Marcus Margulies will present Jean-Claude Biver with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 WatchPro Awards.
The event takes place at London’s most central venue, the spectacular Victorian-era ballroom of 8 Northumberland next to Trafalgar Square on 5th November.
Click here to book tickets or tables for the 2019 WatchPro Awards.
Mr Margulies (pictured above for the WatchPro Hot 100 in 2013) and Mr Biver will speak on the night, giving an audience of 350 industry leaders attending the dinner a unique perspective on how the watch business has evolved over the 35 years the pair have worked together, and their view on where we need to go next.
Mr Margulies joined Time Products in 1962, and over the subsequent 57 years he has been been a luxury brand importer, mass market and luxury retailer, and distributor of leading-value UK brands, which he owns.
Sekonda is today a household name, and five years ago he purchased the Accurist brand.
He recently sold his two Bond Street outlets and has relocated to a townhouse in Berkeley Square, where he will be selling — by appointment only — top quality fine and used timepieces, together with unique individual fine arts in conjunction with leading dealers.
Mr Margulies describes Mr Biver as a legend in the watch business, creating two brands of round watches from zero, and he is today the non-executive chairman of the LVMH watch division.
Their relationship began when Mr Biver founded Blancpain in the early 1980s. Mr Margulies was the distributor of the brand in both the UK and North America. They continued to work together after Jean-Claude took over Hublot, and have remained friends ever since.
Both men are well capable of starting a passionate debate, and they appear to have complemented one another as dramatic changes have swept through the Swiss watchmaking industry and the roles of retailers and distributors have been transformed.
“I can think of a no more fitting and entertaining way to honour the 45-year career of Jean-Biver and his impact on the Swiss and British watch industry than to reunite him with his sparring partner Marcus Margulies at this year’s WatchPro Awards,” says Rob Corder, editor of WatchPro.
“On the night of 5th November, when the WatchPro Awards take place, we should be ready for fireworks,” he adds.
Click here to book tickets or tables for the 2019 WatchPro Awards.
