Bovet astonished the haute horlogerie world in 2016 when they unveiled the Récital 18 Shooting Star tourbillon. Limited to just 50 pieces, it invited the observer to move away from the earthly sphere in order to gain “an overview of the dance of the planets and to grasp its complexity with disconcerting clarity.” A year later, the maison reprised the feat with the Récital 20 Astérium tourbillon. Limited to 60 pieces, it “symbolizes the universal and eternal message of time and space, and the fascinating choreography of their celestial ballet.”
This year, Bovet owner Pascal Raffy’s imagination completes its astronomical trilogy with the Récital 22 Grand Récital. Once again limited to just 60 pieces, but with the customisation options, each piece will be one-of-a-kind.
The astronomical theatre on the Récital 22 is dominated by the Tellerium-Orrery depicting the hemispherical earth which has been hand crafted and painted on three levels. First, there is the engraving, over which is the hand painted global map painstakingly detailed with oceans, mountains, deserts, forests and even clouds. On a third level, the artisan applies several layers of transparent lacquer before it is polished to give it a radiant glow in the dark. Collectors can customise by choosing the orientation of the map. The earth rotates one anti-clockwise rotation every 24 hours, and the numbers on the orrery indicate the hour.
A spherical moon, half in black and the other half in white, is engraved to imitate the surface of the moon. It is also covered with a coating of a luminescent substance. The moon goes around the earth once 29.53 days exactly. The sun is represented by the flying tourbillon, whose five titanium arms evoke fiery rays. It rotates to indicate the seconds. The minute and power reserve indicators are displayed on hemispherical sectors on either side of the globe. The 46 mm case is available in red gold or platinum.
