Borna Bosniak, Jean-Claude and Pierre Biver and James Marks present the Automatic, the brand’s proposal for a luxury everyday watch, featuring a micro-rotor calibre developed by Dubois Dépraz and stunning hand-finished features. Prices start at CHF 75,000 and are available in four dial options with rose gold or platinum cases.
There seem to be two common ways for an independent brand to launch its first watch. The first is to launch a product that has at least some mass appeal, but also signals its intent as a new brand and, ideally, already has a clear identity. The second is to go the so-called “Biver way,” where the first release is a flagship product of enormous size and price that immediately establishes the brand as one to watch. The father-son duo follows up their astounding Carillon Tourbillon Minute Repeater with the Biver Automatic, a three-hand “entry-level” watch. Of course, everything is relative.
Co-founder Jean-Claude Biver alluded to the brand’s need for simple watches, saying: “A watch that shows only hours, minutes and seconds is the most important form of our art. When complexity is reduced to its purest and simplest form, it creates a unique masterpiece in absolute perfection and discipline. If you want to play the piano, you must first master the scales and classical music before you can play jazz.” Clearly, the industry veteran didn’t follow his own advice, as he first introduced the most jazzy complication imaginable, but if anyone was going to break the rules, it would be JCB, because he lays down quite a few of them himself.
When you’re spending over $85,000 on a time-only watch, you’d expect the majority of the cost to be spent here, so let’s start with the movement. Unlike most high-end micro-rotor watches these days, the JCB-003 is not the work of Le Cercle des Horlogers, but the result of a collaboration with Dubois Dépraz. Vallée de Joux is known for making complication modules, perhaps most famously the ETA 2892-A2 chronograph movements and the relatively inexpensive perpetual calendar modules used by the likes of Havering², Montblanc and Frederique Constant.
This isn’t Dubois-Dépraz’s first involvement with micro-rotors, but the chrono module on the Büren micro-rotor in the Heuer x Hamilton x Breitling Chronomatic doesn’t really count. Instead, Biver says the JCB-003 was “designed from scratch,” especially because it “is the foundation for not only this watch, but future watches.” The basic specifications of the 4mm thick watch with a 65-hour power reserve make it a good place to add complications. Other interesting specifications beyond the 22K micro-rotor include a relatively rare 3.5Hz beat rate and a handy zero-reset complication, which causes the seconds hand to jump to 12 every time you adjust the time, allowing for precise setting.
But let’s be realistic, the standout feature of any super expensive watch has to be the finishing. The decoration on the Biver Automatic is also at a level I’ve never come across before. It has just about every hand finish you can think of, so you’re not going to get bored with the basics. But the standouts are certainly worth mentioning. Each bridge is chamfered around the outside periphery, on both the outer and inner corners, while all of the inner parts, except for the barrel bridge, are also finished with perfect angles that follow the curves of the jewels and screws. The skeletonization of the barrel assembly is also pretty impressive, and the gear train is skeletonized and, naturally, has chamfered serpentine spokes.
Perhaps the most polarizing of the finishes is the Clous de Paris guilloché on the bridges. You’ll notice that the pattern is slightly curved. This is because it radiates outward from the micro-rotor, increasing in size as it progresses. I can’t imagine how difficult this must have been to execute consistently, but it also makes the movement look very busy. I’m not sure which is the case here, but I worry that there’s too much finishing and not enough room given to the individual techniques. I’ll reserve aesthetic judgement until I can see the watch in person, but from a technical standpoint, I can’t see any flaws in it by any metric.
Enough movement geek talk, let’s look at the rest of the watch. Like Biver’s first model, the Automatic combines traditional design elements, such as a sector-like solid gold dial, with decidedly modern elements, such as the coating of the black anthracite-colored solid gold markers. It’s a strange, perhaps, and certainly a non-traditional style choice, but it goes a long way in enhancing legibility against the dial’s various finishes. The dial itself has four levels, with the indexes and hands also at different heights, giving it a good sense of depth. I particularly like the raised engraved minute track.
In terms of materials, the rose gold case is available with a solid rose gold or pietersite stone dial, while the platinum automatic is available with a white gold or obsidian dial. Both stone dials are part of Biver’s new Automatic Atelier series, which focuses on limited production of hard stone dials.
These stone dial models have slightly altered the dial layout, moving the minute ring ever so slightly closer to the center, which I believe improves the balance of the dial overall. Maybe I’m a sucker for stone dials, but I love the platinum sanded obsidian automatics. However, I think the finish on the hands and indexes looks even better unplated. Rather than bisecting the dauphine hands as is common, Biver’s craftsmen have finished the tapered hands with elongated polishing from a small brushed surface.
Finally, let’s talk about the case. The case carries over some elements from the Carillon Tourbillon, most notably the large crown and notched lugs, but it’s been scaled down to 39mm in size. It’s another modern take on a classic design, especially the lugs, which are supposed to resemble cow horns but are angular in shape. Honestly, given 2024 trends, I wouldn’t have been surprised if this watch was closer to 36mm, but this is by no means a large watch. Biver intended the Automatic to be worn daily, and the 10mm thickness and 47.55mm lug-to-lug fit that perfectly.
The automatic is water resistant to 80 metres, exceeding the usual daily minimum depth of 50 metres, but I wouldn’t expect to see much use out of it, barring the occasional champagne spill, and if you do try it out in the infinity pool atop Marina Bay Sands, I’d recommend opting for Biver’s five-link bracelet, with its intricate brick-like elements, rather than the leather strap.
Biver Automatique Pricing and Availability
The Biver Automatique is now available. Prices start at CHF 75,000 (approx. US$86,900, rose gold, strap) and CHF 78,000 (approx. US$90,300, platinum, strap)
Brand Biver Model Automatic Case Size 39mm (D) x 10mm (T) x 47.55mm (LTL) Case Material 950 Platinum 18K Rose Gold Water Resistance 80 meters Crystal Sapphire crystal front and back Dial 18K White Gold or Sand Obsidian (950 Platinum only)
18K Rose Gold or Pietersite (18K Rose Gold Only) Straps and Bracelets Leather strap with matching pin buckle to the case
5-link, bracelet matching the case, folding clasp Movement JCB-003, developed in collaboration with Dubois Dépraz, micro-rotor automatic Power reserve 65 hours Functions Hours, minutes, seconds, zero reset Availability Current price CHF 75,000 (gold, strap)
CHF 94,000 (gold, bracelet)
CHF 89,000 (Pietersite, strap)
CHF 108,000 (Pietersite, bracelet)
CHF 78,000 (Platinum, strap)
CHF 107,000 (Platinum, bracelet)
CHF 92,000 (obsidian, strap)
CHF 121,000 (obsidian, bracelet)
