A brand new Récital timepiece with a perpetual calendar, tourbillon World-Timer, and a world-first Daylight Saving Time feature.
Bovet is one of the few watch brands in the world where every new timepiece leaves you in awe. The brand’s history is diversified through innovative concepts, ingenious developments, and patents, which have contributed to the evolution of haute horology. This is exactly what the latest Récital 28 “Prowess 1” from Bovet represents: a move toward the evolution of watchmaking.
Bovet’s Dimir Récital is truly one-of-a-kind. It is a collection filled with innovation, features, and spectacular designs. Each Récital timepiece has left its mark in watch history, either through grand design or ground-breaking technology. It really is a summation of Bovet as a whole and a testament to how far they can push the boundaries of watchmaking.
The latest Récital timepiece is number 28, “Prowess 1.” I’ve said this before about Bovet timepieces, and I’ll say it again: It’s hard to put into words just how impressive these timepieces are. The Récital 28 “Prowess 1” represents a significant leap in solving terrestrial timekeeping problems, ensuring accuracy in global timekeeping. This timepiece is the first of its kind in the history of watchmaking.
The Récital 28 “Prowess 1” has solved the problem that challenged modern timekeeping: Daylight Saving Time (DST). Where the Récital 28 “Prowess 1” trumps traditional world timer is that it features an incredibly intricate and innovative roller system, which allows world travellers to adjust the watch to the 24 global timezones, which also includes UTC, American Summertime, European and American Summertime and European Wintertime.
“With the Récital 20 Astérium, the Récital 22 Grand Récital, and the Récital 26 Chapter Two, we focused on combining the heavens and the Earth. With the Récital 28 Prowess 1, we are solving the terrestrial time problem with a world timer that can be adjusted for all the variations in timekeeping around the world. With this timepiece, you will never be at a loss for what time it is anywhere in the world.”
Pascal Raffy , Owner of Bovet 1822
The Récital 28 “Prowess 1” is the end product of five years of development. The timepiece has such a complex production process and meticulous level of finishing, which includes hand-finishing and hand-engraved bridges, that the watch is only produced in a limited quantity of 8 timepieces per year, in a 46.3mm Dimier “Writing Desk” case presented in 18K Red Gold, 950 Platinum, or Grade 5 Titanium.
How does the Récital 28 “Prowess 1” work?
The aventurine time dial at the 6 o’clock position is surrounded by a system of “rollers” that display the major 24 city names. Via a button on the crown, each of the cities can be set to UTC, AST, EAS or EWT, which allows the wearer to account for the difference in time “adjustment” around the world thanks to Daylight Savings Time. By pushing the crown, each individual cylinder rotates 90 degrees so that every time zone can be individually set for each of the four time periods of the year. An aperture at 3 o’clock showcases which of the four “time periods” the watch is currently under. Something that has never been achieved in a world timer before.
Bovet – The Récital 28 “Prowess 1” – 24 cities roller system 
Bovet – The Récital 28 “Prowess 1” – Time period indicator
On the top part of the dial, Bovet displays the perpetual calendar through what I think is one of the coolest displays I’ve seen. The date (10 o’clock), the month (2 o’clock), and the day (9 o’clock) are all displayed through rollers. When it gets to the last day and month, respectively, the date rolls back like a slot machine, with a special dampening system to stop it gently, while the other two roll forward.
To safeguard this complex mechanism, Bovet patented a Function isolator. This was purely developed to prevent the perpetual calendar from being “corrected” manually during the “safety zone,” which is when the indicators are changing over.
If that isn’t enough in terms of mechanical “prowess,” Bovet has also added a flying tourbillon at 12 o’clock for added measure, which weighs just 0.35 grams, even though it’s composed of 62 parts. Oh, did we also mention that the Récital 28 “Prowess 1” comes with a 10-day power reserve? There is a total of 744 parts that make up the in-house calibre R28070-00X movement. When you turn the watch over, you’ll be amazed by how all these components take shape and the always impressive attention to movement, finishing and detail that Bovet showcases.
“Each of the 744 components are hand-finished, the plate is decorated with perlage and Cotes de Geneve, and the bridges are hand-engraved as well. Of particular attention is the beveling of the major structures of the movement — the method used is called angle rentrant. A corner is rentrant when two chamfers meet on the inside. The intersection must be clean, with a single line formed at the meeting point. This type of corner is the most difficult to produce, and the sharper the point, the more difficult it is. It requires expert hands — at present, there is no machine capable of producing it.”
Bovet on movement finishing of Récital 28 “Prowess 1”
Final Thoughts
The House of Bovet has already shown us that it has a long and rich history of creating timepieces with multiple timezones, including dual timezone, three-time zones, and world timer watches. This latest Récital 28 “Prowess 1” breaks through the barriers, and paves the way for every other watch brand on how to navigate the Daylight Savings Time issue on world-timer watches.
The incredibly complex movement, with its 744 components, is equally matched by the watch’s level of detail and finishing. Bovet has managed not only to solve the problem of DST on world timers for the first time in watchmaking but also to show it in a way that doesn’t hinder the aesthetics of that timepiece and ease of use. Like I said earlier, I’m a big fan of the “roller” style design, especially for the perpetual calendar features.
Back in 2020, Bovet won the GPHG Mechanical Exception prize for the complications in the Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two timepiece. Now, for 2024, it already seems like a straightforward win for the brand once again, with the spectacular Récital 28 “Prowess 1”.
Reference: RB12302A1L1P1
Specification
- Case: 46.3 mm x 17.85mm thickness
- Case Material: Dimier “Writing Desk” case presented in either 18k Red-gold, 950 Platinum, or Grade 5 Titanium.
- Dial: Skeletonised dial with Aventurine time dial displaying 24 cities with UTC, AST, EAS or EWT functionality. Perpetual calendar function along with flying tourbillon.
- Crystal: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
- Water resistance: 30m (3 Bar)
- Movement: R28-070-00X
- Movement Frequency: 2.5Hz (18,000 VpH)
- Power reserve: 10 days
- Bracelet: Black alligator leather strap with white stitching, with folding buckle made to match the chosen case material.
