Bovet, one of the milestones of traditional luxury watchmaking, was the guest of our pages with the model Récital 12 Monsieur Dimier, who refers to the brand’s original design language.
Bovet may not be among the first names that come to mind when it is all about the world of watches, but that doesn’t mean that the miniature artwork created by the brand in the name of traditional luxury watchmaking can be ignored. The brand, which is highly appreciated with its complication themed models, is under the spotlight with the Récital 12 Monsieur Dimier model today...
I start the review with the case like I always do, but as also seen in the photos, there is not much to talk about it when compared to the other parts of the model. The case, which is made of 18K pink gold, measures 42m in diameter and 9.40mm in height. Mostly decorated with glossy finish, the case is equipped with anti-reflection coated scratch resistant sapphire crystals on both sides as well as a blue sapphire set 18K winding crown. The unique lug design of the case, which reminds me Rustic style sofa legs, provides maximum wearing comfort despite the largish size and the heavy gold structure.
The model’s dial is largely perforated. You can read the time from the sub-dial finished in cobalt blue tone with Sun Ray pattern placed at 3 o’clock. The rest is designed to make the model’s engineering wonder movement visible. At 12 o’clock, there is a power reserve indicator in the form of a bridge. Since the display has the same surface form as the components of the movement, it blends with the rest of the picture but at the same does its job properly. The small second sub-dial, positioned at the 9 o’clock, is again one of the unique features of the model, since only the value between 0 and 20 seconds can be read from this sub-dial. However, considering that the small second hand is made up of three parts, like a windmill, you can still track the seconds between 20 and 60.
One of the most important parts of the model is the movement that beats in. The model is powered by the Caliber Virtuoso II (13.75-70-A1) movement. 41 jewels hand-wound movement has a distinctive design for the second hand part as the gear train is visible from both sides of the movement. The movement, which offers exclusive visual decorations as well as a pleasant symmetry, provides a highly satisfactory 7-day power reserve when fully wound.
The model comes on a gray alligator strap that is secured by a Bovet signed Ardillon type buckle made in line with the case material, 18K pink gold. Besides its high quality feel, the strap positively effects the wrist comfort of the timepiece.
Bovet Récital 12 Monsieur Dimier (Ref. R120007), just like the brand itself, does not offer features to appeal to a wide audience. However, this model, which tries to exalt traditional watchmaking with the refinement of the visual architecture of the movement rather than taking classical complications to a higher level (or increasing their number within the same model), certainly deserves appreciation.
