BY DHANANJAY PATHAK
It is one thing to create a technically competitive watch and totally another to create one which has the technical chops but is also beautiful to look at. The Bovet Virtuoso V certainly falls in the latter category offering a nice combination of beauty with brains. For 2019 Bovet is introducing a stunning new blood red colorway to the double-faced Virtuoso V.
The Bovet Virtuoso V is a watch with multiple personalities courtesy of its two separate faces. Each dial gives the watch different aesthetic making it a combination of two watches in one. On one side you have a dial which is entirely decorated with a beautiful guilloche pattern along with retrograde minutes and a jumping hours complication. The guilloche work is reminiscent of the pattern on a peacock’s feathers and gives the dial a distinctive texture which is further brought to life by the deep red lacquer which the dial has been deeply filled with. The red color tone apart from being romantic provides a great contrast against the various golden elements on the watch.
Flip the watch over and a totally aesthetic awaits you. This side of the watch is still unmistakably beautiful but in a more technical manner. About two third of the expanse is the exposed movement which is powering this watch and sitting on top is a rather small red dial. The dial has been embellished with the same intricate guilloche pattern seen previously and features applied golden Arabic numerals which combined with the conventional centrally mounted handset can be used to read the time. Located at 10 is a power reserve indicator and finally, there is a running seconds cage at 6. It is also worth noting that either of the two displays can be set via a corrector to show a separate time zone making it work like a GMT while the other dial shows the home time.
Making this double-sided watch wearable is the unique Amadeo convertible case. The case allows the wearer to enjoy this watch as a wristwatch, a pocket watch, and even a table clock, all without using an extensive tool kit. It is made from solid 18kt gold and measures 43.5mm wide with a thickness of 15.7 mm. Powering the Virtuoso V is the brand’s Hand wound Virtuoso II movement caliber 13BM11AIHSMR. It operates at a frequency of 3 Hz and offers a power reserve of massive 5 days using one large barrel. As expected from Bovet the movement has been exceptionally decorated with blues screws, circular Geneva striping and much more.
The Virtuoso V from Bovet is a desirable piece of high horology and this new red treatment makes it look even more ravishing. The watch comes attached to an alligator strap with a matching gold pin buckle and is also accompanied by a red or white gold chain. Price is yet to be released but it should be around $73,500 (the price for the existing blue dial variant).
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