Bovet 1822 : The blend of technical and aesthetic …

Amadeo Virtuoso

Case : convertible (wristwatch, pocket watch, table clock) in red or white gold, sapphire crystal case-back Diameter : 44 mm Movement : hand-wound tourbillon (Caliber 16BM02AI-HSMR), 439 parts, 21,600 vph, 5-day power reserve, Fine Watchmaking finishes, engraved decor Functions : jumping hours, retrograde minutes, seconds on the tourbillon, power reserve, inverted hand-fitting Strap : full grain alligator leather Water resistance : 30m

 

OttantaTre – Bovet by Pininfarina

Case : convertible (wristwatch, pocket watch, table clock) in red or white gold, sapphire case-back Diameter : 44mm Movement : hand-wound tourbillon (Caliber 16BM03AI-HSMR), 421 parts, 21,600 vph, 5-day power reserve, Fine Watchmaking finishes, engraved decor Functions : jumping hours, retrograde minutes, seconds on the tourbillon, power reserve, inverted hand-fitting Strap : rubber Water resistance : 30m  Limited edition : 83 units for the 83rd anniversary of the Pininfarina Italian design firm

Within its integrated Dimier 1738 Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie, Bovet produces “custom-made” movements perfectly suited to the cases that will house them, and in particular spectacular tourbillon calibers. The latest is combined with an instantaneous jumping hour display, retrograde minutes jumping back-to-zero resetting, as well as a five-day power reserve : three complex functions arranged around the same axis in a remarkably legible manner. Since it is reversible, it also displays a second face indicating the hours and minutes in a traditional manner thanks to the reversed hand-fitting. The Virtuoso model is fitted inside an entirely revisited Amadeo case with a cambered caseband and sapphire crystals in the spirit of the pocket-watches created by Edouard Bovet in the 19th century. The controls of the convertibility system are no longer integrated within the lower bezel ring on the back of the timepiece, but instead in the crown, beneath the bow – much like the caseback-opening pushbuttons on certain historical models. The ethereally light movement inside features an engraved décor that is a House signature as well as several nods to its heritage. The rounded-off bridges of the tourbillon carriage bridges evoke the index assembly on antique timepieces, while the lever adopts the “tail lever” design typical of the latter half of the 19th century ; the escape-wheel is connected to its arbor by two curved spokes instead of our straight ones ; and the balance features three blued weights like that of the Rising Star tourbillon.

Within the OttranTre, the third tourbillon in the Bovet by Pininfarina collection, the new tourbillon movement adopts a resolutely more contemporary style. The straight lines, clean-cut angles as well as the smooth, blackened surfaces form an harmonious whole with the convertible case interpreted by the famous Italian design firm. The jumping hour numerals cut-out in a rotating disc alternately take their place above a Superluminova dot, while the minute and power-reserve indicator hands are superimposed in an original manner on either side of a dedicated bridge. The blend of technical and aesthetic sophistication once again achieves a sensational result.

 

 

Récital 9 Miss Alexandra

Case : oval, red or white gold, sapphire case-back Dimensions : 41 x 37.2mm Movement : hand-wound tourbillon (Calibre 15BM01-MP), 351 parts, 21,600 vph, 7-Day power reserve, Fine Watchmaking finishes, engraved decor Functions : hours, minutes, power reserve, moon phase Dial : engraved luminescent moon, engraved blue PVD-treated sky, hands forming a heart shape Strap : alligator leather Water resistance : 30m

 

Cambiano Cambiano – Bovet by Pininfaria

Case : convertible (wristwatch, pocket watch, table clock, dashboard clock) in steel, sapphire case-back  Diameter : 45 mm  Movement : self-winding, 28,800 vph, 50-hour power reserve, Fine Watchmaking finishes Functions : hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph, date Dial : rhodiumed, solid oak counters  Strap : leather Water resistance : 30 m Limited edition : 80 units

 

The same can be said of the Récital 9 Miss Alexandra Tourbillon, in the non-convertible Dimier collection, which debuts an oval case housing a delightfully poetic movement exclusively designed for women. The bridges of the tourbillon carriage form a smile, the seconds hand is replaced by a diamond, the hour and minute hands compose a heart when the latter comes to rest on top of the former, and the power-reserve pointer reveals only its tip around the edge of the sky on the moon-phase display. This complication greatly valued by women is depicted here by an extremely realistically portrayed moon featuring luminescent relief effects.  Contrary to standard versions, it remains in a fixed position and two mobile pallets, recessed into the engraved blue sky, progressively cover it in the course of its cycle. The corresponding corrector is fitted in the center of the crown, thus preserving the smooth, pure aesthetic of the ergonomically shaped caseband.

Back to convertibility with the announcement of a fourth usage, developed for the electric-powered Pininfarina Cambiano sports-sedan concept car that Bovet’s partner presented in 2012. In addition to serving as a wristwatch, a pocket watch and a table clock, the Cambiano chronograph now also plays the role of a dashboard clock, fitting neatly inside special housing in the center console of the luxury car. The chronograph counters are made from the same wood veneer as the car flooring, namely solid oak sourced from the piles on which the city of Venice is built, and its strap features the same leather used for the car’s upholstery. This creation is issued in an 80-piece limited edition of which the individual number appears on the oscillating weight of the automatic movement.


Brice Lechevalier is editor-in-chief of GMT and Skippers, which he co-founded in 2000 and 2001 respectively. He has also been CEO of WorldTempus since it joined the GMT Publishing stable, of which he is director and joint shareholder. In 2012 he created the Geneva Watch Tour, and he has been an advisor to the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève since 2011. Also closely involved in sailing, he has published the magazine of the Société Nautique de Genève since 2003, and was one of the founders of the SUI Sailing Awards in 2009 and the Concours d’Elégance for motor boats at the Cannes Yachting Festival in 2015.

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