A talk with Jean-Claude Biver… an interview about time with a man who doesn’t have any

He is the president of the LVMH Watch Division but also the Chairman of Hublot and Zenith and CEO of Tag Heuer Watches sits down to talk at the speed of light about time.

Author By Eleonor picciotto

In your free time, you…

There are three things. First, most of my free time is devoted to my passion, horology. Free time belongs only to those who work. If you don’t work, you don’t have any free time. Next, when you’re not thinking about your passion, what are you thinking about? When I’m not involved with my love of horology, I’m taken up by Mother Nature. It feeds my soul, and it’s where I go to recharge my batteries. It calms comforts, charms, motivates and inspires me. Almost every day, I go up into the mountains at dawn.The third thing I do in my free time is spend moments with my family. That’s the cradle and the roof; it’s where love is.

You feel you are losing time when…

Whenever I have a meeting and have to wait. A doctor’s appointment, a rendez-vous with a journalist or meetings for work. Meetings often take me out of the office, and if I have to wait, or if someone’s late, that seems like wasted time.My favourite things in life don’t cost any money.

It’s high time to…

Start sharing the planet, saving wildlife, eliminating pollution, stop mistreating children. These aren’t just charities where people buy a clean conscience by writing a check at a gala dinner without changing anything. We must all share our planet if we want to continue to have a planet.

From time to time…

You have to dream. It’s essential and it’s life’s greatest happiness, after love. When you dream, you leave the here and now for tomorrow. Dreams are hope, optimism, joy and emotion. Without them, what have you got? Skin and bone, that’s all. We can’t live as just skin and bone. We have to add emotions, dreams and a heart. It’s important to take the time to stop and dream once in a while. If I had nothing to do, I would still do things – but not dream. I’d catch up on all my delays.

Killing time means…

That’s just crazy. Time isn’t there to be killed; it’s to enjoy. It’s there to inspire happiness. To have time means you’re alive. Only the dead have no time. We need to keep this in mind and do all we can while time still remains to us.

Jean-Claude Biver president of the watch division LVMH

Define time…

Easy! Time is Love for the one and only reason that time is eternity. Our life is just a portion in it starting when we were born and ending when we die. In that eternity we live in, as humans we only take a participation in it… very small as a matter of fact! Secondly, God is eternal. As a firm believer or not, only God is. As a simple deduction : if time is eternal, and eternity is God; if God is love, time is love! As simple as that…

You remember the times when…

I used to play. While I was playing, I was dreaming. The only way not to enter the adult world is to continue to have fun. For an adult, this means simply being involved in one’s passion. I continue to play with watches as a grown-up, and when I’m in this world it still is recreation for me. Watches have become the steam engines I used to play with when I was small. The game is the same; only the toy has changed.

Overtime means…

A bonus! When I get it, it’s like a child has given me a little present or a kiss.

Lunchtime is…

Doesn’t exist. Speaking in nourishment terms, it’s unnecessary. And it’s detrimental to your afternoon activities because people always feel less productive after lunch than before. It’s only good on Christmas Day, when lunchtime becomes a time for celebration. If not, I’d abolish it.

Time for ?

My wife of course!

Time off is…

I never want any! It’s death. I’m on vacation every day. From time to time though I do dream about going to the North Pole, visiting Lapland or sleeping in the desert under the stars. I’d like to do that one day.

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