Technology is quite tricky sometimes. Due to noise-signals from mobile phones – so-called smart-phones – the audio-quality of the video-interview with Mr.Biver did not meet our quality requirements. We are terribly sorry that we can show you the interview in Text-Form only. But hey! Why shouldn’t we read an interview in text-form from time to time? We might discover the message between the lines…

By Stefan{at}MyTree.CH

There are lots of things about your person written in the internet. I would like to ask you some new questions.

Please ask.

First of all I would like to make a visual test. What do you see on this picture?

I can see a tree.

Don’t you see more? Take your time, you have to consider it more precisely.
I can’t see more.

Sometimes there is more there, than you think you see.
Yes
Bring the white scope into your focus. Imagine, that the stars are eyes…
Oh yes, and the hands..
So you have you seen it? Oh yes! What is this test for?
There are people, which look at this picture and they just can see the tree.
It’s good to see the tree and it’s good seeing the hands protecting the tree.

We call it „The Tree-Spirit“. My first question is about creativity: Did you ever hear something about polar clock. It looks like this:

What do you think about the polar clock? Can it be a creative way to see the time?
Yes of course, it’s a creative way of seeing the time. It’s a trial to show time differently, you know, why should time always be shown by two hands or three hands and why not? Yes, I think, it’s also interesting because it chooses colors. Color is emotion. It is a creative and a different way to show the time. The colors are attractive. Color is emotion.
That’s true, you have plenty of colors in your watches.
Yes, because I love colors. For me the color is one of the biggest pleasure I have in life. What I really enjoy is the air and color.

So, what is your favorite color?

My favorite color is., well it depends. For my dresses it is blue. Ok, I don’t wear blue today. It doesn’t mean because blue is my favorite color, that everything has to be blue, but I like blue. And then I also like green.

In fact, blue and green are the two dominant colors on planet earth. Green is the color of the forest, blue is the sky and the sea. What else do we have on planet? That’s it. So somehow I like the two basic colors of the planet.

Let’s speak about symmetry. I have a question concerning the screws on your watches.

The screws can never be symmetric, because they are screws and screws have a function and they have a technique of function. Like in an engine, like in a Ferrari engine for example. If you look at a Ferrari engine the screws are just ending up, where they are and the screws cannot be.

The screw at 12 cannot be like this and the screw at 3 like this, this is impossible in technology. Unless you make it look like a screw, but in actual fact it is a nut, the screw is then on the back. And then you make something aesthetic that looks like a screw and where is the technology?

Technology is as it is.

 

Then my next question is: What is more important? Beauty or technology?
Technology is important and the truth is important, you cannot hide it. If you put the screw, that is not the screw but a nut.

Isn’t there a way to put the screws in a way that looks more symmetric or why not remove them?
No, it’s not interesting to try to do it. Because there are technical screws and every watch is different in that sense.
The first time I have seen your watches at the airport in Geneva I thought that it’s impossible for me to wear such a watch. It would disturb me to read the time.
It is because you are very precise, you are a very symmetric man and you are quite a lot influenced from the North, from Germany and you are like some of the German guys, they gave me this remark… (laughing).

Is it a national thing, actually?
It is more. It depends. 90 % of the people, who ask the question „Can’t we change the screws…“ came from Germany or German countries or Swiss German. But again, you will never be able to fix the screw on a certain position.

Well what about “never say never”?.
No, we don’t even want to try. Because we don’t see the sense in that and then it doesn’t look natural.
Speaking about your business. You have plenty of things, that you import/export, are you concerned a little bit about the CO2 production that you make worldwide with your business?
Not really.

Why not?
Because it’s not significant. We don’t import so much from outside and when we import from outside, it’s mostly from Germany or France. And there are no long distances to negotiate and it’s very small in volume. So if you send a letter or a little package with 10’000 screws in it it’s not very significant. But the fact is, we have no volume, no reasons to be heavily concerned and to make studies about the CO2.
What about supply chains. Do you know, where the material is coming from?
Not always. When we buy gold from the UBS, we don’t really know where it comes from. When we buy platinum also from the UBS, we don’t really know where the platinum comes from. When we buy diamonds, we have the Kimberly certificate, but … how do you know, that they are not from blood diamonds or if there is something wrong with the certificates. You have terrorist people entering countries with wrong passports, so today you have fake money, today you have fake watches… Today you can only try it, but you can never give a full security.
Are Chinese people already trying to copy your watches?
Thanks God, I hope so, they must! It is a must.

If people copy your watches it is a sign of success.

You measure your success by two elements: the numbers of copies and how many people are jealous of your industry. If you drive the industry mad because they are full of envy and full of jealousy and you have a lot of copies, then you know, that you are successful. Laughing. No copies, no success.
Speaking about the trees. You use rubber, I mean Kautschuk. Is that right?
Yes. We use it for the wrist-band.

Where does it come from? Malaysia.

And how is it produced? Have you been there? No, I’ve not been there.

And can you make sure that there is no child labour?
It is produced from a Swiss company, it belongs to us. It belongs to Swiss people. And they bring the rubber from Malaysia. That is all I know.

Do you know „newTree“? No.

Well, I have a little gift for you. So you will never forget it anymore. There it is. It is a „newTree“-cap from  from the Non-Profit-Organization www.newTree.org , they plant trees in Africa among many other things. Thanks a lot.

Thank you for wearing it. You show, that you like gifts.
I show, that I want to help and I show that I care.

That’s fantastic. I appreciate that. I would like to congratulate you for the César Award. I was quite impressed by the words you said in Bukarest.
Thank you.
Do you remember, what you have said?
Yes, of course.

“The whole life is now running just for one goal, to leave your trace”, is it correct?

Of course. Your life is there to work for the trace. And you should live to two traces: one trace is the trace of love, and anybody who dies and has left the trace of love I’d say, his life is a 99 % success. If in addition to this trace of love, which is the most important (99 %), if in addition to the trace of love, he can live the trace in his (of) business, in his activity.. Whatever he did, his life was a 100 % success. So, I reckon you should leave one trace of love and one trace in your occupation or your business.

Do you think, that there is already a little trace coming?
For me? Yes, for me I’ve a trace in my business, already, not very deep, I still have to work. And then there is a trace of love. (That I know).

While I was in the waiting room, I discovered “Les Hublotins”.
Ah, yes, the kindergarten.
So, offering a childcare service in work life lies at your heart?
Yes, for every employer, but also the people who are living in the area. It’s not only for our own people, of course they have a priority, but the service is for the region as well. We have to contribute to the region.

This is very impressive. Speaking about the future of Hublot and the sustainability. Where do you see Hublot in five years?
I see the enterprise where it is today, but with some new performances, in the watch making art, new performances in the materials, innovation, creativity, Hublot must always try to be the first, always try to be different, to be unique. If we can maintain this: be the first, be different and be unique, in five years we will be more successful, more important and stronger. And that it is, what I wish for Hublot, to become stronger and stronger and to keep this policy.

Do you intent to make more watches?
No, to be stronger, to have more innovation, creativity, quality, awareness, reputation, exclusivity. Prestige is not a link to quantity. But the quantity is the consequence of all that. So we don’t foresee necessary high increases in quantity, we see increase in the creativity, increase in the prestige, increase in quality not quantity and as a consequence we see an increase of turnover more from the qualitative side then from the quantative side.
I would like to give you one more gift in order to reach your goal. Do you know Mr. Seth Godin? He wrote a book called: „Linchpin“ This is an audio book, as you travel a lot, you can listen listen it during your flights or while you are travelling. You can have an idea about his way of thinking. This is a big thank you for the interview.
Excellent. Thank you.

Thank you for this interesting interview and for your support.
Dankeschön, merci beaucoup.

After the interview with Mr. Biver Meichtry Stefan started a brand-new blog called http://traceoflove.wordpress.com

Please have a look and learn more about Hublot, Time-Management, Marketing and Innovation.