Jean Claude Biver & Hublot

Just 2 weeks ago, we celebrated 50 years of nation building, we celebrated Singapore's Golden Jubilee. Even though there are many other watch makers (e.g. Longines, Mont Blanc, Jaeger LeCoultre, Ball, etc.) whom made special editions for SG50, I chose to showcase Hublot's effort to commemorate this significant milestone of the country that I'm so proud of, solely because of 1 man, Jean Claude Biver.

Some of you who are more acquainted with his name might argue that he is just another marketing genius. I do not disagree with that and indeed, he turned around companies like Blancpain and now Hublot, in a marketing fashion seemingly; bragging about fusion of all things from design to materials, from art to technology, which is "nothing" more than combining rubber with precious metal, and skeleton watch designs with contemporary manufacturing techniques in Hublot's offerings. Well almost, but I see beyond that. I see in him, passion and drive for the watch industry, and more importantly, love for his people that resulted in innovation and entrepreneurship that is shown through their products. Unlike many companies putting out marketing spin to force fit their product into the image that they'll like to be perceived, Hublot under the leadership of Jean Claude Biver conveys those messages through their products.

Mr. Biver talks above Love, Passion and Watchmaking

'No Innovation, No Future'
Mr. Biver as Guest Lecturer at The Singapore Polytechnic

'No Innovation, No Future' is his favorite tagline in a lot of his talks and motivational speeches. Again, some may argue on the point, innovation or the lack of it in Hublot. But who says innovation has to be revolutionary? Innovation is strictly about doing something that nobody has tried, or thinking of something obvious yet no one has thought of. The courage in challenging the unconventional and the belief in that idea, is entrepreneurship. Mr. Biver has both.

How many of us, so called watch lovers, know that Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak Offshore copied Hublot's original idea of cladding watches with rubber strap and not the other way round? How many of us thinks that AP ROO's chronograph 3126/3840 movement is superior to the UNICO? The sad truth is, many of us do. Just because of AP's longer history in watch making, and the price they command, many have the perception that they must be superior. I beg to differ...

Audemars Piguet 3126/3840 movement

Hublot manufacture UNICO movement

Cam vs. column wheel chronograph mechanism, 50 vs. 72hrs of power reserve, traditional jeweled vs. full silicon pallet fork and wheel, and the oh-so-beautiful skeleton date wheel on the UNICO! Both uses modular construction, where a based movement is coupled to the chronograph module, instead of an integrated design. Modular chronograph may not appeal to purist, but the ease of servicing it brings is undeniable, which we know can be very expensive for chronographs designed as integrated. As for movement decoration, AP chooses the more traditional way of Cotes de Geneva and Perlage, which requires high artisan skill and time to produce. Whereas Hublot uses the "easier" sand blast method to complete it's avant garde principle. In fact, besides their 'Port Hole' inspired bezel design, there isn't many similarity between the 2 range of watches that many choose to associate them closely with.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore

44mm in stainless steel and ceramic

Hublot Big Bang Unico Chronograh

45mm in titanium and ceramic

So which one will I pick if I have to choose just 1 to own? It's really a tough call given both have merits in their own rights. At gun point, despite the luring 22k gold rotor waving warm welcome from the AP ROO, I believe I'll go for the Unico BIg Bang. Perhaps, just because Jean Claude Biver is at the helm of Hublot.

Oozing passion... By love, for love, of watches

Thanks to industrialization, we can now enjoy quality goods at a fraction of the cost otherwise made the traditional way. The ever improving speed, efficiency and tolerance in manufacturing enable precision materials to be produced at large scale, maximizing the economies of scale in production, and benefiting end customers in cost and availability. The flip side of it is, everything looks like everything else, and everyone has what everyone else have. There is no problem to this in true honesty, and I think what it means is that the quality of life has improved in general through the industrial revolution.

However, I guess it is in human nature, there is a snob in all of us. As we climb the Maslow hierarchy of needs; as our physiological, security and loving needs are met, we long to be esteemed. I'm not saying that everyone is a show-off, but rather, everyone of us like the feeling of being appreciated, respected and honored for what we've done and contributed in our own unique way. Be it pampering ourselves for our achievements, or as a display of social status arrived, many at this level of needs choose material possessions that represent their uniqueness and personality, or so they thought.

It is precisely because marketing geniuses around the world recognize this human mentality, that's why the tsunami of limited editions of all things expensive, particularly watches. It is almost a social norm in many cultures to judge a person's success with what they wear on their wrist; what better way of demonstrating that than a luxury limited edition that conveys taste and high society standing? Except that these limited edition comes in hundreds, and in some cases, by the thousands. I have to admit, I am a sucker for these things of subtle variation with those words and numbering on their cases. The "saving grace" if I may, is my limited resources to these unlimited wants.

As I dig deeper into the quest for that ultimate grail watch, if I ever have the means to own one, I begin to see past the temptation of limited editions from big brand names. Independent watch making, where the watch is conceptualized, design, manufactured, assembled and tested by one person; Hand making each and every component from the most basic of materials, is watch making in its truest and finest form.

Phillipe Dufour's Grande et Petite Sonnerie

Every gear tooth, every chamfer, bevel and decoration was
hand crafted and polished to perfection with basic (traditional) tools
by Phillipe Dufour

Famed by his creation of the best sounding skeletonized Repetition Minutes Grande et Petite Sonnerie, Phillipe Dufour is one of the few grandmasters in world of horology. His creativity, skills, patience and passion in watch making is unparalleled. Taking anywhere from months to over a year to final completion, his creation can only be achieve by immense love for what his is doing; bringing metals to life with the first heartbeat of its balance wheel.

Masters of Time: Independent Watch Makers
featuring 'Phillipe Dufour' and 'Antoine Preziuso'
showcased their fine art of master watch making

Even when the hand polished to perfection cases does not bare the words and numbering of limited edition, each design is definitely limited to a few, if not one unique piece. Tote by a inconspicuous name on the dial, which only few would recognize, a masterpiece made by one of these grandmasters in the watch making fraternity is definitely the epitome of class and fine personal taste in my opinion. It is my hope that you'll take notice of some of these gems the next time you're considering an addition to your collection. Not only will you be acquiring a bragging right, but a heirloom that carries and hopefully, help preserves and extend the history and art of fine watch making for generations to come...

What makes you tick?

I'm sure we all have some form of passion for certain things; things that we spend most of our leisure hours in, and finds pure joy engaging. I've known of people who are so into their passion, it became an obsession. But have you wonder why so? What is it about that hobby or genre of artifacts that can fuel a person to persistently pursue, even to point of losing sleep and/or fortune over? You may disagree, but I choose to believe that it is all about love. Not love for the object itself, but the feeling of love that's attached to the object that brings love for it.

I've a good friend and colleague who literally breath on bicycles. He owns countless bikes that I'm sure it would take even himself awhile to count all of them; each and every one of different shapes, size and makes, for different purposes, terrains and loads. He organizes and goes on local (Singapore) and overseas road trips with his group from lovecycling.net extensively, but what I know of him is not just about the intricacy of mechanism of bicycles that drives him, rather, the reciprocated exchange of love he finds serving a community of like minded people.

And for me, it's all about the loving experiences and memories that watches bring, that's why I love watches for; its associating kinship, relationships and friendships. No other watch maker share my sentiment as much as 'Solvil et Titus'.

As you continue your passion pursue, may you discover what actually makes you tick. I would not be surprise if it is love indeed.

The Big Bang

I love to tell stories. Whenever I have the opportunity, I’ll share my experiences, my opinion about things, or simply chatter on and on about my passions. My audiences are limited to my lunch kakis at work, close friends at gatherings, and my family. Maybe they are sick of my stories, hoping that I can stop blabbering by diverting my attention to someone (or something) else; I am recently being encouraged to write a blog; a place where I can talk even when there is no audience. What a brilliant idea! Yes, I love to tell stories, but typing stories? That takes too much time and effort, so I thought.

So what makes me take the first step of writing? Love, the love of sharing, and the love for people. Through sharing, I hope I can make someone’s life better by not having to go through the mistakes I’ve made. Through sharing, I hope readers can have another perspective of things. Through sharing, I hope others will be inspired to start sharing. Because, it is through sharing that relationships grow, and it is through sharing, that mankind evolves to who we are today.

Being an engineer by training and profession, I favor things that are a little more organized and systematic. I’m not inclined to talking gibberish and random sharing. Been thinking if I want a platform to share my life experiences, something I find pure joy in, what would that be? Watches!

You may wonder how watches can be a good platform to share life experiences. A timepiece, no matter what complication goes into it, is just a piece of equipment that does nothing more than telling time, and at best, derivatives of it. Follow me closely, you might be convinced how intertwined they are with love, life, and perhaps, everything about life in general.

I’m obsessed with watches, and for the longest time, I didn’t wonder why so. Maybe because of my technical inclination, the ‘engine’ within constantly intrigues me. But it is not just about the gear trains, as I love the digital pieces dearly as well. Those LCD and/or stepping hands motion with static electronics within doesn’t bored me at all. There are just things about watches that send butterflies into my stomach. If it is not about the mechanics, not just about their design, innovations and materials, then what is it that I’m so in love with them all my life? As I dig deeper into my early life, recalling the first watch I every received, I probably know why.

I came from a very humble family. My father works at a hardware store, while my mom is a stay home housewife. We stayed in a 2-room flat where luxury is a meal as a family at hawker centers. Most of the time, it is humble home cook food. Though there were not many luxuries in life, my parents never failed to provide for my sisters and I with everything we needed, especially in the areas of education and nutrition. I still remember my father; a 90lb gentleman back then, made a bet with his colleagues to finish 30 rice cakes (水果, and they were huge back then). My father surprised all and bagged the S$10 winnings. He used the entire sum to buy my sister a toy doll.

Seeing little children celebrating their birthdays at MacDonald's, I get my first taste of it only when I reached secondary school, and that is because I didn’t have to pay for it. One of my friends posed a challenge on me; whoever finishes a burger first will pay for all the food. The catch is, I was to eat a BIG mac, while he eats a cheeseburger. I didn’t have the money to pay, I have to win. I finished the BIG mac before my friend finishes half his cheeseburger. Guess I got the genes from my father, and I’m sure you get a flavor of my humble beginning.

I don’t remember the occasion exactly, but I remember vividly what happened that weekend. My parents, after our lunch at People’s Park Complex Food Center, brought my sisters and I to this watch shop on the 3^rd floor called ‘Ho Seng Cheong Clock and Watches Store’, which is still in existence today!

Besides the family owned business having the same surname as myself, what makes me remember this shop is because my father bought me my first watch there. It was a mechanical manual winding ‘mickey mouse’ watch with mickey’s hands as hour and minute hands.

Imagine the joy of a 4 year old having the 1^st watch of his life; with his favorite cartoon character on the dial, it was the happiest moment as far back as I can remember. With 3 watches, each for my sisters and I costing more than a third of my father’s pay cheque back then, it’s not cheap in my family’s context. More than the desired physical item I got; the love I felt as a child was immeasurable. That moment, that very moment, perhaps is when I started my love for watches; a journey on watches of love…