At first glance the Bovet 1822 Récital The Shooting Star Tourbillon looks more of a work of art than a wristwatch. However, once you start breaking down the watch and its multi-functions you start to realise that the watch is a piece of horological genius. The Réctial 18 is a spectacular watch, and is only limited to 50 timepieces worldwide, making it an extremely valuable and very special indeed. The watch has been nominated for the best Mechnical Exception at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) event in 2016. He is our review of this stunning timepiece:

The Bovet 1822 Récital 18 The Shooting Star comes in a 46mm case in white or rose gold and is outfitted with a black or brown full-skin alligator stop with an ardillon buckle matching the case material. Limited to only 50 pieces in the world, it is priced accordingly at 295,000 CHF.

The mechanical movement of the Récital 18 is completely unique and something that (in horological terms) is something quite spectacular. Bovet owner and creative engine Pascal Raffy set out to create the ultimate traveler’s watch by adopting the most ancient principles of timekeeping – the observation of the stars in relation to the Earth and the journey of the moon around the Earth. Raffy and his watchmakers didn’t stop there though. The watch combines a five-day tourbillon, a hemispheric worldwide time function with selectable time zones, a compact 24-cities indicator on rollers, a hemispheric moon phase complication and timekeeping by means of a jumping hour with retrograde minutes.

Bovet 1822 Récital 18 The Shooting Star Tourbillon Side View

The spherical globe, representing the Earth, is seen as it would from outer space, as one hemisphere or half the surface. The hemisphere enables the reading of universal time, using a curved hand affixed to the North Pole in the centre, which follows the contours of the globe. The wearer can position the hand in any of the 24 selected time zones of the world. At the same time, the wearer can also tell the time anywhere in the world – there is a 24-hour ring that surrounds the globe which rotates along with the world, hence giving an accurate global time. To link the time to one specific city or area, the simply press the center of the winding crown, which makes the needle jump by an angular value of 15°, representing the exact value of the time zone.

Opposite the complex universal time display, is another groundbreaking hemispheric indicator for the moon phase complication. A pair of curved circular apertures follows the curve of the 3D moon to indicate the age of the moon as seen from both the northern ‘NORD’ and southern ‘SUD’ hemispheres. In this very different yet ingenious display, the moon and starry sky succeed each other in both windows. The moon-phase complication is driven by a highly precise mechanism that only requires correction by one day every 122 years.

The watch’s most basic function – its hours-and-minutes time display and power reserve indication – reside at the 12 o’clock position, though a high level of complexity is also found at this ‘third hemisphere.’ Nearest the mainplate, a flat sapphire disk displays the ‘jumping’ hours (the current hour is revealed as it passes over a lacquered plate). In the center of the display, a curved dial displays the five-day power reserve. The top level nearest the crystal indicates the minutes by means of a retrograde hand, something that is a mainstay of Bovet’s Récital watches and has become a hallmark of the brand’s expertise.

The five-day power reserve is stored in two barrels and controlled by a tourbillon balance oscillating at 21,600 vph. The movement – hand-wound Caliber 17DM01-HU is equipped with Bovet’s Dimier escapement and regulated by a hairspring manufactured in-house at its Fleurier manufacture. The one-minute tourbillon features a triple seconds-hand, unconventionally placed under the tourbillon and following a subtly tampoprinted graduation inside the crystal, for clear and original display. Entirely hand-engraved constellation of the stars extend across the surface of the movement, giving a subtly yet powerful reminder of the craftsmanship gone into producing this watch.

In case you hadn’t noticed – we are a big fan of this watch. The combination of sheer mechanical ingenuity and looks to kill are enough to send the any watch enthusiast purring. However, with this wristwatch limited to just 50 examples and a price tag of 295,000 CHF, you would have to be extremely lucky to find it on your wrist, or even someone else’s wrist!