News 
After half a century in the watch business, Jean-Claude Biver has embarked with his son Pierre on a joint adventure involving the creation of a new, highly exclusive and prestigious brand.
To this end, they have called upon the best specialists in each field (dials, hands, bracelet, case, etc.) to create highly prestigious timepieces.
The first chapter of this story is dedicated to a watchmaking complication that is close to their hearts: a minute repeater. Or more precisely, a minute repeater with a tourbillon and a microrotor.
Because the role of technology is to serve the philosophy of the founders, the Bivers have defined certain ethical and aesthetic codes, both traditional and contemporary, with which they can identify. This first model is a distillation of watchmaking culture aimed at the enlightened watch lover. Each element, from the dial to the hands to the bracelet, tells a story within the history of horology, creating a bridge between past, present and future.
A watch is not an object like any other: the connection between the object and its wearer is a powerful one. Jean-Claude and Pierre Biver, who are both passionate collectors, are keenly aware of this. It is why they have also integrated symbolic elements into the architecture of their timepieces that make them unique. This notably comes through in the dials made from natural hardstones – silvered obsidian and sodalite. They were chosen for their attributes which have been recognised for thousands of years: sodalite conveys courage and confidence and is also soothing because it has a protective aspect, whereas silver obsidian is comforting, confers dynamism, optimism and is very stimulating.
The minute repeater is both a rare collector’s item and an object of curiosity, because, beyond embodying the art of watchmaking, it carries messages that are more subtle, even spiritual.
The Biver minute-repeater appeals to collectors with its unique sound resulting from the addition of a third hammer. This requires extremely fine adjustment of the tempo to ensure that sound is just right. During the creation process, father and son thus evolved the very concept of a minute repeater into a carillon. They also chose to add a tourbillon with a titanium cage, which makes the piece lighter, yet more difficult to decorate. It is also driven by a micro-rotor.
Considerable attention has been lavished on the finishing of this timepiece. The smallest parts, including those that cannot be seen, have been decorated by hand according to the highest standards of artistry; they have been polished, satin-finished, finely grained and flame-blued. It is in the finishing that one recognises the Biver signature: a quest for invisible beauty. All the components of the movement have been decorated.
The stone dial in sodalite is domed, a challenge in itself as it is very difficult to make because of its infinitesimal thickness: the stone affixed to a gold plate is 1.15mm high; counting the applied indexes, the total thickness is just 1.6mm. The wafer-thin stone itself does not exceed 0.6mm. The difficulty resides in obtaining this domed appearance without breakage during the polishing phase.
This watch is not one to reveal all its mysteries at first glance. Each one of its constituent elements holds meaning in the eyes of the Bivers. It is a concentrated blend of watchmaking culture intended for enlightened connoisseurs.
April 27, 2023