Biver Automatique « Echoes of this Moment »
Biver Automatique « Echoes of this Moment »
Auction: December 7, 3:00 pm ET at Phillips New York
Biver co-founder and creative director Pierre Biver first met Ehinger a few years ago through a mutual family friend – and the two hit it off immediately. They bonded over their shared love of art and design, as well as the natural beauty that surrounds both the Biver workshops in Givrins and Ehinger’s studio, just a short drive away in Vevey. The lake, the vineyards, and the open skies are shared features in their everyday lives and huge inspirations for the work that both of them do.
“For this project, it was important for Biver to collaborate with a Swiss artist – especially one from the region where my father and I have spent much of the last 25 years. Guillaume’s paintings have an emotional depth and a commitment to craft that mirror the philosophy behind Biver watches. We approach the creation of each timepiece from an emotional perspective, whether it’s inspired by an abstract idea, a vision, or a memory.” Pierre Biver, Co-Founder & Creative Director
![]()
Ehinger works in much the same way. His abstract paintings mostly focus on landscapes familiar to our region of Switzerland, represented through bold shapes, fields of color, and painterly gestures. He sometimes hints at figuration, but never fully gets there, relying on the viewer’s own memories and experiences to inform their interaction with each painting. He is fascinated by the ways we experience time and the ways certain things linger in our memories, sometimes without us even realizing it. Translating these ideas and techniques into a wristwatch was not easy, but we are tremendously proud of the results.
![]()
The Automatique “Echoes of this Moment” is a unique piece and will be sold as part of the TimeForArt auction, taking place at Phillips in New York City on December 7 at 3:00 PM ET. The watch carries an estimate of $60,000-120,000 and will be available to view during the auction preview happening December 4-6 at Phillips New York (432 Park Ave, New York, NY 10022). Opening Hours are 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM each day.
![]()
A family approach to watchmaking
After 50 years at the highest echelons of the watchmaking business, Jean-Claude Biver decided to partner with his son Pierre Biver and to embark on a magnificent new adventure together. In 2023, the two passionate collectors launched a new kind of watch brand, making timepieces that push the boundaries of watchmaking art and chart a vision for the future of what high-end Swiss watchmaking can be. Liberated from the usual corporate constraints, they assembled a dream team of top specialists, each a master in their respective fields, to craft truly extraordinary timepieces without compromise. The inaugural creation, the Carillon Tourbillon, features a tourbillon, minute repeater, and a micro-rotor, holds a special place in their hearts, and they are excited now to be laying the foundation for the future of the Biver brand with the recent introduction of the anything-but-basic Automatique.
![]()
Based in Vevey, Switzerland, Guillaume Ehinger is a visual artist who works mainly as a painter. He is best known for his large canvases featuring abstract compositions inspired by natural landscapes, with the organic shapes and fields of color suggesting figuration but never quite verging into direct representation. Instead, his paintings suggest fleeting moments and memories, inviting the viewer to bring his or her own interpretation and experience to each work as they encounter it. For more, follow Ehinger on Instagram at @guillaumeehinger.
Following the heartwarming wave of generosity and enthusiasm from its inaugural edition in 2022, New York-based non-profit Swiss Institute has announced the second edition of TimeForArt, the first and only benefit watch auction dedicated to supporting contemporary art. The auction is to be held as part of The Phillips New York Watch Auction: XI at Phillips, as a dedicated, live session on Saturday December 7
th, at 3pm EST. The auction will also be livestreamed, allowing collectors to bid in advance or in real-time online, by phone, or in person in the auction room. Visit
phillips.com and
timeforart.ch for more on the auction.
Automatique 
