Jean-Claude Biver

Biver was born on 20 September 1949 in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg to Jacques Biver (b. 1924), who was the proprietor of a shoe store, and Denise Biver (née Zeien), originally from the Burgundy region in France. He spent his initial years at 2 Rue du Capucins in the old town of Luxembourg City.

At the age of ten, he moved with his family to Switzerland, attending school in Saint Prex. He later studied at Collège des Morges, and earned a degree in business at HEC Lausanne (also known as the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Lausanne).

Early career

Upon graduation, he spent time in the Vallée de Joux, absorbing the culture of watchmaking, where he met Jacques Piguet, who was running the movement factory Frederic Piguet. Through Jacques' father, he met Georges Golay, chairman and CEO of Audemars Piguet, where he was offered a job as sales manager for Europe. In a year of working for AP, he was able to learn the "art of watchmaking," though he left after a year, thinking he could do better elsewhere. He left Audemars Piguet to become product manager at Omega, a major multinational brand, leaving Omega after a year to return to the manufacture d'horlogerie of the Vallée de Joux. Biver was given an honorary doctorate from Business School Lausanne in 2012, in recognition of his contribution to the success of the Swiss watchmaking industry.

Biver was initially married to Yolande Froidevaux (née Gasser; formerly Biver) with whom he had two children; Loic Biver and Delphine Mira (née Biver). He would later remarry to German-born Sandra Biver with whom he had Pierre Biver (born 2000).