After 50 years at the highest echelons of the watchmaking business, Jean-Claude Biver decided to partner with his son Pierre Biver and to embark on a magnificent new adventure together. In 2023, the two passionate collectors launched a new kind of watch brand, making timepieces that push the boundaries of watchmaking art and chart a vision for the future of what high-end Swiss watchmaking can be. Liberated from the usual corporate constraints, they assembled a dream team of top specialists, each a master in their respective fields, to craft truly extraordinary timepieces without compromise. The inaugural creation, the Carillon Tourbillon, features a tourbillon, minute repeater, and a micro-rotor, holds a special place in their hearts, and they are excited now to be laying the foundation for the future of the Biver brand with the introduction of the anything-but-basic Automatique.
As part of the TimeForArt auction, Biver created this unique Automatique in partnership with Swiss artist Guillaume Ehinger. It is called “Echoes of this Moment” and it is a synthesis of the art of watchmaking and the natural beauty that surrounds us. The watch is distinguished by its unique, handmade dial which is based on a series of Ehinger’s abstract paintings inspired by natural landscapes. The white gold dial plate is hand-engraved with organic ripples that recall the ever-changing surface of a lake and then multiple layers of colored enamel are applied. This gives the dial a shimmering effect, with shades of red and grey shifting and changing in the light. As with Ehinger’s paintings, the dial invites the viewer to experience each elusive moment as its own unique memory. Turning the watch over and looking through the sapphire caseback, you will find a special version of the Calibre JCB-003, with its 22k gold micro-rotor bearing the watch’s name and the artist’s signature. All of this is housed in a stainless steel case, a first for the new Automatique, traditionally offered only in platinum and rose gold. The watch is paired with a cotton and Alcantara strap with a stainless steel pin buckle (another first for the Automatique) to complete the package.