Berneron is a Swiss independent brand that has a clear plan ahead of them for the next ten years. They aim to release one watch a year during the first week of September, meaning there’s no questions about when their next release might suddenly drop – giving collectors security and confidence. Running their brand like clockwork. 2026’s launch is the Mirage 38 Miroir in white and yellow gold, a new expression of 2023’s Mirage 38.
At the core of this new watch is what Berneron describe as their new method of creating an openworked display through “mirrored construction”. This is also what givies the collection the name Miroir, or mirror in French. You might assume that means there some mirror polishing or some other reflective quality but that’s not the case. Instead, the display is designed to look like it’s backwards – ie. mirrored. It’s a little difficult to describe what they mean by that but essentially, the front dial of the Mirage 38 Miroir is designed to look like the view through the exhibition caseback of the Mirage 38 Sienna. The architecture has been flipped and inverted.
You can see the balance wheel at 9 o’clock, the power barrel cover at 1 o’clock, even part of the winding column connecting to the crown just below 3 o’clock. To further the illusion, they haven’t equipped the rotating seconds disk with a hand so that it just spins at a rate of once per minute without any indications – serving as a running indicator rather than a precise seconds counter.
The movement that’s on display is the calibre 283. It’s technically a new movement because of its altered architecture but its specs are shared with the calibre 233 that it’s imitating. That means a 72-hour power reserve, 135 components, and 3 Hz frequency. It’s finished with frosting across its golden portion and guilloché waves on the silver bridges. The power barrel cover is laser engraved with its scale-like motif.
For the cases, they’re presented in the Mirage’s typical asymmetric design that’s based on the shape of the movement rather than being arbitrarily wiggly around a circular movement. There’s the choice of white gold or yellow gold. I find myself preferring the yellow gold because the contrast makes the balance wheel’s bridge stand out with greater impact while the white gold is colder with a little less pop.
The full gold case in combination with the bespoke movement designed by Berneron and produced in partnership with Le Cercle des Horlogers means the price tag is quite extreme. On leather strap they are CHF 72,500 (approx. £66,375) or on gold bracelet they’re CHF 130,250 (approx. £119,250). One for the dedicated collectors who know their way around the high-end independent scene rather than first time buyers.
Price and Specs:
More details at Berneron.
