Pascal Raffy has a vision that endures. For 24 years, since he became the owner of Bovet, his goal has been the perfection of travel timepieces, tackling the incredibly complex issues of managing time zones, half-time zones, daylight saving time (DST), and winter time, among other challenges tied to local specifics.
Few brands could have dedicated such investments to this single area of study. But Bovet is 100% independent and manages its R&D as it sees fit. And the results are evident, particularly embodied in the Récital collection. No less than six chapters are dedicated to travel: Récital 18 Rising Star, Récital 20 Astérium, Récital 22 Grand Récital, Récital 26 Chapter One, Récital 26 Chapter Two, and Récital 28 Prowess 1. Professionals regularly praise the advancements of these pieces, as four of these six have been awarded at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). The Récital 30 is the seventh chapter.
And 28 became 30
The piece builds upon the advances of its predecessor, the Récital 28 Prowess 1. It retains the essence of the earlier model: a city display using rollers, managing 24 time zones and one half-time zone, covering four different periods: UTC, AST (American Summer Time), EAS (European and American Summer Time), and EWT (European Winter Time). Furthermore, daylight saving time (DST), which complicates matters further, is applied by only about 70 countries worldwide (out of 195). But the core of the design goes beyond these technical capabilities. The focus is on making these adjustments easy for the owner to set. This user-friendliness requires, in turn, the development of rare complexity.
For the new Récital 30, pressing the upper pushbutton rotates each roller by 90 degrees, thus allowing all 24 time zones to be adjusted for each of the four annual periods in one go. The lower pushbutton advances the central dial by one hour per press. A single action, an immediate reading: it would be difficult to make it simpler. Even the day/night indicator, at the center of the piece, becomes redundant, as the display is already on a 24-hour scale, though it still makes the reading more intuitive. Notably, New Delhi is highlighted, with its unique 30-minute time difference indicated by a second minute hand, making it stand apart from the other reference cities.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the Récital 30 will be the first to benefit from Bovet’s new case production capabilities in Tramelan. Previously, the manufacture relied on an external supplier, formerly owned by Maurice Lacroix, where Mr. Raffy was a co-shareholder. The 42mm titanium cases of the Récital 30 will now be produced in-house at Tramelan, with the red gold cases to follow in a year. The announced prices are CHF 68,000 for the titanium models and CHF 96,800 for the red gold versions.
Récital 12 36mm, A Heart to Steal
In parallel, Bovet announces a new version of its Récital 12, the first Bovet to come with a steel bracelet. Initially, but not permanently: the piece is now offered with an interchangeable system to switch back, at will, to a leather strap, which is also included.
This new version boldly displays its femininity, with a bezel fully set with diamonds, a finely guilloché raspberry pink dial, and hour and minute hands that, once every hour, meet to form a heart. The piece is also available in turquoise and white mother-of-pearl.
