The Bovet monumental clock installed in the Asterium Tower in Seoul has received the A’ Design Award, which recognizes exceptional achievements in terms of architectural design worldwide. This new distinction perfectly embodies the personal view of Pascal Raffy, the owner of Bovet 1822, which is to never dissociate traditional fine watchmaking from art, design and architecture, so as to offer collectors and aficionados of fine timepieces the noblest expression of time.
When the sponsors of one of Seoul’s most prestigious private residences contacted the architectural firm handling the project, they asked them to include a monumental clock in the main lobby. From the very first set of specifications, they stipulated that the manufacture of the clocks must be entrusted to the Maison Bovet and that the clocks should be enlarged reproductions of existing timepieces in the brand's collections.
The Bovet craftsmen displayed their resourcefulness in reproducing the two faces of the Monsieur Bovet and Amadéo Amadéo tourbillon timepieces on a scale 15 times larger than their original models. They managed to provide the tourbillon carriage and the patented double coaxial seconds with realistic movement that combines coherence with the excellence that has characterized the Maison for nearly two centuries.
Two double-faced clocks are thus integrated into a bracelet presented in the form of a Möbius band, evoking infinity and the figure 8, which, according to Asian tradition, bring happiness and prosperity. Standing 5 m high and 2.50 m wide, this monument enables the time to be read perfectly from any position in the lobby or the mezzanine that overlooks it.
The clocks’ case middles are engraved with the Fleurisanne motif that has decorated the cases and movements of Bovet timepieces since the nineteenth century. Moreover, on one of the four dials features a miniature painting of a dragon, reproduced by the same miniaturist painter who produced the original, with a diameter of just 35 mm. To create this faithful reproduction of 60 cm in diameter, he went as far as to gild the dragon’s body with gold leaf. The result is a demonstration of the artist’s dexterity.
