I’ve been looking for a reason to write about Berneron ever since its debut watch, the Mirage, popped up on my timeline towards the end of last year.
Officially revealed in October, the Mirage, bears an unconventional melted-like design akin to the slightly even more melted-looking Cartier Crash, and is a true masterpiece for the wrist that was over two years in the making.
For those unfamiliar with Berneron, it’s the brand of Sylvain Berneron, the creative director of Breitling for over five years.
The Swiss designer, who has previously worked for BMW, Porsche, and Ducati, began his eponymous luxury side project in 2022 with an aim of breaking free from the constraints imposed by the already-established watch companies.
A bold move by a man at the helm of an already-established watch company.
Still, two years and the Mirage later, Berneron’s brand has already garnered itself quite the following, so much so that all twenty four of the nearly $60,000 Mirage watches it will create over the next decade have already been pre-sold.
But why? If Berneron was any other new watch brand trying its luck in the world of luxury timepieces with a $60,000 debut collection, it would likely be laughed out of the room.
But that’s where Berneron is different. It isn’t just any other watch brand. It’s a label that has meticulously perfected a beautiful watch over a prolonged two-year period under the guise of a guy who famously knows his onions.
Even a quick glance at the psychedelic numerals and the crooked hands of the Mirage proves just how much Berneron cares about the details, that's before even mentioning the caliber that measures just 2.3mm thick.
Lazy traditionalists will say that Berneron’s the Mirage is a Frankenstein'd concoction of a Patek Philippe Calatrava and Cartier Crash. Others (which includes you and I, by the way) will look at Berneron for its own worth and realise the Mirage for what it is: a true masterpiece.
