At the recent Financial Review About Time Watch Weekend, I was asked to nominate the most important watch luminary I’d encountered in my travels. Despite some tough competition – from the likes of IWC’s venerable Kurt Klaus, Swatch creator Nicolas Hayek and Patek’s Philippe Stern – I had no hesitation in naming Jean-Claude Biver.

Like Formula 1’s Adrian Newey, Biver is a serial overachiever who’s brought glory to whatever brand he’s graced with his presence. In the early days it was Omega, then Blancpain followed by Hublot. He’s been on the Swatch Group board, headed Tag Heuer and, approaching his 70s, found himself running the entire LVMH watch division. And did his eighth decade bring a well-earned retirement? Not a bit of it.