“The idea for Récital 30 came from my daughter Alexandra, ” said Pascal Raffy. “We were looking at the Récital 28 Prowess 1, with a perpetual calendar, and the expanded flying tourbillon at noon like the sun, the world timer; a masterpiece made by our team of nearly 100 people. Then she said, ‘what a fantastic middle complication it would be to have the universal time the whole year as a single function. And with a sky-blue rubber strap and yellow hands symbolising the sun’s rays.’ My son was also there and added that ‘it should be in between vintage and modern’ . Me? I was just smiling, thinking, ‘now I understand the future’ ” .
Featuring the innovative system with rollers and rotating discs from the Récital 28 Prowess 1, which won the mechanical exception prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2024, these are the only two timepieces in the history of watchmaking that resolved the daylight savings problem. Throughout the year the system accurately displays 25 global time zones during the four time periods of the year: – Coordinated Universal Time, American Summer Time, European and American Summer Time, and European Winter Time.
Using an automatic movement with 62+ hours of power reserve as a base, the world timer module is completely crafted in-house. And so is the case, with the case-maker being the latest addition to Bovet’s verticalised in-house capacities. The contemporary neo-vintage design detour is coupled with a loyalty to the traditional aesthetics of the house.
“We link it through the off-white colour of the dial, in the centre there is a navy-blue lacquered guilloché, and the back side of the rotor has a fleurisanne decoration,” Mr. Raffy said. Thankfully, neither the titanium or gold versions are limited, though they are limited production – e.g. only 30 pieces in red gold can be made in 2025 and they all have been ordered already. Notably 30 pieces will be delivered before the end of December – Bovet is one of the brands that have realised that collectors’ love of long waiting times is a thing of the past, nevertheless never compromising when it comes to artisanal crafts take the time needed.
Bovet has more than two centuries of bespoke timepieces on its track record, and this legacy continues with the Récital 30. “We used New Delhi as an example of its 30-minute time zone,” Mr. Raffy said of the city displayed with a yellow triangular marker on the white part of the dial. “A couple of weeks ago, a collector from Australia called and said he wanted Adelaide displayed. And yesterday I got a similar request from Nepal – which has a 45- minute time zone. Bovet has been known as a house of bespoke since we started in 1822. We love to please the collectors,” said Mr. Raffy, who believes that every bespoke project should be an interactive brainstorming session together with the collector, and that a universal sensibility to different arts is key for a successful outcome.
To call the Récital 30 a middle complication, Mr. Raffy says is a “sign of humility. “It has a lot of meaning, it is in the haute horlogerie segment, and it is absolutely beautifully hand- finished in Bovet standards. But it has only one main complication, so it is not like our exceptional pieces. You can do less, as long as less remains exceptional.”
Mr. Raffy strongly believes that fashion is ephemeral, but that tradition lasts. He also finds it important to stand up for true and humanitarian values. “The Récital 30 has a 42-millimetre diameter, and it is 12.9 millimetres high, and it is the result of nearly 100 human beings, an extended family, who trust each other and have shared values. It is the result of the true soul of Bovet: Artisans, humanity, and a willingness to defend where we come from – and the humanity of the house – if you keep defending these true values, you can make incredible timepieces. But if you don’t, it is impossible.
