Bovet Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two
Bovet Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two
The Bovet Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two continues the legacy of one of the world’s greatest Grand Maisons of fine watchmaking
In every possible way the Bovet Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two is a stunning showcase for Haute Horlogerie. Connoisseurs will already be familiar with the Brainstorm Chapter One and other equally exquisite predecessors such as the Shooting Star, the Astérium and the Grand Récital. In fact, these are the pieces of which M. Pascal Raffy speaks so eloquently on the official website of Bovet (and at the end of this feature), as he unstraps the Brainstorm Chapter Two from his wrist while looking directly at the camera, in order to present it to the public.
Before doing so, he explains that this new “major timepiece” has been created for collectors who perchance would like to add further to their own Bovet collection, or for those who missed out on the opportunity to acquire the 50 piece Shooting Star model. He is, as ever, charming, passionate and knowledgeable. This is a man who is not only confident that the entire production of the Chapter Two pieces will sell promptly, but who displays an extraordinary and infectious passion for his watch company and the decisions he has taken in order to develop and nurture it thus far. And, it’s also immediately clear that he adores this new model.
And so he should, because Bovet Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two is so breathtakingly beautiful, that on viewing it, one finds it impossible to look away until every nuance has been thoroughly inspected. The model which M. Raffy cradles in his gloved hand is one of just 30 (half of the production) which will be presented in the gently sloped sapphire case previously seen in the Chapter One. Entirely vitreous except for a barely-there scaffolding, comprising of a titanium caseback ring and lugs, it is a wondrous sculpture which exposes every detail.
Floating three-dimensional domes and a flying tourbillon make up the façade, while beneath them the anatomy of the mechanics and meticulous finishing is exposed.
At the upper, the hours and minutes are indicated on a quartz domed-dial with hands which conform in affinity with its curve. At 3 o’clock, the world timer displays its global locations in tapered script which is legible and elegant. The wearer can highlight one location via the petite V-shaped indicator, but it enables reading of the time in all 24 cities instantly, at a glance.
A moonphase at 9 o’clock displays the waxing and waning of the moon in both hemispheres, viewed through open-worked golden loupes, and it has the added pleasure of luminescence after dark. It is so precise that it will need no human intervention for 127 years if the movement is kept running.
While the hours and minutes dial is static, the world timer and moonphase displays each complete their varying rotations on a trio of ruby rollers which enable friction-free movement, and which can be seen on the peripheries of their domed structures. Using screws of Lilliputian proportions, both domes can be adjusted for precision and balance.
At six o’clock the one-minute flying tourbillon enlivens the dial while also displaying the seconds. Clasped on the dial-side by five prongs, it is topped with a sapphire. While its illusory dynamism is fully appreciable on the front, it is equally compelling when viewed on the movement side. Here it is appears gracefully suspended and ethereal – a vital part of the movement, yet set almost entirely adrift from the mirage of airy decorated bridges, rubies and blued screws.
This will be a 60 piece series, with only half of that amount presented within the sapphire “writing desk” sloped case. The remaining 30 calibres will perhaps find their way into bespoke cases for collectors who will deliberate over the minutiae in order to create a personalised horological masterpiece to their own exacting requirements. And, for the House of Bovet, this is how it was done right from the beginning, when in the 19th Century the Bovet brothers founded a watchmaking business to cater for the demand for unique, decorative pocketwatches in Asia and Europe.
It has been suggested that Pascal Raffy’s love for Bovet began with a single timepiece, and I have no doubt that this is true. Only an individual who is truly smitten could have the devotion to acquire a once-great watch marque, and to turn it into one of the world’s best fine watchmaking Manufactures, and a vertically integrated one at that. If you listen to him speaking about this timepieces the dedication he has for Bovet timepieces is unmistakeable. But you don’t need to hear his words, he also says it with his eyes.
Fact File: Bovet Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two
MANUFACTURER: Bovet
LIMITED EDITION: 60 pieces; 30 with sapphire cases - 10 pieces each with blue quartz, green quartz or blue aventurine dials.
CASE: Sapphire with grade 5 titanium ring, sloping “writing desk” case style
SIZE: ø 47.80mm
THICKNESS: 15.50mm
DIAL: Domed indications: Local time at 12 o’clock; World Timer at 3 o’clock; Moon Phase at 9 o’clock. Double-sided flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock.
MOVEMENT: Bovet Calibre 17DM06 manual-winding, 21,600vph
FUNCTIONS: Hours, minutes, World Timer, Moon Phase, Flying Tourbillon (double-sided), Power Reserve (placed between lugs on upper case)
POWER RESERVE: 5-days
BRACELET/STRAP: Alligator leather
BUCKLE: 18ct. white gold folding buckle
WATERPROOF RATING:
PRICE CHF 355,000.
