The Impressive Berneron Quantième Annuel

If he had already spent years working for some of the biggest names in the watch industry, Sylvain Berneron truly made a name for himself on the independent watchmaking scene in 2023 with the launch of the first watch under his own brand. The unapologetically elegant and original Mirage – a shaped watch with an asymmetrical design directly mirroring its asymmetrical movement architecture – immediately showcased his creative capabilities and meticulous attention to detail. With its organic, flowing form, the Mirage inevitably recalls Dalí’s melting watches from The Persistence of Memory. Two years after the Mirage 38, following the introduction of a 34 mm version of the model, Berneron presents something entirely different: an annual calendar watch. After weeks of teasing progressive design elements, which we covered in our first article, the time has now come to discover the watch in the metal. With the first prototypes finally available, we could not resist visiting Sylvain Berneron on the heights of Neuchâtel to get hands-on with his latest creation, the Berneron Quantième Annuel.

Context and creation

Among the first questions that came to mind when discovering this Quantième Annuel was the contrast in inspiration between the original Mirage and this far more rigorist creation. The Mirage is asymmetrical, ultra-thin, and “technically simple” (a time-only watch), while the Quantième Annuel is round, symmetrical, and mechanically complex. So how far can a brand’s design language be stretched? Judging by these two watches, quite far – yet they clearly share a common thread: an elegance defined by meticulous attention to detail, inventive design, and impeccable craftsmanship.

As explained by Sylvain Berneron, the idea with his Quantième Annuel, “the idea was not to be confined by the design of the Mirage and to conquer a new territory of expression”. The philosophy that guided the creation of the model was to focus on the weak points of calendars with a window-based display, in particular the readability, which is often not ideal.

A clever display mixing calendar and regulator

To do so, Berneron designed a movement based on a symmetrical display that he likes to call “double regulator” with reference to yesteryear master clocks characterised by separate hour, minute and second displays for precision time reading. The time indications are arranged on the vertical axis with jumping hours, central minutes and small seconds. The calendar indications are placed on the horizontal axis with the day, retrograde date and month. Last, the day/night indication is provided through a small round aperture in the small seconds subdial. If the function itself is not really useful in daily life, as one usually knows if it is day or night, it is useful when setting the calendar, to make sure that its indications will jump at midnight and not midday.

Besides the intuitive logic of this geometric layout, the legibility is enhanced by the dimensions of the dial apertures. This was made possible by the architecture of the movement, with discs positioned on different levels to maximise their diameter, while the different heights are almost imperceptible from the dial side.

The second focus was that the watch should be user-friendly. Calendar watches often require complex setting procedures, with sometimes the risk of damaging the movement. In the case of the Berneron Quantième Annuel, settings can be performed at all times with no risks and as simply as possible. In the event of accidental tampering during the setting process, the calibre 595 is equipped with a safety device that resets the date to the first day of the following month.

The crown allows you to set the time (position 2) and the date (position 1). Corrections for the hours and the date can be made forward only. The two correctors integrated on both sides of the case are used to correct the day and the month (near the respective windows). As the name of the model suggests, one date adjustment at most is required per year. Unlike standard calendar watches, an annual calendar automatically takes into account the varying month lengths, but it always marks 29 days for February – meaning that 3 corrections are theoretically required on a 4-year cycle. There are no “dead zones” so corrections can be performed at any time.

A discreet but striking detail, the retrograde date indication is not evenly distributed along its arc, which can be noticed as 18 appears at its centre instead of 15-16. This creates a more balanced and harmonious arrangement of the date numerals. However, this small design choice has serious consequences beneath the dial, requiring date jumps of varying lengths: short for 1 to 11, medium for 12 to 22 and long for 23 to 31.

Strong design evolution

Two editions of the Berneron Quantième Annuel will be produced, one with a black dial and silver-grey accents, one with a silver dial and blue accents. The dial itself is made of solid gold, and it is paired with faceted gold hands.

As mentioned above, following the exuberant Mirage, the Berneron Quantième annuel comes in a deceptively simple round case. On the wrist, it wears comfortably thanks to its compact dimensions (38mm x 10mm) and curved lugs. The watch profile is particularly elegant, accentuated by the subtle line of force running along its length to the lugs.

Beyond the apparent simplicity, it is, however, a sophisticated design comprising no fewer than 32 different elements. As mentioned in our introducing article, “One of the key features of the case is its construction, named Steel Layer. Most of the case, for 85% of its total weight, is made of 950 platinum. But to overcome the weaknesses of platinum, being easily scratched but tedious to repair, the case comes with a protective layer of 904L steel on the most sensitive parts to increase its longevity. This layer is composed of six distinct components (over the bezel, lugs and on the crown), all removable and replaceable throughout the life of the piece. The watch is also equipped with a classic crown and two pushers located at 4 and 8 o’clock, acting as correctors for the day and month jumping indications.”

A superb Proprietary movement

Under the hunter case back lies a new proprietary movement. Sylvain Berneron does not disclose the name of his manufacturing partner. While the movement of the Mirage was produced with Le Cercle des Horlogers, this new calibre is made with the support of a different company. Beyond the inevitable curiosity, it ultimately matters little: Berneron is transparent about the fact that the movement was neither fully developed nor manufactured in-house. What does matter is that it was created according to his exacting specifications and will progressively be assembled internally, ensuring full control over quality.

Just like the Mirage, the movement is again made of solid gold. Its architecture mirrors the dial’s layout with a pleasant sense of symmetry. The crown wheel, the distinctive click and the ratchet are positioned horizontally. On the vertical axis, the second barrel creates a counterpoint to the variable inertia balance wheel. The hand-wound calibre 595 beats at 3Hz. It comes with a comfortable 100-hour power reserve on two barrels, which is quite convenient for an annual calendar, whose function is only relevant if the watch keeps running. The choice for a manual winding movement is debatable in this respect, but it allows Berneron to achieve a thinner profile… and the movement looks simply stunning when viewed through the officer case back. In this respect, Berneron notes, “I am not sure I will ever create an automatic winding watch…” 

With its annual calendar and jumping hour mechanisms, the sophisticated architecture of the calibre 595 comprises no fewer than 476 parts, while two patents have been filed. Another striking detail: beyond its user-friendly design and built-in securities, it comprises 4 “remontoirs” (spring or cams) that ensure that the indications jump smoothly without affecting the amplitude of the movement.

The watch and the movement in particular are beautifully finished. The latter features large Geneva stripes, polished sinks, fine anglage on the bridges, while the mainplate is grained. The steel balance bridge is bercé and is particularly difficult to achieve with its 8 internal angles.

Availability & Price

The Berneron Quantième comes on a supple barenia leather strap fitted with a pin buckle. As mentioned in our previous article, the Berneron Quantième Annuel will be produced in 24 pieces per colour and per year, for a period of 10 years (making the Series A). The first deliveries will begin in October 2026. And for the price, the watch has an… evolutive pricing strategy (justified by the wish to thank early collectors who ordered the first pieces… very much in the spirit of early birds pricing seen on crowd fundings, for instance). In 2026, it will be CHF 120,000, then CHF 130,000 in 2027 and CHF 140,000 in 2028. A strategy assumed by Berneron, but that’s been a point of debate among the watch community. 

For more details, please visit www.berneron.ch.