ReviewBovet’s Dimier Récital 21—A Pursuit Of Horological Excellence

‘Rare’ and ‘refined’ are the words that come to mind when one talks about any Bovet timepiece. After all, they are distinct in their own right and have a niche following of horophiles who truly understand the brand’s watchmaking ethos and their expertise in crafting ornate and complex watches that are executed in the most elegant fashion. Bovet are no stranger to producing perpetual calendar watches and the Dimier Récital 21 just strikes the right chord. The timepiece comes in the brand’s signature ‘writing slope’ case and is designed to display useful information that can be read easily off the dial, and can also be adjusted intuitively in daily wear. Here’s a closer look at this horological marvel.

Artistic Virtuosity: The Dial

The Bovet Dimier Récital 21 comes in a 44.4mm titanium or red-gold case where, like all other watches from the brand, the dial is the centre of attention. It highlights the range of the brand’s expertise when it comes to crafting ornate timepieces that are works of art for the wrist. For the central dial and the seconds sub-dial at nine o’clock, they have opted for a royal blue hue with a circular brushed finish. This is a laborious process because after the surface brush treatment has been carefully applied, the dial is coloured and then the artisans apply eight layers of lacquer. These are then polished to achieve the characteristic depth and lustre, and the elongated case shape allows enough room for the seconds hand to sweep in its respective counter, under the hours and minutes dial, without any clash—quite a well-choreographed move for all the three hands to work in tandem. The peripheral surface of the calendar indicator is rhodium plated and one can choose between a circular Côtes de Genève motif or the hand-engraved Fleurisanne motif.

The minute and hour hands are located in the centre, providing more space in the periphery for perpetual calendar information, indicated by a retrograde index that rotates around the hours and minutes, while the discs display the days and months in vertical apertures at 12 o’clock and six o’clock respectively, and the leap year is displayed in a circular window at three o’clock. For improved reliability and longevity, there is an in-built mechanism that slows down the indicator during its retrograde jump.

At the heart of the watch lies the Calibre 113DM05-QPR—an efficient hand-wound and decorated movement beating at a frequency of 21,600vph, with a five-day power reserve

The days and months are displayed in vertical apertures at 12 o’clock and six o’clock respectively, and the leap year is indicated through a window at three o’clock

Beauty Lies In The Finer Details: The Hand-Wound Movement

At the heart of the Dimier Récital 21 lies the Calibre 113DM05-QPR—an efficient hand-wound and decorated movement beating at a frequency of 21,600vph to last in power mode for at least five days (120 hours). It comes with a patented double co-axial seconds mechanism, as well as a power reserve indicator—both visible on turning the watch over. Bovet have built this movement in such a manner that guarantees precision and performance, thanks to a unique barrel, which is optimised by the balance spring—entirely designed and manufactured in the maison’s workshops.

The frequency with which the different indications need to be adjusted has also been drastically reduced because of an ingenious system with dedicated correctors for the days, date, and month—all functioning simultaneously in a synchronised manner. Water-resistant to 30m, the Bovet Dimier Récital 21 is presented on a leather strap which complements its classic character.