Introducing: The Biver Automatique Japan Edition — Minimalism And Maximalism Collide
When Biver launched to great fanfare in 2023, the debut watch displayed watchmaking maximalism at its finest. Father and son Jean-Claude and Pierre Biver must have asked themselves, “What if we turn everything up to eleven?” The young brand’s second model, the Automatique, dialed things down somewhat. Still, it looked distinctly intricate and truly Biver-esque. Today’s new Biver Automatique Japan Edition takes a different approach. Watchmaking maximalism meets aesthetic minimalism.
I usually refrain from sharing my opinions until the end of an introduction article, but allow me to make an exception. This formula works for me — these are my favorite Biver watches yet! Let’s have a closer look!
The Biver Automatique
First, let’s jump back to last year’s release as these new models are, in essence, new dial variants of the original Automatique. While Biver’s inaugural model, the Carillon Tourbillon, paired a minute repeater and a tourbillon, the second model offered hours, minutes, and seconds — nothing more. I felt that the initial model was a statement of intent: “Watch out, watch world; the Bivers are back!” The second model probably told us more about the aesthetic going forward. The Automatique looks like a great platform on which to build.
Seeing new variants today isn’t all that surprising, then. What is surprising is the design restraint practiced, inspired by Japanese watchmaking. These two new versions are exclusives for Biver’s Japanese authorized dealer, The Hour Glass.
We see the same 39mm case with its 10mm thickness and 47.6mm lug-to-lug. The steeply angled lugs accommodate 19mm alligator straps in black or brown. The case also features an exhibition back and an ample 80m water resistance rating. Inside ticks the automatic micro-rotor caliber JCB-003 at 25,200 vibrations per hour. Biver specifies a 65-hour power reserve for this movement. Of course, bare specifications do not do a caliber of this level justice, so let’s have a slightly closer look.
The Biver Automatique’s caliber JCB-003
The 30.6mm × 4mm movement inside the Biver Automatique Japan Edition is a watchmaker’s feast. Beyond the stop-seconds, zero-reset, and bidirectionally winding micro-rotor, it might seem simple. It is anything but. A closer look reveals some of that maximalism I hinted at earlier.
Biver’s philosophy is simple: “It doesn’t matter what it costs; if it can make the watch better, let’s do it.” This means every last surface is finished to the highest levels. Of course, all polished surfaces are black-polished, and you will find guillochage, anglage, and perlage in spades. I imagine this is what you would get if you ticked every box on your watchmaker’s order form.
On to the dials — the heart of the matter
When I first opened the press pack for the new Biver Automatique Japan Edition, I had to blink for a second. Was this really a new Biver watch? It was so clean and simple. It looked so restrained. Now, I associate many things with the Biver name, but restraint is not one. Still, here we are.
Don’t be fooled, though, because the watchmaking maximalism continues behind the scenes. These deceptively simple enamel dials take 10 hours to layer on top of an 18K white or 22K rose gold blank. It then takes another six hours to polish them to a perfect sheen. I would love to see the process because I know from experience what it takes to create an enamel dial. The level of detail you must go into for it to take two full working days must be crazy.
It is notoriously hard to mount applied indexes on an enameled surface. You run the risk of cracking the enamel. To counter this, Biver left tiny spots enamel-free to facilitate a gold-on-gold connection. Again, knowing how to enamel, I can attest to how complicated this is to get right. With the slightest mistake, the delicate marker would sit crooked or show imperfections in the enamel.
Closing thoughts on the Biver Automatique Japan Edition
Taking such a maximalist approach to a minimalist watch comes at a cost. The rose gold model with the black dial comes in at CHF 89,000, and the platinum model with the white dial costs CHF 92,000. Biver will make a limited — though not specified — number for the Japanese market only.
I would love to go hands-on with one of these watches, but I’d love to see the craftspeople working on them even more. Having handled my fair share of high-end watches, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Biver certainly pulls no punches, pricing these several times higher than (specs-wise) comparable watches from, say, Breguet, A. Lange & Söhne, and Patek Philippe. I find it impossible to judge whether that difference is tangible in the product from press materials alone.
This also makes me a bit reluctant to be overly opinionated. One thing I can judge from a distance is design. To me, Biver practicing some restraint works very well. The Biver Automatique Japan Edition blends classical minimalism with a distinct character. That’s no mean feat!
What do you think of the new Biver Automatique Japan Edition? Let us know in the comments below!
