Flying Tourbillon Ottantasei

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Flying Tourbillon Ottantasei  - Bovet
4 minutes read
This fourth tourbillon introduced during the SIHH 2016 marks a significant turning point in the development of the collection Bovet by Pininfarina.

The technicians and watchmakers at the Manufacture DIMIER 1738 together with the designers at Pininfarina pooled their expertise to come up with an unprecedented perspective on the originality and fascinating technology inherent to the movement, once again entirely developed and manufactured by BOVET. Four large sapphire crystals occupy the main surfaces, while contrasting elements in titanium or gold trace the essential contours of the collection’s design and guarantee the qualities required for its sportier traits.

The case of the Tourbillon OTTANTASEI also features a clever casing-up system via the case back, ensuring greater transparency and lightness, as well as optimal dimensions for complete ergonomic comfort. The net weight of the metal for the entire case is 51.66 g for gold and 15.54 g for titanium! With its 44 mm diameter and a thickness of 8.85 mm and 12 mm with and without the sapphire crystals respectively, the Tourbillon OTTANTASEI offers maximum comfort whatever the shape of the wearer’s wrist. A quick glance at the movement is enough to conclude that here, once again, all efforts have been concentrated on the principles of lightness and transparency. Three distinct circles outline the movement’s organs and vital functions, with the balance and harmony that are so dear to Pascal Raffy. The eye alights first and foremost on the single barrel and its concentric power-reserve indicator at 10 o’clock. Then, it moves on to the hours and minutes displays featuring the same configuration at 2 o’clock, before finally considering the flying tourbillon in the airy space freed up at 6 o’clock. So in order, we have: the driving organ (and its power-reserve indicator), the display, and finally the regulating organ. It is difficult to imagine anything clearer.

Flying Tourbillon Ottantasei

The 10-day autonomy of the Tourbillon OTTANTASEI should involve twice as many turns of the crown than that required by the spherical differential developed and patented by the watchmakers at DIMIER 1738. The extreme miniaturization of this mechanism has inspired them to file a second patent for the three-dimensional multiple meshing teeth, which drastically reduce clutter while optimizing the watch’s operation. The timepiece can thus be wound twice as quickly to give it the power required for 10 days of autonomy.To achieve the outstanding technical performances of the Tourbillon OTTANTASEI, the technicians and watchmakers opted for a single barrel with extraordinary characteristics. Measuring just 1.04 m long with a developed force of 1 kg, it can provide 240 hours of energy with optimum consistency. In tune with the spirit of the timepiece, the barrel is skeletonized according to the five-spoke wheel theme that has been chosen for the design of this caliber. It can be found at several locations on the plate, the barrel bridge, the ratchet and the tourbillon bridge.

The highly original flying tourbillon carriage is made up of no fewer than 104 components. Its many innovations include a unique bridge at the center of its axis. In addition to its balanced masses and subsequently reduced lever effect, the tourbillon carriage seems to move more freely than ever before within its own space. This ingenious construction owes its existence to the patented double-sided tourbillon, which features the escapement and balance spring positioned on either side of the central fixation point, thus enhancing both the watch’s chronometric performances and aesthetic quality by clearly revealing the escapement and balance spring on both sides of the caliber. This innovative construction and single fixation point both contribute to the superbly weighted thickness of the movement, and of the timepiece itself.

Flying Tourbillon Ottantasei

This enchanted journey into the heart of a transparent movement then leads us to the astonishing power-reserve indicator. The barrel engages with a wheel that turns one way or another, depending on whether the watch is being wound or is unwinding during operation. The center of its axis features a feeder screw on which a meticulously polished steel cone moves vertically. When the timepiece is being wound, the cone travels up the screw and activates a lever against the wall via a ruby runner. The second arm of this lever culminates in a toothed rack that meshes with a pinion located on the axis of the indicator. Thus, during winding, the hand notches up the values it encounters before “spending” them through a reverse movement when the timepiece is operating, resulting in a precise and unprecedented expression of this invaluable function.

Three case options are available to collectors, who have a choice of 18-carat red gold, grade 5 titanium, or black DLC treated grade 5 titanium. To perfect the coherence of the entire collection, the traditional black rubber strap boasts a refined design, a blue alcantara lining, and the collection’s traditional buckle to match the material selected for the case. Once again in this collection, the quantity of movements manufactured will be limited—to just 86 in this case—which the collector can choose to grace with one of the three cases on offer. A plate bearing the individual number of each movement will be meticulously screwed to the back of the case chosen to adorn the timepiece.

As a testament to the irreproachable quality of the Tourbillon OTTANTASEI, Bovet has opted for an international five-year warranty  …in all its transparent glory.

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