Biver Automatique Japan Edition Watch Review
The Biver Automatique Japan Edition is the latest creation from the family firm. The watch, to be sold exclusively by The Hour Glass Japan, is available in platinum or 18-carat rose gold. Both options are complemented with a colour-coordinated Grand Feu dial and powered by a micro-rotor equipped movement. Angus Davies begins by examining the career of Jean-Claude Biver before discussing this latest timepiece, created with his son Pierre.
Image – Biver Automatique Japan Edition
Jean-Claude Biver
In 1981, Jean-Claude Biver, along with Jacques Piguet, purchased the rights to the Blancpain name. Like many watch firms during the 70s, Blancpain was adversely affected by the ‘quartz crisis’ and ceased operating for some years. After acquiring the brand, Biver was instrumental in reviving the firm’s fortunes and the company was subsequently acquired by the Swatch Group in 1992. Thereafter, Biver joined the board of directors at Swatch Group and rejuvenated the Omega brand. A consummate marketing professional, he forged several sponsorship agreements with stars of the silver screen and sport. This promotional activity significantly boosted brand awareness and during his tenure at Omega, sales almost tripled.
Image – Jean-Claude Biver
After a short break, Biver returned to the watch industry in 2004, this time at the helm of Hublot. Again, his Midas touch came to the fore and helped accelerate the brand’s growth. Four years later, in 2008, having increased sales significantly, the company was acquired by LVMH. Biver continued to oversee Hublot before being tasked with running TAG Heuer (again, part of LVMH) in 2014. Thereafter he was placed in charge of TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith, a position he held for four years until 2018 before announcing his departure from the watch industry due to health reasons.
I’ve had the pleasure of listening to Jean-Claude Biver give speeches over the years. As a former marketing professional, I’m somewhat cynical about so-called ‘experts’, but Biver is the ‘real deal’. He has repeatedly grown brands and delivered results. Biver clearly understands the value of celebrity endorsements, advertising and the importance of thinking outside the box. But, perhaps more than anything else, Biver has a knack of identifying what consumers want and then delivering it.
Biver 2023 – a new era
After battling cancer and recovering from a bad accident, the highly motivated son of Luxembourg chose to return to watchmaking in 2023, launching his own eponymous brand along with his son, Pierre (Co-founder and Creative Director).
Image – Pierre Biver (L) and Jean-Claude Biver (R)
The inaugural Biver model was the Biver Carillon Tourbillon. Equipped with a highly complex movement, the watch can be specified with a sodalite dial, hand guilloché detail and an array of ownership options incorporating precious stones.
Image – Biver Automatique Japan Edition
Last year, Biver launched the Automatique, a three-hander. In comparison with its gravity-defying, chiming sibling, this model is simpler. However, don’t misconstrue, the Automatique is enriched with numerous refined details, all optimally arranged to seduce discerning souls.
Biver Automatique Japan Edition – enamel dials
Now, Biver has unveiled the Automatique Japan Edition, offered in two variants, platinum or 18K rose gold. Both watches feature optimally hued dials, white for the platinum model and black for the rose gold version. The colours, often considered polar opposites, reflect Japan’s fondness for light and shadow. Both watches are endowed with ‘hard-fired enamel’ dials. Biver worked with ‘Les Émailleurs de la Cité, Switzerland’s leader in exceptional enamel’. Sometimes termed ‘Grand Feu’, the time-consuming making of an enamel dial necessitates much skill.
The enamel powder is made from silica and crushed oxides. A dial blank is dipped in an alcohol-based liquid and then dusted with the enamel powder. The dial blank is dusted on both sides to prevent the metal warping. It is then placed in an oven at circa 800°C. The alcohol evaporates and the enamel powder melts to form a glass-like layer. After firing, the dial is removed from the oven, allowed to cool before another layer is applied and the firing process is repeated. Ultimately, numerous layers are applied to the dial.
Biver states, ‘It takes over 10 hours of enamel work to create one dial and then a further six hours to polish it to a uniform sheen’. The challenge with making a hard-fired enamel dial is that a high percentage of dials will crack or bubble during the firing process. Only those that are free of defects will pass muster. Interestingly, I know from experience that the black dial will have proved particularly challenging to create.
Highly prized by connoisseurs, a Grand Feu dial is imbued with depth and exhibits a rich lustre that won’t fade with the onset of years. The sense of luxury is heightened with faceted gold hands and applied markers, executed in a colour-coordinating shade. Furthermore, both variants feature a chemin de fer, aiding readability.
Biver Automatique Japan Edition – case
Both case variants measure 39 mm in diameter and have a thickness of 10 mm. Once again, Jean-Claude Biver’s marketing ‘nous’ is evident. He has shrewdly identified these modest dimensions will suit the majority of wrists. Close examination of the case reveals a seemly blend of contrasting finishes, a characteristic that invariably heightens costs.
Biver Calibre JCB-003
The Calibre JCB-003, first seen last year on the ‘standard’ Biver Automatique, features within this latest model. In my review of the Automatique, I highlighted the ultra-refined specification of the movement made in collaboration with Dubois Depraz. I’m not surprised to see it make a repeat appearance in this model; it’s a glorious example of fine watchmaking.
Biver Automatique Japan Edition – closing remarks
Recognising the importance of the Japanese market, Biver has created a remarkable watch that taps into the local fascination for ‘light and shadow’. It will be sold exclusively by The Hour Glass Japan, a fact that may frustrate some American or European horophiles.
Returning to Jean-Claude Biver, his professional career is hugely impressive. Over the years, he has developed a sensitivity to market trends. Moreover, he is blessed with a remarkable capacity for sating the needs of watch enthusiasts. This is manifest with the Biver Automatique Japan Edition, a watch created with the help of several industry specialists.
Lastly, I have to mention Pierre Biver. An avid collector of watches, he clearly has an eye for design, something that is evident not only with this latest watch, but all the brand’s creations to date.
Image – Pierre Biver
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Biver Automatique Japan Edition
- Case: platinum (Pt 950) or 18K rose gold, diameter 39 mm, height 10 mm, water resistant to 8 bar (80 metres), sapphire crystal to front, exhibition case back.
- Functions: hours, minutes, centre seconds
- Movement: Calibre JCB-003, self-winding movement, frequency 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz), 36 jewels, power reserve 65 hours
- Strap: grey or brown leather strap with platinum or rose gold pin buckle. Deployant buckle available on request
- Price: platinum with white enamel dial – CHF 92,000 (excluding tax – RRP as of 7.3.2025)
- Price: rose gold with black enamel dial – CHF 89,000 (excluding tax – RRP as of 7.3.2025)