“We thought the world needed a luxury Swatch watch.” Explosive Jean-Claude Biver interview tells the Hublot story like never before

Jean-Claude Biver and his team bought Hublot 24 years ago. At that time it was a tiny brand, big in Spain, but netting $24-million. But Biver considered that it had reached less than 20% of its potential and could be a mega-brand, with its youthful re-casting of luxury in a more casual, sporty and fun context. In 2019, it made $700m. In this extraordinary interview – like I said in the Friday Wind Down yesterday, this is a very different conversation to the usual narrative – Biver spells out the 11 keys to his success, and how he still believes he could do it again today, with any brand. It is conducted by our new European Editor, Mike Christensen who did an absolutely sterling job. Much of the credit for Biver’s frankness and full disclosure goes to Mike! The 11 ways Jean-Claude Biver built Hublot to be a $700m mega-brand 0:26 BY SEEING THE NEED FOR A “LUXURY SWATCH” TO REDEFINE LUXURY 2:33 BY BUYING A ‘WEAK’ BRAND WITH A STRONG CONCEPT FOR A LOW PRICE 4:42 WITH GOOD HEALTH AND HEALTHY DOUBT 6:10 BY GOING AGAINST LUXURY TRADITION AND SHUNNING PRECIOUS METALS 7:44 BY WRITING A SIMPLE STRATEGY THAT…

The post “We thought the world needed a luxury Swatch watch.” Explosive Jean-Claude Biver interview tells the Hublot story like never before appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

4 years ago

EDITOR’S PICK: 2020 is the year G-Shock went completely rogue, from KITH to Dragon Ball Z

G-Shock watches new 2020Editor’s note: Well, things haven’t exactly slowed down at G-Shock in the months since this story was published – the Japanese firebrand has been churning out more awesome and absurd watches than the rest of the Swiss watch industry combined, and it’s left us all thinking, “What will they come up with next?” Most recently, G-Shock have dropped a watch celebrating one of the biggest animated children’s TV shows of all time – Dragon Ball Z, and they’ve also collaborated with Bamford Watch Department to create a limited edition watch that sold out in six minutes! Needless to say, enthusiasts have never had more choice for whacky and wonderful digital watches … and that’s a very good thing.  G-Shock have been going hard in 2020 — really hard. That’s right, not only have they released dozens of new watches across a range of different collections since the beginning of 2020, but many of those are pretty remarkable in their own right, some tracking heart rate or surf beach conditions, with others paying tribute to Kung fu legend Bruce Lee or representing streetwear label KITH. There is genuinely something for everyone, so let’s take a look at five of the coolest…

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4 years ago

One watch brand dominates the wrists of the LA Lakers, 2020 NBA champions

NBA Champions watches 20202020 has definitely been a chaotic year with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. Blockbuster films have been delayed, major music festivals cancelled, but at least one American pastime managed to go on relatively unscathed – NBA Basketball. Twenty-two teams participated in the 2020 NBA season, held within a quarantined bubble that both players and staff had to remain inside of throughout the duration of the season. At the end of an exciting series, the Los Angeles Lakers took the championship title home after their Game 6 win over the Miami Heat. While not necessarily the first question on the minds of NBA fans, for us watch enthusiasts one burning question comes to the forefront: what do NBA champions wear on their wrists? After scanning clips of press conferences and paparazzi shots, one thing becomes very clear – many of the Los Angeles Lakers lean towards a sole and prestigious brand: Audemars Piguet. LeBron James As the expression goes, it’s good to be the King. LeBron James is a known ambassador for the Audemars Piguet brand, so he may be responsible for the fact that many of his teammates have opted for their haute horology timepieces. Being an ambassador, and one…

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4 years ago

The Collector’s Series – Chris Cashion and his rather special GoS Skadi

Each member of the MONOCHROME team has their favourites amongst the many brands and watches we share with all of you. And for me, one of the brands I have been following closely since I joined MONOCHROME is the Swedish brand of Gustafsson & Sjögren, or GoS in short. The duo of Patrik Sjögren and Johan Gustafson offers very unique watches incorporating hand-forged Damascus steel for the cases, bezels, crowns, dials and more. So when I learned of the opportunity to chat with the owner of a very special 1-of-5 GoS Skadi, I just had to follow through.

4 years ago