From the moment the morning sun peeked over the top of the mountains to the end of the day in front of an open fire, our friend and photographer Denis Hayoun spent 24 hours capturing some of Bovet’s signature timepieces in the beautiful ski resort of Zermatt.
Starting in the village of Zermatt, with temperatures way below zero, Denis found some exceptional spots to take photographs of the Bovet Récital 21, the Virtuoso VII, and the Orbis Mundi, before heading up the mountain to photograph the Sweet Art against a 200-year-old wooden chalet. The day came to a close with the Bovet by Automobili Pininfarina Battista Tourbillon and the Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two in the warmth of the Hotel Carina’s lounge. Let’s take a closer look at these exceptional complications.
Bovet Virtuoso VII
This Bovet Virtuoso VII perpetual calendar with a retrograde date and five-day power reserve is housed in a 43.3 mm titanium Amadeo case. This is the first time this model has been crafted in titanium, bringing a highly contemporary touch to this classic complication. The patented Amadeo convertible system allows the wearer to transform this wristwatch into a table clock or wear it on a chain as well as choose from two watch faces. The first dial shows the perpetual calendar (photographed here) and the second features a more simple hours and minutes display. This second face also features reverse-fitted hands. Both dials are hand decorated and come with salmon-coloured lacquered dials.
The Orbis Mundi
by Bovet offers a new take on the world time complication with everything set via a single crown at 12 o’clock (there are no correctors). It shows all 24 time zones at a simple glance thanks to the cities representing the time zones in the centre of its off-centered dial with the corresponding time in 24h. Turn the crown counter-clockwise to set the hours and minutes, and clockwise to set the 24 world time zone dial. It comes in a 42 mm titanium case that has a slim profile of 11.25 mm. The bottom of the dial at 6 o’clock is opened up to reveal the in-house balance wheel and regulating organ with its three-arm rotating seconds hand and a 20-second Aventurine glass dial. The dial also indicates the power reserve, which is an impressive seven days.
Bovet Miss Audrey Sweet Art
Winner of the Ladies’ prize at the 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, this 36 mm stainless steel timepiece was chosen by the jury for its innovative dial made of sugar. Each crystal of sugar is individually chosen for its size and is coloured and treated before being hand-positioned on the dial. The timepiece comes with Bovet’s convertible Amadeo system and features hands that form a heart every time they meet.
Bovet by Automobili Pininfarina Battista Tourbillon
Developed in tandem with Automobili Pininfarina’s all-electric Hyper GT car, which can go from 0-100 km in under two seconds, the Battista Tourbillon is one of Bovet’s most contemporary timepieces with its aerodynamic lines, futuristic details, and redesigned crown at 12 o’clock. It is housed in a 45.6 mm titanium case with box sapphire crystals and is powered by a flying tourbillon movement with a big date that is composed of over 400 components and comes with a 10-day power reserve.
Bovet Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two
This double-face flying tourbillon comes with a three-dimensional hemispheric precision moon, a universal time display with an indexable second-time zone, and a five-day power reserve. It is housed in Bovet’s 47.80 mm writing slope case and has a completely hand-engraved hand-wound movement. It received the 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie Prize de Genève Mechanical Exception award.
Bovet Récital 21
This perpetual calendar with a retrograde date display indicates the day, date, month, and leap year in a very intuitive way. It comes with a silvered dial featuring a circular Côtes de Genève background. There is an opening at 9 o’clock that shows the in-house hairspring and balance wheel, with Bovet’s patented coaxial seconds on the top. It comes in a 44.4 mm writing slope titanium case with an exhibition case back. The in-house hand-wound movement has a single barrel that gives five days of power reserve.
