The Mirage is the work of Sylvain Berneron, a French designer and former Chief Product Officer at Breitling. His central idea is simple: the movement should shape the case, not the other way around.

Released in 2024, the Mirage quickly became one of the most talked-about independent debuts of the year. Collectors praised its originality. Industry experts pointed to its engineering. Allocation lists filled up almost immediately. Every watch is now spoken for through the end of 2027.

The “Sienna” edition belongs to the Mirage’s inaugural production run and takes its name from the historic pigment, that, when heated, takes on a reddish-brown tone, echoed here in the warmth of the yellow gold components.

Inside is the hand-wound calibre 233, developed with Le Cercle des Horlogers. The movement measures just 2.33mm thick; the full case height comes in at 7mm. The layout makes room for a substantial barrel with 72-hour power reserve, a small seconds, and a large pocket watch-style balance wheel. The mainplate and bridges are crafted from solid 18k gold and feature traditional hand-finishing techniques including guilloché, anglage, cerclage, traits tirés, and nuagage.

In fact, every visible component – the dial, hands, case, buckle, crown, and even the spring bars – is rendered in 18k yellow gold. The dial typography draws from the Fibonacci sequence, a subtle nod to Berneron’s interest in the natural order of things. The Mirage doesn’t look like any other watch because it wasn’t designed like any other watch. It’s for collectors who believe form should follow thought, not tradition.