Introducing: The Biver Automatique Is Back In Yellow Gold And A New Carbon Dial
What We Know
Since the launch of industry icon Jean-Claude Biver’s eponymous brand back in 2023, Biver Watches has slowly and steadily added quite a few models to its collection, including various forms of the ultra-complicated Carillon Tourbillon as well as the three-hander Automatique. Just last month, the brand quietly debuted what I think have been the strongest designs to date (in its extravagant simplicity) for a Japan-exclusive edition with black and white enamel dials.
For the rest of the market, Biver has just announced two new models of the Automatique in 18k 3N yellow gold. The first model, the very self-explanatory Automatique Yellow Gold, completes the trifecta of popular precious metals in the series, adding to the Automatique Rose Gold and Automatique Platinum. Just like the other two, the outer and inner rings of the dial are vertically brushed, in contrast with the circularly grained middle dial ring, so that the dial catches light and maintains contrast pretty much at any angle. An applied railroad minutes track, or chemin de fer, is laser-engraved in relief and adds a bit of texture. It’s a nice touch for a part of the dial that most brands typically just print instead of engrave, and it feels miles more extravagant in aesthetic.
For the new “Carbon Edition” of the brand’s Atelier Series, typically reserved for models featuring natural stone dials, Biver has decided to pair the yellow gold with a carbon fiber dial. The woven pattern takes the place of the vertically brushed rings of the regular model’s dial, with the very modern aesthetic interrupted by the laser-cut minutes track and the circularly brushed middle ring. The brand cites inspiration for this black and yellow-gold design, as well as the carbon fiber, to the iconic John Player Special Formula 1 livery.
The cases for the two releases remain the same as the other Automatique models, with a diameter of 39mm and a case height of 10mm. Surface polishing contrasts with the primarily brushed surfaces of the lugs and concave midcase, and the hands feature four interior angles, shaped and polished by hand.
Inside both watches is the Calibre JCB.003-C, a proprietary caliber developed with Dubois Dépraz for the brand, with the intention that this base movement will power future complications in the Biver collection. Running at 3.5Hz with a power reserve of 65 hours, the caliber also features a zero-reset mechanism, which brings the seconds hand back to zero when the crown is pulled out. Finishing is certainly unique, with many of the movement bridges cut away and given very prominent anglage, black polish, and Clous de Paris guilloché for the main surfaces. The micro-rotor sits in full view, with another guilloché pattern.
The Biver Automatique Yellow Gold and Atelier Series Carbon Edition will be available “in the coming months,” with a limited number of pieces available at launch directly from Biver’s website. For us folks in the United States, Material Good acts as the exclusive retailer for Biver Watches and thus is the stateside source for these new models. The Automatique Yellow Gold is priced at CHF 75,000, and the Atelier Series Carbon Edition is priced at CHF 89,000.
What We Think
While most of the Biver line seeks to dazzle through complications, stones, and métiers d’art, I think it is at its best when it focuses on extravagance through simplicity. A simple dial, for example, allows for a focus on the effort that goes into elements like the hands (for example). This is where the Automatique comes into play, and when the model launched last fall, rose gold and platinum seemed like safe (maybe too safe) options for the brand, and it has found a much stronger footing in yellow gold. There’s something about the warm hue of this yellow gold adding a lovely vintage charm, and with the anthracite coloring of the hands, it makes for an intriguing combination.
Now, with the Atelier Series ‘Carbon Edition,’ the design loses a lot of that elegance in a tradeoff for sportiness. Full disclosure: I’ve never been a big fan of woven carbon fiber on a dial, so to me, the classic in yellow gold is the one I’d pick for my wrist. But putting this material, often associated with highly industrial design cues, onto a classic yellow gold watch is certainly a bold choice. It changes the framing of the elements on the dial, with the three-dimensionality of the applied sloped minutes track standing out much more than on the monochromatic dials.
Paired with a calfskin-lined, braided black rubber strap, it’s clear that this edition is an attempt to push the boundaries of the Automatique into something more casual. Perhaps this is for the collector who found the other three-handers too dressy, for a place like Miami or Singapore. Regardless, I’m interested to see what this big shift in aesthetic means for future editions of this line.
The Basics
Brand: Biver
Model: Automatique Yellow Gold & Automatique Atelier Series Carbon Edition
Diameter: 39mm
Thickness: 10mm
Case Material: 3N Yellow Gold
Dial Color: Yellow Gold (& Carbon)
Indexes: Applied
Lume: No
Water Resistance: 80 m
Strap/Bracelet: Black nubuck leather strap (Automatique Yellow Gold); Black braided rubber strap (Carbon Edition)
The Movement
Caliber: JCB.003-C
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, zero-reset mechanism
Diameter: 30.6mm
Thickness: 4mm
Power Reserve: 65 hours
Winding: Micro-rotor automatic
Frequency: 3.5 Hz
Jewels: 36
Pricing & Availability
Price: CHF 75,000 (Yellow Gold); CHF 89,000 (Carbon Edition)
Availability: A limited number of pieces now on Biver’s e-commerce platform; authorized retailers in the coming months.
Limited Edition: No
For more, click here.
Hodinkee
