Incredible? And yet true. What do wine and cheese have in common? Read on and your question will be answered. Here it is. Those of you who are at least superficially connected with the world of watches have probably heard the name Jean-Claude Biver. Half a century of experience, courage and creativity are behind the unshakable Mr. Beaver. He is a living legend in Switzerland, the man who breathed new life into the houses of Blancpain, Hublot and Omega, and who has made the greatest contribution to their current prosperity and recognition. The last brand he managed was TAG Heuer. He retired from active service in 2018 as chairman of the watch division of the LVMH group. And where everyone thought that now, at the age of 73, he would sit quietly on his eggs, enjoying retirement and making cheese in the Swiss mountains – because he is also a keen cheesemaker – he made a turn that once again surprised everyone. In 2022, he announced that he was building his own watch company with his 23-year-old son Pierre. And in March 2023, right at the start of Watches & Wonders in Geneva, father and son presented their first Biver model.

The presentation of this new business venture by the eminent Mr. Biver was attended by leading Swiss watchmakers: presidents of leading houses, designers, independent watchmakers and trade journalists. It goes without saying that the event monopolized the discussions in the Geneva Salon, arousing general curiosity, because before that everything was kept secret, no one had seen a single photo of the new watch.

And the name of this?

BIVER Carillon Tourbillon Minute Repeater. But don’t be prepared to shell out money to get it, because you’ll need two lives. Its retail price is more than half a million euros (more precisely, 520 thousand euros without tax)! Obviously, it is designed not for mere mortals, but for wealthy collectors and eclectic fans of haute horlogerie. This is a complex minute repeater with a tourbillon and microrotor, and its dial is made of stone: sodalite or silver obsidian.

Each of its elements has its own history from the history of watchmaking, acting as a bridge connecting the past, present and future. As we mentioned above, its price is more than half a million euros, which is an astronomical figure for most and certainly not unimportant for collectors.

However, despite the very high price, all three versions of the watch (in titanium, rose gold or titanium with rose gold) disappeared in the blink of an eye. And imagine that the Carillon Tourbillon Minute Repeater watch has not even had time to appear on the market. The first three copies are in production and should be delivered to the owners in September 2023!

Auction

And we come to the big news. During the official launch of the Biver watch in March, it was announced that Phillips would be auctioning off a one-of-a-kind original Carillon Tourbillon Minute Repeater watch with a titanium case and bracelet and an obsidian silver dial. The auction did indeed take place on Sunday, May 14, 2023 at the Hotel La Réserve in Geneva, and the watch in question, number 128, was mercilessly “beaten” by potential buyers within 15 minutes. Some were in the room while others made bets by phone or online.

The winner of the competition was an American collector who placed the final bid online and paid an astronomical sum of one million Swiss francs for the original Biver 00/00. Along with the watch, he received warm congratulations from Jean-Claude Biver and his son Pierre, as well as a bottle of Château d’Yquem 1949 from Mr. Biver’s personal collection (born in 1949), as well as two kilograms of wine. an admittedly delicious cheese that he produces himself in the mountains of the Alps.

More information about Biver watches Here.