The Coca-Cola red, the Apple apple, the three stripes of Adidas… examples abound in different industrial sectors to emphasize the importance of having a strong graphic identity. What about watchmaking? The challenge is all the more complex due to the small dimensions of watches. Yet, some brands excel at it. Many references are recognizable without even seeing the logo on the dial. Creations by Bovet reflect all the relevance. Tourbillon, time zone, retrograde mechanism, the iconic complications of the manufacture always feature a unique staging of temporal information aided by a visual harmony, often lyrical.
One can discern a project by its shape. For Pascal Raffy, it is experience that guides the approach. And sometimes, creating ex nihilo is necessary. "It certainly depends on the nature of the complication. If it involves reimagining an existing complication or combination of complications, we can start from an existing timepiece and make modifications from there. For others, like the Recital 28 Prowess 1, we started with a blank slate, as the daylight saving time issue had never been resolved before and was, in fact, considered impossible. After five years of research and development, we succeeded.
Our other revolutionary timepieces, like the Virtuoso VIII, Virtuoso IX, Virtuoso X, Braveheart, and all the Great Complications Récital, were designed from a blank slate, in the castle courtyard. The way I like to present and organize the complications comes from a need for logic and fluidity in reading the information," clarifies the CEO of Bovet.
Proper Use of Form
Also, the famous principle of Louis Sullivan established in 1896, form follows function, remains relevant. "When I work on designing a new timepiece, I start with the functions, how I want this model to be different from what has been done before, but at the same time, I see in my mind the look I want to give it, where I want to place the complications, how I want everything to be read. Sometimes, my technical department opposes it by suggesting a simpler solution, but I always want to push them to do more, to think outside the box. Remember, I am a collector and not a watchmaker, so in my mind, I see what a collector wants," further emphasizes Pascal Raffy.
Consolidating this Remarkable Identity
The latest creation of the manufacture reaffirms this ability to design a precise design without denying its artistic DNA. Although the Recital 30 seems to aesthetically break with previous timepieces featuring openworked dials, this piece offers a remarkable setting for the complication. "The Recital 30 was designed to focus solely on the revolutionary universal hour roller system, so something new was needed. I wanted to combine vintage aesthetics with the cutting-edge universal hour system. I wanted a very comfortable case to wear, and we incorporated the domed sapphire crystal to complement the vintage and contemporary look."
What resembles an equation with multiple unknowns, reconciling innovation, aesthetic identity, and artisanal integrity, nonetheless remains at the heart of the manufacture's approach. In the future, the brand intends to continue this quest for delicate balance, without ever yielding to trends or industrial concessions. "Bovet can never be identical to other watchmaker houses. The challenge we face is to continue innovating while preserving the soul of our timepieces and our design ethics. It is important to me that when people see a Bovet on the wrist, they know it is a Bovet or that it is different from anything they have seen before," concludes Pascal Raffy.
