At the Geneva Watch Days, BOVET 1822 introduced the Récital 26 Brainstorm® Chapter Two, a technically and artistically captivating timepiece encased in the inclined sapphire structure debuted last year on Chapter One.
Under the characteristic guidance of Mr. Pascal Raffy, Bovet 1822 has become famous for uniting chronological performance and virtuoso aesthetics. Timepieces that come from the Tramelan and Fleurier workshops are beautifully designed and carefully finished and they also excel in their engineering qualities.
Bovet 1822 pieces invite the eyes to admire their highest complications. In 2016, Bovet showcased the entire movement of the Flying Tourbillon OTTANTASEI by Pininfarina by using sapphire on all sides of the lightweight titanium frame. Mr. Raffy’s team elevated it to another level, when they presented the Récital 26 Brainstorm® Chapter One in January 2019. The piece has no metallic frame in the front and the sides and employs the inclined ‘writing slope’ design, which reveals the levelled structure of the main plate. It undresses the complications that become literally visible from all sides.
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Bovet Récital 26 Brainstorm® Chapter Two
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The same architecture and materials characterise the new Récital 26 Brainstorm® Chapter Two model. They let you observe the double-face flying tourbillon, the world time display with indexable second-time zone and the moon phase from any angle. What’s more, it may come in the pictured blue (or green) translucent quartz crystal dial which hints at the mechanism underneath.
Besides having an extraordinary hardness (9/10 on the Mohs hardness scale), sapphire is also very light. Holding the piece in the hand feels as light as it looks. Although these properties have been known for long, using sapphire has been limited to fairly simple designs due to the difficulty of machining and polishing the material. When you look at the case of the Récital 26 Brainstorm® Chapter Two you can discover even concave grinding at the circumference. Since the titanium lugs and the case back ring are the only non-transparent metallic parts in the case, the designers decided to engrave even the sides of the main plate. Just like in the OTTANTASEI, the titanium ring at the bottom is where the main plate is fixed, leaving an even greater view to the sides.
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Bovet Récital 26 Brainstorm® Chapter Two on wrist
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The indications are all domed. The dial of the time display is quartz or blue aventurine glass with curved golden hands. The rotating dome at 3 o’clock allows the instant reading of time in 24 time-zones. The V shaped needle is a selector for the preferred city, but all other zones can be read on the scale at the circumference. At 9 o’clock the rotating dome displays the moon phases in both hemispheres. Three rollers in rubies are arranged on the circumference of each dome to ensure centring and to minimize the friction of the rotation. This allows the freeing of the interior volume of the globes, which increases the chronometry and the power reserve of the timepiece. The single barrel stores energy for 5-days running.
The 3Hz Caliber 17DM06-DT is limited to 60 units. 30 pieces will be made with the sapphire case, the rest will be delivered as per the choice of the future owner.
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Bovet Récital 26 Brainstorm® Chapter Two, backside of the timepiece
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Photo credits: Loupiosity.com
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