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In July, Yoni Ben-Yehuda, the head of watches at the New York boutique Material Good, sent a description of a new $82,000 Biver timepiece to a dedicated fan group chat called “Leave It to Biver.” Before even seeing an actual image of the watch, members began wiring Material Good deposits to ensure they didn’t miss out on the opportunity to own one. Ben-Yehuda generated enough interest through that one text message, in fact, that the watch is now sold out until 2029.
What’s craziest is that this behavior isn’t really that unusual. “There’s a lot of times where you just have to trust the watchmakers, and you know the retailer has good enough taste, to get this done,” says Jeremy Roizin, one of the collectors who reserved the new Biver AB over the summer.
This reflects the new reality of buying watches at the extremely high end in 2026, where timepieces only a select few even know exist are racking up years-long waitlists. The independent brand Simon Brette regularly reports in press releases announcing its newest watches that the entire production runs are already spoken for. At Watches and Wonders this year, F.P. Journe, which now routinely sees its pieces sell for over a million at auction, wouldn’t even let me share images of its newest models to avoid the wrath of its devoted fans, many of whom wouldn’t be able to get their hands on the pieces.
Today’s hottest watch brands inspire the type of loyalty in customers normally reserved for religions or K-pop bands. In addition to their own dedicated group chat, some fans of the brand H. Moser & Cie. have started getting the Swiss maker’s logo tattooed on their bodies. “The people who are becoming diehard collectors of some of these new independents, they are in for a penny, in for a pound,” says Ben-Yehuda.
Courtesy of Biver
Courtesy of Biver
Collectors now embrace the Bivers of the world not just to acquire cool watches, but also as a means to develop actual friendships. Scroll through the brand’s dedicated group chat and you’ll find pictures from a member’s daughter’s wedding, recommendations on where to get bagels in New York, and photos of recent pickups from other makers. The result is something arguably even more irresistible than the watches themselves: an exclusive club. “The price of admission is you have to own a Biver, and if you get rid of your Biver, then you're removed from the group,” says Ben-Yehuda. Of course, all this community building will likely only make these clients feel even more connected to—and eager to buy more from—the brand that brought them together in the first place.
Acquiring these types of pricey, limited-production watches in 2026 basically requires customers to identify and commit to their favorite brands the way I once sought out pop-punk bands in the aughts: It’s only really worth it if you knew about them before they became popular.
“If you’re trying to get on the train with Rexhep [Rexhepi] or Berneron now, you’ve already missed it,” Roizin says, identifying two of the hottest watchmakers on the planet. “You do have to kind of pick and choose and try to get in early because of the recent demand for the indies. But I think you just have to do it for the right reasons.”
When Roizin and I spoke on Thursday afternoon, he still hadn’t seen the watch he’d made a substantial financial commitment to in person. But I had.
On Wednesday, Ben-Yehuda took me into the back office at Material Good and drew the blinds. Just outside the door were two other collectors who had made deposits and still hadn’t gotten to touch or try on the watch.
After spending about a half hour with it, I don’t think the new Biver AB is going to disappoint any of its early backers. Founded by industry legend JC Biver, who steered brands like Hublot and Omega to glory, alongside his son Pierre, the brand is best known for turning out elegant watches splashed with luxurious elements: cases made of gold and platinum, rare stone dials, pops of diamonds, and crazy complications.
The AB is Biver’s take on a sport watch. This is the brand’s first stainless steel model, but the designers couldn’t forgo gold entirely—they’re not savages! Instead, the precious metals and stones are tucked into discreet corners: the inner section of the dial is crafted from sandblasted yellow gold, the outer track is done up in onyx, and the movement is white gold.
Courtesy of Biver
Meanwhile, relative to Biver’s previous releases, the rest of the watch has been bulked up. The bezel and lugs are both larger and more muscular. The bracelet’s links don’t lie flat against each other, which adds a very cool dimension—it almost seems like it’s alive, responding to every twitch of the wrist. I don’t know if the sport that this sport watch was intended for has been invented yet, but the design makes me think wealthy people will be playing it in the year 2058 (which, coincidentally, is probably right around the time you’ll finally get off the waitlist if you put your name down now).
A few months earlier, Roizin stopped by Material Good with a friend who had seen his Biver and wanted an intro to the brand. Roizin’s buddy bought two versions of Biver’s Automatique watches, which meant he was officially admitted to the club. At that point, Ben-Yehuda mentioned the brand was working on a new sport model. That was all it took, according to Roizin. “Cool,” his friend said. “Take a deposit.”