Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is thrilled to welcome you to The Geneva Sessions, Fall 2025, online auction, running from 12:00 PM CET, Thursday, 4 September, to 2:00 PM CET, Friday, 12 September. The sale features more than 80 different high-end luxury wristwatches, covering everything from A. Lange & Söhne and F.P. Journe to Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, including the auction debut of a Berneron Mirage.
– By Logan Baker
When Sylvain Berneron officially introduced the Mirage in 2024 (after teasing it throughout 2023), it quickly became one of the most talked-about independent watch debuts of the year. Its striking design and flawless execution made waves. Collectors called it daring, designers called it brilliant, and watchmakers called it nuts (in the best way).
The Mirage challenged everything you thought you knew about what a watch should look like, how it should be constructed, and what modern elegance can be.
Now, for the first time, a Mirage is heading to auction. Phillips will present a “Prussian Blue” example in 18k white gold – one of the first 12 pieces ever made – at the Geneva Sessions Online Auction this September 2025.
So, what makes the Mirage so significant?
Let’s start with Sylvain Berneron himself. Before venturing out on his own, Berneron served as Chief Product Officer at Breitling, playing a key role in the brand’s contemporary design direction. Berneron spent over a decade behind the scenes shaping watches for others. The Mirage was his personal statement – a watch free of compromises, brand constraints, or cost-cutting committees.
The Mirage is a fundamental rethinking of how a mechanical watch should be designed. The idea was radical in its simplicity: let the movement dictate the case, and build from there.
The result was one of the most original wristwatches we’ve seen in years. Its case is organically asymmetrical – fluid, even sculptural – with gentle curves that feel both natural and precise. Inside, the ultra-thin, hand-wound movement stretches across the case.
The calibre 233 was developed with the Neuchâtel-based team at Le Cercle des Horlogers (whose résumé includes heavyweights like Biver and Louis Vuitton). At just 2.33mm thick, it’s a feat of micro-engineering. You’ll find direct small seconds, a large pocket-watch-inspired balance, and an oversized barrel driving a 72-hour power reserve. It’s a time-only watch, but it feels anything but simple.
Even the finishing pushes boundaries. The bridges and mainplate are made of solid gold. Guilloché, anglage, colimaçonnage, nuagage, traits tirés… every surface has something to say.
The Prussian Blue example available at Phillips captures Berneron’s philosophy of “discreet luxury.” The silver and blue dial contrasts elegantly with the cold gleam of the white gold case. The typography – yes, even the numbers – draws from the Fibonacci sequence.
And yet, the Mirage is no sterile technical exercise. It wears like nothing else, hugging the wrist with its gentle curves. Even the crown is asymmetric – an elongated teardrop that feels good between your fingers. The handset is reversed, with the hour hand on the outside and the minute hand on the inside. Why? Because it allowed for a slimmer profile. Every aesthetic choice serves a functional purpose.
From the case and crown to the dial, movement, buckle, and even the spring bars – every part is made from solid 18k gold. It’s a reminder that minimalism doesn’t have to mean austerity. Sometimes, it’s about stripping away everything except the good stuff.
After the Mirage’s debut, allocation lists filled up through the end of 2027. At the 2024 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), the Mirage won the “Audacity” Prize. The entire 2024 production – just two dozen pieces split evenly between yellow and white gold – was spoken for instantly. Since then, not one has surfaced at auction.
Until now.
You can view the complete Phillips Geneva Sessions, Fall 2025, Online Auction catalogue here.
About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at PHILLIPS Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its Geneva Watch Auction: XIV having realized $74.5 million in 2021. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, the company sold 100% of the watches offered, a first in the industry, resulting in the highest annual total in history across all the auction houses at $227 million.
About Logan Baker
Logan has spent the past ten years covering the watch industry from every angle. He joined Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo in early 2023 as Senior Editorial Manager, after previous roles at Hodinkee and WatchTime. Originally from Texas, he spent a decade in New York and now calls Geneva home.
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