Tonal Harmony

Two-tone watches have been around for a very long time and periodically experience resurgences in popularity. However, despite their heritage, there are few design decisions in watchmaking that are more polarizing than combining multiple metals in a single watch.

Ted Gushue, founder of Type7 and ERG media, agrees. “Two tone watches, by nature, have a tendency to bifurcate audiences. Either you are all-in or all-out. I have always been all-in…I think we are living in an era of the resurgence of the two-tone statement watch. They feel to me like a light tweed blazer that you wear in the autumn – not quite winter, not quite summer, just that perfect comfortable temperature.”

These emotions become even more intense when a complicated, avant-garde timepiece is given the two-tone treatment, instead of something simpler like an everyday time-and-date watch. For the Carillon Tourbillon Two-Tone, we chose to push things yet another step, combining the Calibre JCB-001 with the two-tone rose gold and titanium case and bracelet, and then openworking the dial so that you can admire the inner workings of the mechanism itself.

This is the very essence of what we mean when we speak about neoclassical watchmaking at Biver – we are inspired by elements from the past, but we are always looking to create something new that both advances the art of watchmaking and inspires our collectors to think different about what contemporary watches can be. Every new watch must also add something to the collection and be built with a purpose.

“Two-tone watches have always held a special place in my heart, as they represent an era of watchmaking that particularly inspires me – the 1970s and 80s,” says Biver’s co-founder and creative director Pierre Biver. “Since we initially launched the Carillon Tourbillon with two different metals, rose gold and titanium, we decided to experiment with how these two metals would combine. It was a bold decision, and technically challenging, but we are extremely pleased with the result.”

That result is a Carillon Tourbillon housed in a titanium case with rose gold bezels on both the front and back, a rose gold crown, and a rose gold slide for the minute repeater. Additionally, the bracelet has titanium links on the outer edges and three rows of rose gold links in between and a rose gold deployant clasp.

Importantly, the change in construction also has an impact on the sound of the minute repeater itself. By making the mid-case of titanium, the repeater resonates more than it would with a solid gold case and the openworked dial amplifies this effect, since there is no metal or stone dial to dampen the sound of the gongs. Ultimately, this was the goal with the Carillon Tourbillon Two-Tone – to make a minute repeater that has an iconoclastic look and a new, enhanced sound. It is a true coming together of aesthetic and technical design working in tandem toward a common objective.

“The Carillon Tourbillon Two-Tone is definitely a contemporary watch in its construction, design and size,” says Tiffany To, Head of Sales, Phillips Geneva. “Yet, if one assesses the term ‘vintage’ based on parameters such as details, quality and insistence on producing the best-finished product on the market today, it is most definitely vintage in spirit.”