Jean-Claude Biver is certainly one of the key figures in the watch industry, the deus-ex-machina capable of revitalising a brand and taking it to the top of the industry. After almost 50 years of a great career, in which he sealed the destiny of brands such as Blancpain, Omega, Hublot, TAG Heuer, later becoming head of the "watches and jewellery" division of Lvmh, he decided that the time for retirement had not yet come and that launching his own brand represented the desire to carry on a great passion.
The announcement was made about a year ago and now the Biver brand, developed together with his very young son Pierre (22 years old), is finally a reality: an exclusive and prestigious brand, which particularly wants to revive the 'supreme quality that has often been sidelined by industrialisation'. All thanks to the collaboration of the best suppliers.
Biver's first fruit is a tourbillon with carillon minute repeater: a complex watch equipped with the JCB001 automatic calibre with micro-rotor, developed by Cercle des Horlogers, a movement manufacturer based in Les Hauts-Geneveys, in the Swiss Jura.
All components, even the smallest ones, are hand-decorated to the highest standards. Even in the hidden parts, such as the back of the domed stone dial. And it is precisely in the finishing that one recognises Biver's signature. "To achieve this, we had to push our partners to develop techniques to decorate certain parts of the pieces that were not originally designed to be decorated."
Special features: pointed sword-shaped hands, five-link bracelet with facetted links and polished and satin-finished surfaces, titanium tourbillon, pink gold galvanised balance, white gold bridges, 196 recessed angles in the movement to emphasise the complexity and craftsmanship of the anglage. The dials are made of natural hard stones, sodalite or silvered obsidian, chosen for their benefits to body and mind. The 42 mm case is available in titanium, pink gold or a two-tone pink gold and titanium version.
An incredible piece of work, set up by Jean-Claude and Pierre Biver together with eight technical suppliers and a team of three watchmakers, capable of assembling 15 watches in a year, and certified by the Biver punch, four pages of specifications that end with a guarantee that the watches will be repairable for their entire existence.
Pricesfrom 520,000 euro.
