BOVET’s new offerings

BOVET 1822 is celebrating its 195th anniversary in style by ensuring that its collections mirror the marque’s respect for tradition and its thirst for innovation. The DIMIER Collection showcases the latest advances and innovations, while the Fleurier Grandes Complications Collection elevates Haute Horlogerie to new heights

Virtuoso VIII 10-Day Flying Tourbillon Big Date
The Virtuoso VIII 10-Day Flying Tourbillon Big Date is the first timepiece in the Fleurier Collection to reprise an inclined crystal aperture along the 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock axis, similar to the innovative case of the Récital 18 Shooting Star presented in 2016 and that of this year’s Récital 20 Astérium. This innovative concept creates new perspectives for caliber architecture, as well for the decoration and display of functions.

The movement of this collection features a number of significant innovations, as well as three of the patents pioneered by the Braveheart Tourbillon, which was initially presented in 2015. The energy of the caliber is released by a single barrel, which provides over ten days of autonomy while maintaining the oscillations of the balance wheel at 18,000 vph. Pascal Raffy has opted for an architecture typical of 19th-century watches, with a full plate and bridges hollowed out into a series of scrolls.

This patented double face flying tourbillon has already demonstrated its full chronometric potential. Its fixed point in the centre of its axis, together with the distribution either side of the escapement and balance-spring, gives it a balance that drastically reduces the lever-arm effect and friction at the pivot point.

To further improve the performance of this tourbillon, a new regulating organ has been developed. The pace of the new caliber is set by a variable inertia balance wheel. Six collets driven into the felly of the balance wheel allow for dynamic setting of the utmost precision. The balance is fixed to the tourbillon bridge by a double-ended mobile balance-spring stud support in accordance with the finest chronometric practices. The hand-finished wheels, and the traditionally burnished pivots and teeth cut using traditional artisanal methods also improve the chronometric performance of this caliber.

The timepiece showcases the decoration of the movement to perfection by the means of two harmoniously arranged dials; the first indicates the power reserve while the second displays the hours, the minutes, and the magnificent big date aperture.

The big date aperture is designed in such a way that its mechanism occupies the smallest possible surface area while displaying as big a date as possible. The space between the unit disk and hours disk has been reduced to the bare minimum to optimise legibility and to enable the use of a single aperture for the tens and the units. The date can be quickly modified by simply pressing the crown. The tension of the rapid date corrector, together with the emblematic positioning of the crown and bow of Fleurier cases at 12 o’clock, neatly avoids any accidental date correction.

Designed with exceptional readability in mind, it makes use of an hour-marker screwed to the carriage wheel. The arrow of the hour-marker overlooks the surface of the ring dial that displays the sixty seconds. The precise readability of the seconds display is achieved by fixing the seconds dial to the plate only during the first assembly operations.

The design and decoration of the caliber are the ultimate expression of the maison’s decorative watchmaking artistic skills. Both sides of the plate are adorned with bridges that recall BOVET’s historic pocket watches. The steel is chamfered and polished. The disk plates are sunk and chamfered.

The two sides of the plate are also chiselled with an extremely delicate pattern to achieve a harmonious contrast with the sumptuous surface of the bridges, which are decorated with the emblematic Fleurisanne engraving. The bridge of the tourbillon carriage is in titanium to eliminate any possible magnetic charge.

The brand has announced that only 80 movements will be manufactured and fitted in red gold, white gold, or platinum cases that can be customised according to the collector’s wishes by the marque’s artisans.

Récital 19 Miss Dimier
Commemorating 195 years of the brand presence of BOVET, Pascal Raffy has decided to pay homage to women by dedicating one of the three new models in the 2017 collection to them – the Récital 19 Miss Dimier.

The Miss Dimier features the elliptical case that has been hugely popular since 2013 on the Récital 9 and Récital 11 models. Yet its dimensions have been reduced by approximately 20 per cent, resulting in perfect proportions of 35.4 MM length and 30.7 MM width. This distinctly feminine timepiece sets out to combine the traditional artisanal high watchmaking with the practical requirements of daily use.

The Récital 19 Miss Dimier features a steel case coupled with a bezel set delicately with 52 round-cut diamonds for enhanced femininity. The automatic movement powering this new model guarantees a 3-day power reserve, so that even if the timepiece is forgotten one weekend, it can easily be worn again on the following Monday without having to be reset.

Its high frequency of 28,800 vph ensures flawless precision, which the collection’s emblematic hands translate into a poetic expression of time – their unusual shapes forming a heart each time they come together on the dial. The elegant succession of curves formed by the vertical ellipse of the case is echoed on the dial itself, which is divided into two zones beautifully crafted by the brand’s artisan dial-makers.

The centre of the dial is meticulously satin-brushed with circular lines, then coated with a PVD treatment that gives it its blue colour. A transparent lacquer is then applied using traditional methods in successive coats, creating an impression of infinite depth. In delicate contrast, the external part of the dial is directly lacquered in opaque blue and graced with twelve gemstone settings, each adorned with a round diamond serving as an hour-marker.

The strap of the Récital 19 Miss Dimier is made of finely woven synthetic fibres – a resilient material ideal for daily use that shimmers like natural satin.