Jordy Bellido
Rolls Royce is the first thing that came to mind when I saw the Bovet Virtuoso VII. The Boat Tail, a one-of-a-kind piece that was custom-made for the owner of a Rolls Royce in 2021, may have influenced my thinking. In any case, the Virtuoso VII is the Rolls Royce of watches. Its recognizable style and its imposing presence remind me of the charm of the British luxury car manufacturer. This timepiece demonstrates the extent of Bovet’s know-how, both in terms of its mechanics and its decoration. In terms of the mechanics, it has a perpetual calendar that indicates the day, the date (retrograde style), the month, and the years, including leap years!
For the decoration, Bovet has pulled out all the stops with red guilloché and lacquered dials. Then there is the engraving, with the bridges decorated with the Fleurisanne motif, a pattern dear to the company (and one which is not at all easy to produce. I know this, as I tried. Full report here). And to top it off, the Virtuoso VII is equipped with the Amadeo system that allows you to convert your wristwatch into a table clock. What could be more luxurious than that?
Marie de Pimodan
When it comes to a choice between aesthetics and technology, Bovet seems determined not to favour one over the other. This exceptional timepiece is the perfect case in point as it unites one of the most complex and demanding watch complications with the refinement of traditional decorations, and without compromising on legibility either. A single glance is enough to access all the information of the perpetual calendar. But it would be a shame not to linger a little longer given the beautiful face of this Virtuoso VII Retrograde Perpetual Calendar. Thanks to the use of sapphire discs to indicate the day, month, and leap year on the periphery of the dial, plus a retrograde date on a chapter ring, this model highlights the beauty of the floral engravings on the movement. With such fine craftsmanship, which has become the aesthetic signature of Bovet, you will also find hand guilloche decorations that adorn the central burgundy dial like a burst of sunlight. It is almost like a living painting that changes with each movement of the wrist.
Showing the time on a single watch face is almost too simple for Bovet, so the Maison offers a second reading of the time on the back side of the watch. Once again, Bovet pushes refinement to the limits on the second dial with a burgundy guilloché decoration placed at 12 o’clock, giving the hour and minutes, flanked at three o’clock by a five-day power reserve indication and at six o’clock, by the coaxial double second (also visible on the front). In short, a true technical and artistic jewel that can be appreciated from every angle, especially as the Amadeo system integrated into the white gold case makes it possible to transform this timepiece from a wristwatch to a pocket watch or table clock.
Jean-Christophe Teigner
A few months ago, the Fine Watch Club and I visited the Bovet manufacture and castle, nestled in the Jura mountains, and we were extremely impressed by the place. With this new Virtuoso VII, it is like the Sleeping Beauty of the castle has woken up…and for good this time! This new timepiece is equipped with a retrograde perpetual calendar, an inverted hand, a double coaxial second hand, and a convertible case, which together show how Bovet is pulling out all the stops for this new Virtuoso VII. On the wrist, it has a bewitching and magnetic presence. Classic but not so classic. The Bovet Virtuoso VII reveals its secrets as you look at it.
Sophie Furley
Bovet’s Virtuoso VII Perpetual Calendar is an incredible piece of micro-mechanical engineering and decorative art that calculates the different lengths of each month and even the leap years to always give its owner the correct date. It is all so beautifully presented, with the day of the week in a window at 9 o’clock, the date on a chapter ring around the dial, the month in an aperture at 3 o’clock, and the leap year at 12 o’clock. But what is really magical about this timepiece is that it has two different dials – one with the calendar and the other without – that can be switched over on a whim thanks to the Maison’s ingenious Amadeo case system. But that’s not all, the Amadeo system can also transfer the timepiece into both a desk clock and a pendant on a beautiful 18-carat white gold necklace. Convertibility has become a bit of a thing in the watch industry over the last few years, with most brands providing interchangeable strap systems on their watches. Even if this is a huge improvement on having to take your watch back to the boutique for a strap change, I have to admit, that to untrained hands, many systems remain quite fiddly to operate. This is absolutely not the case with the Virtuoso VII, which is as simple as pie to play with. It is so easy and fun to manipulate, in fact, that my colleague Jordy interrupted the photo shoot just to come out and tell everyone how impressed he was – an amusing moment in the WorldTempus world that says it all!
