The Biver Automatique is what “entry-level” looks like for the haute horlogerie brand

Borna Bošnjak

• Jean-Claude and Pierre Biver and James Marks launch the Automatique, the brand’s take on a high-end daily wearer.
• It’s equipped with a Dubois Dépraz-developed micro-rotor calibre with a crazy amount of hand-finishing.
• Prices start at CHF 75,000, with four dial options in either rose gold or platinum cases.

There seem to be two common routes to launching your very first watch as an independent brand. The first is to present a product that at least has some mass appeal, but also signifies your intentions as a new brand and hopefully already has distinct identity. The second is what you could call the “Biver way”, where your first release is a halo product of such preposterous proportions and pricing that it immediately cements the name as one worthy of paying attention to. The father-and-son duo is following up the mind-boggling Carillon Tourbillon Minute Repeater with the Biver Automatique, a three-handed, “entry-level” piece – though all in relative perspective, of course.

Co-founder Jean-Claude Biver alluded to the brand’s need for a simple watch, saying: “A watch showing just the hours, minutes, and seconds is the most essential form of our art. Distilling complexity down to its purest, simplest incarnation can be its own kind of masterpiece, found in its absolute perfection and discipline. If you want to play the piano, you must first master scales and classical music before you can learn to play jazz.” Clearly, the industry veteran didn’t heed his own advice having launched the jazziest of complications one can imagine first, but if anyone’s going to break the rules, it’ll be JCB, seeing as he’s probably laid down quite a few of them himself.

Considering you’d be spending over US$85k on a time-only watch, let’s start with the movement, as I’m sure you’ll be hoping this is where the bulk of the cost went. Unlike most recent, high-end micro-rotor releases, the JCB-003 is not the work of Le Cercle des Horlogers, rather the result of a collaboration with Dubois Dépraz. You’ll have heard of the Vallée de Joux company as a manufacturer of complications modules, perhaps most notably the ETA 2892-A2 chronograph mechanism or the relatively affordable perpetual calendar module used by the likes of Habring², Montblanc, Frederique Constant, and others.

While this isn’t the first time Dubois Dépraz has been involved with a micro-rotor, the chrono module on top of a Buren micro-rotor of the Heuer x Hamilton x Breitling Chronomatic doesn’t really count. Instead, the JCB-003 has been “designed from the ground up”, according to Biver, most notably “to be a foundation not just for this watch, but for future watches as well”. With a 4mm thickness and 65-hour power reserve, the base specs would be suitable for addition of complications. Other than the 22k micro-rotor, interesting specs include a relatively uncommon 3.5 Hz beat rate, and a helpful zero-reset complication, where the seconds hand jumps to 12 any time you adjust the time, allowing for precise setting.

Let’s be real, though, the stand-out features of any uber-expensive watch has to be the finishing. The decoration of the Biver Automatique absolutely follows suit, almost to a level I haven’t really encountered before. Pretty much every manner of hand-finishing imaginable is present, so I won’t bore you with the basics. The stand-outs, however, are certainly worth mentioning. Each bridge is bevelled around its outer perimeter with both external and internal angles, but the inner parts of all but the barrel bridge is also finished with impeccable anglage following the curvature of the jewels and screws. There’s also some pretty impressive skeletonisation of the barrel assembly, and the gear train is skeletonised with snaking spokes that are bevelled, because of course they are.

What I’m guessing is going to be the most opinion-dividing bit of finishing is the clous de Paris guilloché on the bridges. You’ll notice that the pattern is slightly curved, which is because the pattern radiates outwards from the micro-rotor, increasing in size as it goes. I can’t imagine how difficult this was to execute consistently, but I also feel like it makes the movement look really busy. I’m kind of on the fence here, though I do worry that the overwhelming amount of finishes results in the in the individual techniques not getting enough room to breathe. I’ll reserve my aesthetic judgement until I hopefully get to see this watch in person, though from a technical standpoint, I’m not sure I can fault it in any rubric.

With my movement nerd tirade out of the way, let’s actually look at the rest of the watch. In line with Biver’s first model, the Automatique combines some traditional design elements, like a solid gold, sector-ish dial, with decidedly modern ones like coating the solid gold markers in black anthracite. It’s perhaps a curious and certainly non-traditional stylistic choice, but it does wonders for legibility against the multiple finishes of the dial. There are four levels to the dial itself, with the indices and hands at different heights too, giving it plenty of depth. I’m especially fond of the relief-engraved minutes track.

In terms of materials, you’ll have the option of solid rose gold or pietersite stone dials for the rose gold case, or white gold or obsidian for the platinum Automatique. Both the stone dials are part of Biver’s new Automatique Atelier Series, focusing on limited-time production of hard stone dials.

These stone dials model alter the dial layout slightly, moving the minutes ring closer to the middle by just a smidge, and I think overall improving the dial balance. Perhaps I say this just because I’m a sucker for stone dials, and the sanded obsidian Automatique in platinum is my pick of the bunch, but I do think the finishing of the hands and indices shows through even better when not plated. Rather than bisecting the dauphine hands as is often the case, Biver’s artisans give them an elongated, polished taper down from a small brushed surface.

Finally, let’s talk about the case. It carries a few elements over from the Carillon Tourbillon, most notably the large crown and notched lugs, though reducing the size to 39mm. It’s another example of modernising a classic design, to me especially obvious in the shape of the lugs that could be considered to be of a cow horn variety – but angular. Honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see this watch closer to 36mm considering 2024’s trends, though this is by no means a large watch. Biver is intending the Automatique to be worn as a daily, and the 10mm thickness and 47.55mm lug-to-lug do fit that narrative.

With 80 metres of water resistance, the Automatique exceeds the usual daily minimum of 50 metres, though I doubt it’ll see much action outside the occasional spill of champagne. If you do decide to test it in the infinity pool atop Marina Bay Sands though, I’d advise opting for Biver’s five-link bracelet with its complex brick-like elements rather than the leather straps.

Biver Automatique pricing and availability

The Biver Automatique is now available. Price: starting from CHF 75,000 (~US$86,900, rose gold, strap) and CHF 78,000 (~US$90,300, platinum, strap)

Brand	Biver
Model	Automatique
Case Dimensions	39mm (D) x 10mm (T) x 47.55mm (LTL)
Case Material	950 platinum 18k rose gold
Water Resistance	80 metres
Crystal(s)	Sapphire crystal front and back
Dial	18k white gold or sanded obsidian (950 platinum only) 18k rose gold or pietersite (18k rose gold only)
Strap and bracelet	Leather strap, case-matching pin buckle Five-link, case-matching bracelet, folding clasp
Movement	JCB-003, developed with Dubois Dépraz, micro-rotor automatic
Power Reserve	65 hours
Functions	Hours, minutes, seconds, zero-reset
Availability	Now
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)