Geneva Watch Days
Berneron Unveils the First Quantième Annuel Prototypes at Geneva Watch Days
The young brand’s highly anticipated second act cements its status as one to watch in independent watchmaking.
By Henri Lee
Contributor
Sylvain Berneron, a veteran of the watch industry, founded his namesake brand in September 2022. His first creation, the Mirage, with its irregular dial and movement, went on to win the 2024 GPHG Audacity Prize. Since then, collectors and social media have followed closely, eager to see what Berneron would create next.
In April, he revealed his second act: an annual calendar conceived and built entirely from scratch. This unexpected move only heightened the anticipation. The watch then made its official debut at Geneva Watch Days. With eye-catching prototypes that collectors were eager to try on their wrists, the brand delivered on its promise.
By the end of the four-day fair, Berneron’s Quantième Annuel stood out as one of the event’s highlights. Quantième, meaning “day of the month” in French, is Berneron’s new collection devoted to calendar watches and other high complications. The debut pieces are a pair of annual calendars named Annuel Silver and Annuel Black.
Now, with striking images captured by our on-site photographer, we take a closer look at this important release from a rising independent brand.
Intuitive Dial Design and Calendar Setting
Sylvain Berneron was trained as a designer and later worked as a product leader before founding his brand. From the start, his aim was to overcome two drawbacks often found in complicated calendars: first, how difficult they are to set; second, how hard they are to read.
His answer? A circular dial with a logical layout that is clear and easy to use.
On the new Quantième Annuel, time is read from top to bottom in a regulator-style format. The jumping hour sits at the top, minutes are shown via a central pencil-style hand, and the seconds occupy a sub-dial at 6 o’clock with a day/night indicator sharing the space.
The calendar is read from left to right, showing day, date, and month in natural sequence. For example, Friday, the 13th of December, is in the picture above. The date uses a retrograde display, with all numerals evenly spaced across a semi-circular arc.
User-friendliness extends to the setting operations. Instead of a stylus, the day (at 8 o’clock) and month (at 4 o’clock) are adjusted with two pushers located on each side of the case. The crown handles both the date and the time.
A Stunning Movement
The watch is powered by the new Caliber 595, named after its slim 5.95mm height. At first glance, it is a manual-wind movement with a perfectly balanced layout that mirrors the symmetry of the dial.
Horizontally, the crown, crown wheel, cliquet, and ratchet wheel form a straight line. Two barrels drive the mechanism, with the first barrel positioned underneath the plate. Vertically, the second barrel visible at 6 o’clock lines up with the balance wheel at the top.
The complexity of this movement lies in the four instantaneous jumping apertures for the hour, day, month, and day/night indicator, along with the retrograde date mechanism. These features demand precise management of energy storage and release.
In total, the movement consists of 476 components, including 33 jewels, and delivers a power reserve of 100 hours, enough for four full days of use.
Novel Construction
The Quantième Annuel is housed in a refined, not-too-big, not-too-small 38mm case with a thickness of just 10mm. Platinum makes up 85% of the case, while six thin layers of stainless steel are applied to the bezel, lugs, and crown. This clever construction solves the problem of platinum’s softness by adding scratch-resistant steel elements. Each steel component can be removed and replaced during servicing.
The case also features an officer’s caseback, which protects the movement and provides a surface for personal engraving. Water resistance is rated to 30 meters (3 ATM).
Prices & Availability
The Quantième Annuel Silver and Quantième Annuel Black are priced at CHF 140,000 (excluding VAT). Clients who placed early pre-orders will benefit from a discount. The first deliveries are expected in October 2026, with production limited to 24 pieces of each model per year.
These intriguing, high-complication novelties from Berneron could not be more different from the curvy, asymmetric, time-only Mirage models, both in dial and movement. Its innovative drive, creative passion, and versatility have no doubt cemented the young brand’s position as one to watch.
For more details, visit the Berneron website.