In January 2013, BOVET 1822 lifted the veil on the first timepiece in its history not to have a round case:the Récital 9 “Miss Alexandra” Tourbillon and its the vertical ellipse. The unbound enthusiasm generated up by this timepiece since its launch led Pascal Raffy and his teams to develop a new interpretation featuring the emblematic oval case.
The Récital 11 “Miss Alexandra” features the same precision phase of the moon and characteristic hands of the Récital 9 Tourbillon. The hour and minute hands are offset at 6 o’clock. Their atypical silhouettes, forming a heart every hour, stand out clearly against the guilloché surface of the finely-worked mother-of-pearl dial.
With its assurance of proven reliability and chronometric precision, the self-winding movement of this new timepiece guarantees a power-reserve of 72 hours.
The precision moon phase module was entirely developed and manufactured by artisans of DIMIER 1738. More complex than a traditional indicator, this precision complication requires only a single one-day correction every 122 years. Its display method was also revised. Rather than showing two moons on a moving disc, here the moon is rigidly attached to the dial. The system features a disc engraved according to an exact cartography of the lunar surface. Hollow parts have been filled with luminous material. As a result, the moon appears exactly as it can be observed in the sky and therefore seems to directly reflect the sun’s light. The sky through which the earth’s satellite moves has been chased and black treated. The Manufacture’s engravers then reworked this sky so that bright points appeared, reminiscent of stars. Two circular pallets moving above this assembly are decorated with the same motif as the sky. Reading the phase of the moon is therefore both intuitive and realistic.
The customary corrector for adjusting the phase of the moon does not appear on the case-band. The latter retains an elegant purity, problems of water-resistance are avoided and, lastly, rapid correction of the phase of the moon requires the use of no tools whatsoever. The corrector has been placed concentric to the winding and timesetting crown. Adjustment of the function is carried out simply by pressing the centre of the crown, which is decorated with the traditional sapphire cabochon.
The eight formed by the moon-phase indicator and the matching mother-of-pearl dial allows a full appreciation of the chasing of the movement, which extends the celestial vault across its entire surface. Distinctly visible are the hand-chamfered and polished steel levers and jumper-spring of the moon-phase corrector, which with each press of the crown perform a true ballet.
The Récital 11 is available in 18-carat red or white gold and can be set with round or baguette-cut diamonds. The case may also be hand-chiseled to match the decoration of the movement. The very wide range of combinations available is sure to meet the tastes of even the most demanding connoisseurs.
