Mindful Stones

So much of watchmaking is about science and engineering. The profile of a gear’s teeth, the mass of a repeater’s hammer, the tension in a mainspring. But watchmaking is also poetry. It is, in a very real way, an attempt to harness one of the universe’s most basic principles – time – and to carry it around on our wrists.

At Biver, we indulge this sense of poetry through the use of stone dials in all of our watches. This makes each watch as unique as the piece of stone itself, and it nods to the unique journey each watch will take once it leaves our workshops.

There is a long tradition of using stones – precious and otherwise – in jewelry and watches, across cultures and across the globe. Human beings have seemingly always been drawn to the rich colors, sparkling surfaces, and sense of drama that these organic marvels display. Over time, various cultures have attached specific meanings to specific stones, believing they promote vitality or a sense of mental clarity, for example. While we don’t suggest any specific meanings for our stone dials, we do believe these natural materials give off a particular energy and imbue the watches with an extra sense of life.

“Even though today our beliefs have evolved somewhat under the influence of science and Cartesian thought, deep down we still believe in the beneficial effects of stones and the influence of their waves. The stones also remind us of the values ​​our ancestors attributed to them." – Jean-Claude Biver, Co-Founder.

When looking at materials for the Carillon Tourbillon, we looked at a mix of traditional and not-so-traditional stones. Each was picked for particular aesthetic qualities and to work in the context of each watch’s overall design, but each stone also had to meet certain sound criteria, so that it would not negatively impact the sound of the chimes. Ultimately we used the following nine types of stones across the nine variations of the Carillon Tourbillon:

Silver Obsidian can vary in color from charcoal-gray to light grey, with characteristic iridescent swirls throughout. For our dials, we selected warm, charcoal grey sections to fully show off the natural variations in this stone, literally born at the center of the earth.

The signature rich green color and iridescent lighter green stripes make Malachite easy to spot, even when used with restraint in the Carillon Tourbillon Malachite Openwork. The organic colors and visual intensity lend a lively spirit to a highly technical watch.

Precious blue sapphires are extremely versatile in watchmaking. They make a bold visual statement, especially when cut and set in unexpected ways, but they are also scratch-resistant and can be used to equal effect inside and outside a watch.