All things nice

All things nice

Bovet 1822 hits the sweet spot in watch design

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
All things nice
Miniature painting with sugar crystals.

The owner of Bovet 1822 since 2001, Pascal Raffy has driven various innovations over the two decades. This year he has sweetened the maison's haute horlogerie with a groundbreaking sugar-coated dial.

Watch dials have been adorned with enamel, miniature paintings, guilloche, engraving, mother-of-pearl, aventurine and other materials.

Raffy imagined them shimmering with sugar crystals, to represent the purity of a child's carefree desire for confections. His vision has materialised on the face of the transformable Miss Audrey timepiece.

The dial of the new Miss Audrey Sweet Art represents a breakthrough in materials and miniature painting as well as engineering innovation.

Hands setting on the dial covered with sugar crystals.

A new and complex process was required to create the candy-inspired dial. First, the pure sugar crystals are prepared so their structure will not change when exposed to light or heat.

The non-melting sugar crystals with the right size are chosen and combined with special paints. Bovet's miniature painting artisan then meticulously applies them to the round dial.

This demanding process, protected by a patent, leaves no room for error. One misstep and the entire process has to restart.

Miss Audrey Sweet Art worn as a pendant and wristwatch.

Thanks to its artisanal and handmade nature, each and every dial is unique in boasting a solid hue or a gradient of colours. The resulting mix of texture and sparkle makes for a mesmerising effect.

The romantic design has the serpentine hands forming a beautiful heart once every hour, as the minute hand catches up to the hour hand.

The Miss Audrey is one of the award-winning watches by the Swiss brand founded by Edouard Bovet and his brothers in 1822.

Its revival in the 21st century, under the brand name Bovet 1822, is strengthened by acquisitions that ensure the independence of the company based in Fleurier, in the canton of Neuchâtel.

Miss Audrey Sweet Art converted into a table clock.

Under Raffy's leadership, Bovet 1822 has been the recipient of more than 39 awards and distinctions, including the coveted Aiguille d'Or for the Récital 22 Grand Récital at Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in 2018.

Last year, Miss Audrey and Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two earned Bovet 1822 a double win in the GPHG 2020's Ladies' Watch and Mechanical Exception Watch categories.

An alluring dial with a gradient of colours.

Powered by an automatic movement, the Miss Audrey Sweet Art features the patented Amadéo convertible system, which enables the transformation of the timepiece into a wristwatch, a pendant or a table clock without the use of any tools.

Its 36mm stainless steel case is hand-set with white diamonds that sparkle along with the delicate sugar crystals on the dial.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT