive them. My father is very fast-paced; he knew what he wanted. It took some time to get the design and mechanics right, but we were so focused and knew exactly where we were headed, so it was effective and efficient. We're also very impatient and don't really take the time to reflect on anything. But I think the creative urge was in both of us and we're happy to have created this.

Tell us more about yourself - your love of watches and work with vintage timepieces.

Growing up with a model like my father, it was only natural to think of creating something one day. I worked for a year and a half in London at auction house Phillips, where I learnt about vintage watches, curated and wrote catalogues, met clients and sold watches. I found out more about the history of watchmaking, as well as the collector's market, because that's where I discovered more about independent watchmakers. It was a primordial moment for me because I grew up seeing the watch industry through my father's lens and working at Phillips opened a whole new horizon of the watch world.

Why did you decide to launch Biver watches in such limited quantities?