Berneron’s Mirage has never been a conventional dress watch, and the new Mirage 38 Miroir leans even further into that independent streak.
The watch takes the asymmetric language of the Mirage 38 and adds a dial-side view that appears to have been flipped from the back of the movement to the front.
It’s a technically intriguing idea, but also a very visual one, aimed squarely at collectors who enjoy architecture as much as finishing.
At a glance
- Berneron has introduced the Mirage 38 Miroir in 18k white gold and 18k yellow gold.
- The watch uses a mirrored openworked construction that makes the dial side resemble the movement view from the rear.
- Prices start at CHF 72,500 on leather and rise to CHF 130,250 on an 18k gold bracelet, excluding VAT.
Mirrored architecture without the obvious reflection
The name Miroir might suggest glossy polishing or a reflective dial treatment, but Berneron is using the word in a more literal architectural sense.
The display has been arranged to look as though the movement’s exhibition-back view has been inverted and brought to the dial side.
That gives the watch a deliberately disorienting quality, with the balance wheel visible at 9 o’clock, the power barrel cover near 1 o’clock and part of the winding column sitting below 3 o’clock.
The rotating seconds disk has no hand, so it functions as a quiet running indicator rather than a precise seconds display.
It’s a small decision, but it keeps the illusion clean and avoids turning the dial into a conventional openworked layout.
Calibre 283 and the Mirage case language
Inside is the Berneron calibre 283, a new movement with altered architecture that shares its key specifications with the calibre 233 it visually echoes.
It runs at 3 Hz, uses 135 components and offers a 72-hour power reserve.
The finishing is deliberately textured, with frosting across the golden section, guilloché waves on the silver bridges and a laser-engraved scale-like motif on the barrel cover.
The case keeps the Mirage’s distinctive asymmetry, shaped around the movement rather than forcing a shaped exterior around a conventional round calibre.
That matters, because the watch’s irregular silhouette feels connected to the mechanics rather than decorative for its own sake.
Both white gold and yellow gold versions are available, with each metal giving the exposed movement architecture a different temperature and contrast.
A serious independent proposition
Berneron has also been unusually clear about its long-term cadence, with a plan to introduce one watch each year during the first week of September.
That kind of predictability is rare in the high-end independent space, where launches can feel sudden and allocation-driven.
The Mirage 38 Miroir is not positioned as an entry point into independent watchmaking.
With a full gold case, a bespoke Berneron movement produced in partnership with Le Cercle des Horlogers and prices firmly in six-figure territory on bracelet, it’s a watch for collectors already comfortable with niche, low-volume horology.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Berneron |
|---|---|
| Model | Mirage 38 Miroir |
| Case size | 38mm height x 34mm width x 7mm thickness |
| Case material | 18k white gold or 18k yellow gold |
| Dial | Openworked mirrored construction |
| Water resistance | 30m, 3 bar |
| Movement | Berneron calibre 283 |
| Frequency | 21,600 vph, 3 Hz |
| Power reserve | 72 hours |
| Components | 135 |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, running indicator |
| Strap or bracelet | Barenia leather strap or 18k gold bracelet |
| Price | CHF 72,500 on leather, CHF 130,250 on gold bracelet, excluding VAT |
The Mirage 38 Miroir works because it doesn’t treat openworking as spectacle alone.
It uses the movement’s own geometry as the visual idea, which makes this one of Berneron’s more conceptually direct watches as well as one of its most collector-focused releases.
