BY NIKHIL KURMALA
If you’re in the market for a new wristwatch, desk clock, and a pocket watch with a limitless budget, you’re in luck! The Swiss luxury watchmaker Bovet has recently unveiled the Virtuoso IX at SIHH 2019 and it has been amazing the crowds. Set to be Bovet’s flagship piece for 2019, the Virtuoso IX comes jam-packed with multiple surprises and new features.
The first thing that catches one’s eye is the beautiful blue dial, the focal component of the timepiece. The base of the dial is finely guilloched with a sumptuous fan motif. The beautiful blue dial is finely guilloched with a sumptuous fan motif. Where Bovet’s craftsmanship shines is through the use of eight layers of translucent lacquer which is applied before the surface of the dial is polished. The flinqué dial is bathed in blue tones and highlights, reminiscent of the richness of 19th-century enamels. As much for readability as for elegance, the hour contours and second gradations display both a circular satin and rhodium finish.
As much for readability as for elegance, the hour contours and second gradations display both a circular satin and rhodium finish. The minute hand is centred on the dial. The hour hand is offset at 2 o’clock, and a second-hour hand, the 24- hour hand, displays a second-time-zone at 10 o’clock. Both local time and the secondary time zone thus share the minute hand. A corresponding indicator displays the second timezone’s city name. Two lateral correctors make adjusting and selecting one of the 24 various timezones easy, all while taking into account the differences between daylight savings time and standard time. The power reserve indicator sits at 8 o’clock, balancing the big date indicator and notifying the wearer at a glance just how much of the 10-day power supply remains.
The timepiece boasts an entirely new face on the flip side. Despite the lack of a conventional dial, the hours and minutes are centred directly over the complex movement- almost like skeleton dial if you may. The openwork bridges evoke the iconic architecture of 19th-century Bovet movements, each surface engraved with a sparkling “bris de verre” motif. Once engraved, chamfered, and entirely decorated, the bridges are coated with a blue CVD treatment, which contrasts beautifully with the rhodium plate.
As always, Bovet’s mechanical movements are nothing shy of world-class. The movement is regulated by the patented double face flying tourbillon. In this innovative construction, the tourbillon’s fixed point is at the center of its axis. Its distribution on either side of the balance-spring and escapement significantly reduces the lever arm effect and improves the chronometry.
The Tourbillon Amadeo Fleurier Virtuoso IX represents the culmination of two centuries of uncompromising artisanal watchmaking history and art in its noblest form, its ingenuity underlined by four unique patents. In keeping with the technical achievements and classical elegance championed by the Bovet brothers, these innovations serve: comfort, reliability, precision, elegance and aesthetics. After all, at Bovet, innovation has been a tradition since 1822. The Virtuoso IX is available in red gold, white gold or platinum. Price to be confirmed. Visit Bovet here.
