The Automatique: Dialed In | Biver - Swiss Luxury Watchmakers

Seemingly simple things are often the most difficult to accomplish. When designing a dial for a three-hand, time-only watch, there is nowhere to hide. The wearer sees every element as the hands gracefully trace the passing seconds, but a truly exceptional dial will continue to reveal itself over time, keeping that sense of wonder alive long after the watch is first worn.

This was our goal when crafting the dials for the Automatique. We were inspired by some of the vintage watches we love most and their commitment to clarity and legibility. In particular, sector dials and their scientific heritage intrigued us and our designers sought to capture their spirit while also firmly entrenching them in the world of Maison Biver. We want to show off the beauty and interest that can be coaxed out of solid 18k gold by talented craftspeople and artists.

“We wanted to rekindle a certain kind of flair that watch dials had in a bygone era,” says co-founder Pierre Biver. “But we wanted to stay true to our identity by not merely recreating something historical. We decided to embrace the natural properties of gold – similar to what we do with hard stone dials – and to give them a vintage-inspired look through contemporary construction and painstaking finishing throughout.”

Each dial starts with a solid piece of 18k gold – rose gold to match the rose gold case and white gold to pair with the platinum case. The dial is engraved with a series of three concentric rings to mimic the printed sectors on vintage dials. These are then alternatingly finished with satin finish with straight brushing and circled satin finish, emphasizing the natural qualities of the gold while providing a clear visual difference. As light strikes the dials from different angles they take on different characteristics, often appearing two-tone, though the only difference is in the decoration of the gold itself. The back sides of the dials are decorated with circular graining too, even though nobody but the watchmakers will ever see this perspective. The pursuit of perfection doesn’t end just because a particular component or surface is invisible when the watch is worn.

Both dials also feature applied 18k gold hour markers and 18k gold hands in an anthracite color that maximizes legibility. The hands alone are miniature works of art, with four internal angles on each, and the markers are faceted and well-proportioned so they are easy to see without distracting from the overall look of the watch. Finishing things off is an applied 18k gold chemin de fer, or railroad track, at the dial’s outer edge. This deeply engraved ring shows the seconds and fractions of seconds and has a frosted finish that shows yet another aspect of gold’s rich personality.

The Atelier Series

In addition to these two new introductions to the core collection, we are releasing two special watches as part of our Atelier Series. These limited production watches return to Biver’s roots working with hard stone dials. For this first series, we have paired the rose gold case with a Pietersite dial, which is dark blue with painterly swirls of white and orange throughout, and the platinum case with a sanded Obsidian dial, which has a dappled surface varying in color from charcoal to dove grey.

These dials are constructed slightly differently from their gold counterparts. Since the dials themselves are not gold, the hands and markers are either 18k rose gold or white gold to match the color of the case. This keeps them bright and legible while also visually connecting the dials to the cases. The markers themselves are also a bit longer (all the same length as the 3-6-9 markers on the gold dials) and they are applied over the chemin de fer, which here is set in from the dial’s edge and has a slightly pared-down design without engraved numerals. They act as accents to the beautiful stones without overwhelming or distracting from them.

A Neoclassical Approach

The Automatique’s solid 18k gold and semi-precious stone dials both emphasize Biver’s overall approach to watchmaking. They take cues from the past and from our founders’ deep love of vintage timepieces while also pushing the watchmaking art into new territory, experimenting with materials and finishes in unexpected ways. And with the Automatique’s clean, no-nonsense design, these dials really have room to shine.

“The Automatique is not a stepping-stone for Maison Biver, but rather a cornerstone of who we are and where we want to go,” continues Pierre Biver. “It is about sharing our perspective on what 21st-century watchmaking can be and establishing an identity that can grow and evolve along with our Maison.”