Récital 21

Calendar and Astronomy: Récital 21 yellow

Each BOVET timepiece is designed to display useful readable information and to be able to adjust this information intuitively in daily wear, and the Récital 21 is no exception. The minute and hour hands are located in the center of the timepiece, providing more space in the periphery for the perpetual calendar information. With the exception of the calendar, shown by a retrograde index that rotates around the hours and minutes, the discs display the days and months in vertical apertures at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock respectively, while the leap year cycle is displayed in a circular aperture at 3 o’clock. The seconds hand, offset at 9 o’clock, brings harmony to the entire design by balancing the indications visible to the wearer. For improved reliability and longevity, the BOVET 1822 watchmakers developed a mechanism that slows down the indicator during its retrograde jump, a dramatic visual effect that can best be appreciated on the first day of the month.

Turning the timepiece over to the movement side, the collector will notice the patented double coaxial seconds mechanism, as well as the power reserve indicator, which, when fully wound, displays a five-day power supply. This guaranteed performance comes from a unique barrel, which is optimized by the balance spring, entirely designed and manufactured in the BOVET 1822 workshops. 

The remarkable power reserve of the perpetual calendar provides the collector with unparalleled, enduring performance thanks to a single barrel, which is optimized by the balance spring, and is entirely designed and manufactured in the BOVET 1822 workshops.  The frequency with which the different indications will need to be adjusted has also been drastically reduced. To further enhance the collector’s ease of use, Mr. Raffy and the Maison’s technicians have created an ingenious system that drastically reduces and streamlines adjustments to its various indications. So, if collectors wish to adjust their timekeepers after they have stopped for several days, they simply have to push this unique corrector until the correct date is shown, as all the functions of the Récital 21 are perfectly synchronized. 

Just like the hand-decorated movement, which has been executed to the most exacting standards, the dial showcases the range of BOVET 1822’s artisanal virtuosity. For the central dial and the seconds dial, they have chosen the iconic blue circular brushed finish, which has been widely embrace since its introduction in 2015. After the surface brush treatment has been carefully applied, the dial is colored and artisans then apply eight layers of lacquer. These are then polished to provide the dial’s luster and characteristic depth. Making great use of the unique volume of the “writing slope” case, the dial artisans and watchmakers have combined their efforts to make the seconds hand sweep under the hours and minutes dial, a cleverly choreographed and truly noble expression of time. 

The peripheral surface of the calendar indicator is rhodium plated and the circular “Côtes de Genève” is blackened.

In 2021, the Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Récital 21 is available in titanium, with a contrasting and modern bright yellow, including the textured rubber strap.