Biver Carillon Tourbillon Signature Series Watch Review
The new Biver Carillon Tourbillon Signature Series comprises a titanium model and a two-tone reference in titanium and 18k rose gold. Both options appear simpler and more understated than the company’s inaugural creation, the Carillon Tourbillon of 2023, a beautifully executed and artfully decorated purist’s instrument. Seemingly simple, the uncluttered dials found on both watches conceal a tourbillon and a minute repeater, two technically challenging mechanisms.
Carillon Tourbillon Biver (2023)
A couple of years ago, Biver boldly leapt into the limelight under the creative direction of industry legend Jean-Claude Biver, putting its debut watch in front of a pack of eager critics at a fete held at the company’s headquarters. The brand felt it was putting its best foot forward by releasing the incredibly complex and aesthetically unique Carillon Tourbillon. But sceptics were eager to question whether the watch was too specialist or whether the brand intended to merely capitalise on Biver’s reputation – the watch industry’s most successful brand reviver.
Biver had a three-hand automatic model up its sleeve, which it planned to follow up with, but first it wanted to show the world what it could do straight off the bat. The price of the Carillon Tourbillon was ambitious but this didn’t seem to diminish the model’s appeal among the cognoscenti. Indeed, it soon became apparent that the brand’s target audience appreciated the fusion of contemporary aesthetics, technical complexity and traditional craftsmanship. The brand’s release highlighted Jean-Claude’s newfound creative freedom, having broken away from the shackles of corporate restraints to launch the father-and-son brand. As such, Biver followed this initial design with several models featuring stone dials before unveiling the Automatique time-only watch – a vintage-inspired timepiece with a multi-textured dial.
Now, the brand has unveiled its all-new Carillon Tourbillon Signature Series, comprising two models. Both references eschew the dial aperture at 6 o’clock found on the Carillon Tourbillon of 2023. Moreover, were it not for the presence of the slide on the left flank of the case, you’d be forgiven for thinking these new releases were also time-only models.
The secret and unassuming complexity of the new Tourbillon Signature Series could go some way to explaining their appeal. Only those fortunate enough to acquire one of these limited editions will discover the hidden talents within. Both references (one in titanium and the other a two-toned variant in titanium and 18k rose gold) feature a three-gong minute repeater. Along with their concealed tourbillons and the jewel-like quality of the brand’s signature five-link bracelet, these models exercise tasteful restraint and could well be the brand’s most understated creations to date.
Biver Carillon Tourbillon Signature Series – case
Both Carillon Tourbillon Signature Series watches boast sharp angular cuts to the lugs. With the bi-colour model, titanium is used for the caseband, lugs, bezel and the outer links of the bracelet. The remaining elements, including the aforementioned slide gracing the left flank of the case, are formed from 18k rose gold.
Beneath the solid dial, the tourbillon counters the effects of gravity, while the slide on the side of the case awaits its owner’s orders, poised to perform its elaborate sequence of chimes. Although the titanium case is an unusual choice for a high complication watch, it does help to mitigate mass. Each model is endowed with a sapphire crystal caseback, granting sight of various movement parts in motion.
Biver Carillon Tourbillon Signature Series – dial
Seemingly identical to the dial of the Biver Automatique, the display of the new Carillon Tourbillon Signature Series model features brushed circular details. Concentric circlets fringe the central dial area and are embellished with alternating vertical and circular brushed rings, granting a multi-layered look. The dial plays host to satin-finished dauphine-style hour and minute hands. Elongated, faceted applied batons reside at the cardinal points, while shorter batons are positioned in between. A grey minute track fringes the dial and features crisp Arabic numerals presented in relief. Put simply, the Signature Series models play wonderfully with contrasts, juxtaposing different elements that come together in a well-orchestrated blend of brushed finishes and sharp lines. Furthermore, everything has been designed to play with light and shade, bestowing a vista enriched with visual depth and layered details.
Biver Carillon Tourbillon Signature Series – minute repeater
Traditionally, a minute repeater sings to the wearer using two hammers and two gongs – the latter of which are small masterpieces in and of themselves. Each gong emits a particular note, communicating the time to the wearer by sound alone. The low note depicts the hours, while the quarters are proclaimed using both gongs, almost working in tandem (one slightly trails the other) before eventually a high note sounds the singular minutes. As stated earlier, the minute repeater is actuated by moving the slide on the case. The tune of the new Carillon Tourbillon Signature Series is the work of three gongs and three hammers, all waiting their turn to chime. The combination of three gongs creates a more layered sound, although each individual note is just as easy to interpret. Interestingly, the all-titanium model will sound different from the two-tone gold and titanium model, since the lightweight alloy tends to accentuate the chiming mechanism’s soundtrack and produce clearer, crisper strikes.
Biver Carillon Tourbillon Signature Series – movement
These new Signature Series watches share the same movement as their predecessor – the calibre JCB-001-B, which, assuming the mainspring is fully wound, will run autonomously for 72 hours. Hand finishing abounds, embellishing many of the movement’s 374 components, even those out of sight. The finissage includes Clous de Paris guilloché, anglage and straight graining, among others. The movement is endowed with a 22k gold micro rotor, a technically challenging feat only a few Maisons have mastered.
Closing Thoughts
The Carillon Tourbillon Signature Series watches are a finely distilled blend of passion and expertise with nuanced details that extend from the case to the dial. Despite his success in breathing new life into some of the industry’s most prominent brands, Jean-Claude Biver’s creativity is now at its zenith, manifest in those peerless creations that bear his name. The Signature Series certainly leans into a subtler, more pared-back aesthetic when contrasted with the inaugural model, the Carillon Tourbillon. Indeed, these latest references conceal the tourbillon mechanism behind a solid dial, subscribing to a ‘less is more’ approach; however, rest assured, there is much technical virtuosity within. Indeed, you merely have to turn the watch over and admire its glorious movement or, better still, move the slide and initiate the minute repeater to deliver a chiming performance. Quite simply, whether aural or visual, the excellence of the Biver Carillon Tourbillon Signature proves captivating.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Biver Carillon Tourbillon Signature Series
- Case: titanium or titanium & 18k rose gold, diameter 42 mm, height 13.7 mm, water resistant to 5 bar (50 metres), sapphire crystal to front, exhibition case back.
- Functions: hours, minutes, tourbillon, minute repeater
- Movement: Calibre JCB-001-B, self-winding movement, frequency 21,600 vph (3 Hz), 44 jewels, power reserve 72 hours, 374 components
- Strap: titanium or titanium & 18k rose gold Biver bracelet, folding clasp, micro adjustment
- Price: CHF 475,000 (RRP as of 10.7.2025)