Berneron, Mirage Prussian Blue Watch

[Acquire from Berneron]

The watch that decided a case does not have to be round.

Made in Switzerland · 18k gold case and movement · 38 mm, hand-wound

Why it's here

Sylvain Berneron left a senior design post at Breitling to make watches under his own name, and the Mirage was his first. Movement and case were drawn together, each shaped to the other, which is why nothing about it is symmetrical. The house is only a few years old and produces very few pieces. It is here because the quality is already plain to see, and because a maker like this is worth knowing before everyone else does.

The object

The case curves like a river stone and sits lower on one side than the other. Beneath the Prussian blue dial is a hand-wound calibre whose plates and bridges are made of solid gold, cut to follow the outline of the case. Hours and minutes sit off-centre, with a small seconds dial below them.

Living with it

At 38 millimetres and very slim, it slides under a shirt cuff and goes unnoticed until someone looks twice. Wind it each morning. People who know watches will ask what it is, and that question is the pleasure of wearing a maker this young.

Origin: Switzerland
Case: 18k gold, 38 mm
Movement: Hand-wound, solid gold calibre
Dial: Prussian blue

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