So despite what you might have read in another well-known outlet, I am more and more of the belief that the rumors I heard simmering while I was in Switzerland a few weeks ago are perhaps more accurate than the posturing of a self-proclaimed authority.
You may remember such Biver "Farewell to Arms" platitudes as:
Leaving and focusing on passing on my knowledge.
Ending retirement to come back and run Tag Heuer.
Focusing on trying to save Zenith.
Leaving for health reasons.
And the most recent -
I am really not coming back.
And... needless to say, some of us long term Biver watchers are not 100% convinced that this is really going to be it.
I am taking the "under" on this one, and guessing that he is going to be back sooner rather than later.
As I get older, and my father's own mortality recedes farther and farther behind me in the rear view mirror, I have come to realize that what spouses and family members often categorize and label as a character flaw (being a workaholic) is, in fact, just someone who is (to some extent) in love with work. That perhaps their work defines (at least to them) who they are. That work for them is not just an activity, but a state of mind, which in turn is a state of being.
I don't claim to know or understand Mr. Biver any more than I know or understand the guy on the corner who asks me for my spare change. Not unlike Ralph Lauren there is a very public Mr. Biver, and another guy who runs watch brands. And in fairness, we all of us have some sort of duality of self. I think what I am saying is that the watch game is (I suspect) a bit too ingrained into his persona for him to completely walk away. The ties with LVMH have a few months to go until they are completely severed. And I think we will see him again. Now whether that is as the person who will shepherd a Patek change of ownership, the father who will help his son launch or take over his own brand, or simply launch a new thing completely his own without taking over? Well that part still remains to be fleshed out.
And then again? Maybe he really means it this time and he is done.
We shall wait, and we shall see.
You may remember such Biver "Farewell to Arms" platitudes as:
Leaving and focusing on passing on my knowledge.
Ending retirement to come back and run Tag Heuer.
Focusing on trying to save Zenith.
Leaving for health reasons.
And the most recent -
I am really not coming back.
And... needless to say, some of us long term Biver watchers are not 100% convinced that this is really going to be it.
I am taking the "under" on this one, and guessing that he is going to be back sooner rather than later.
As I get older, and my father's own mortality recedes farther and farther behind me in the rear view mirror, I have come to realize that what spouses and family members often categorize and label as a character flaw (being a workaholic) is, in fact, just someone who is (to some extent) in love with work. That perhaps their work defines (at least to them) who they are. That work for them is not just an activity, but a state of mind, which in turn is a state of being.
I don't claim to know or understand Mr. Biver any more than I know or understand the guy on the corner who asks me for my spare change. Not unlike Ralph Lauren there is a very public Mr. Biver, and another guy who runs watch brands. And in fairness, we all of us have some sort of duality of self. I think what I am saying is that the watch game is (I suspect) a bit too ingrained into his persona for him to completely walk away. The ties with LVMH have a few months to go until they are completely severed. And I think we will see him again. Now whether that is as the person who will shepherd a Patek change of ownership, the father who will help his son launch or take over his own brand, or simply launch a new thing completely his own without taking over? Well that part still remains to be fleshed out.
And then again? Maybe he really means it this time and he is done.
We shall wait, and we shall see.
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