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[ The WATCH ]
Purpose
driven
Bovet 1822 pushes the made-to-measure concept to an extreme with a pair of bespoke watches designed to adapt to a range of uses, from wrist to dashboard by Diego Tamone
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The Bovet 1822 in 44 mm white gold Amadeus system case for owners of the Boat Tail. The Spirit of Ecstasy features on the front, under the Caleidolegno dial. Below, with its mount. Opposite page, a sketch of the system that attaches it to the Rolls Royce’s dashboard
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[ The WATCH ]
I
n horology the idea of “his & hers” has always been associated with watches designed to complement life in a relationship, to be worn by a couple who live in such perfect harmony they feel the need to wear
identical accessories. The presence of a third party, of course, would be tactfully ignored, at least until Bovet 1822 received a rather singular request – to make two unique timepieces that could respond to the aesthetic requirements of two wealthy clients of the Rolls Royce company while fulfilling the technical specifications of the brand’s new Boat Tail (see our feature on page 60), a one-off vehicle commissioned from the Goodwoodbased manufacturers by the well-heeled clients mentioned above. Right from the start the car was designed to host not just the obligatory clock in the centre of the dashboard, but specially-designed pieces by Bovet. The Swiss masters based the design on the Amadeo, whose versatile character has led it to become an icon of the brand’s watchmaking expertise. The result is two interpretations featuring a unique 44 mm white case with dials front and back, intended to function as wristwatch, pocket watch, desk clock, pendant and, of course, part of the Boat Tail instrumentation, neatly housed in an aluminium and titanium support designed to dampen the vibration caused by the car – although as it’s a Rolls Royce, this is, of course, minimal! The two models have different cases – the men’s watch is smooth and unadorned, the women’s version is ornate – and different supplementary dials. On the men’s watch it is in aventurine with a star system motif, while on the women’s watch it is in mother-of-pearl with floral pattern. Two micro-mechanical interpretations powered by a manual movement with tourbillon. Completion of these horological wonders took the brand’s master artisans over 3,000 hours. www.bovet.com
Above, the back of the men’s model reveals a 60-second tourbillon regulating the manually wound movement within, an aventurine dial with constellations and a lacquered reproduction of the car. To side, the watch becomes a perfect on-board instrument
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