When examining Bovet watches, I always think of the brand’s current owner, Pascal Raffy, and our talks about “artistic density” and his particular take on luxury. For about 22 years now, he has been stewarding the antique name in Swiss watchmaking, and under his leadership, the brand has produced a number of extremely memorable watches. Even Bovet itself can’t always seem to keep track, as the numeric system it has for its watches tends to branch out oddly as Raffy and the team frenetically pack new and interesting ideas into Bovet’s latest products. Accordingly, this reference XI-T10SQ002 Bovet Virtuoso XI watch came out prior to there being a Virtuoso X (that I know of). It is a thematic extension of the movement that debuted in the Virtuoso VIII watch but with a skeletonized and decorated mechanical movement. Bovet also produces at least two versions of the Virtuoso XI, including with or without baguette-diamonds set into the bezel, as well as engravings on the side of the case. This pictured version of the Virtuoso XI is the simplest version without diamonds or case-engraved decorations.
According to Bovet, the movement inside the Virtuoso XI is the first caliber from the Maison that was designed to be skeletonized. The company has done skeleton and open-work on dials before (many times), but apparently, none of its movements were designed to be as fully visible and transparent as that in the Virtuoso XI. Bovet makes it clear that, in addition to being skeletonized, the movement is lavishly decorated on all sides and parts. This includes both hand-polishing and a lot of engraving work. Bovet claims that decoration time alone for the Virtuoso XI takes its artisans between 60-80 hours per watch.
The movement decor is a lovely showcase of traditional style, including Arabesque curves and plenty of polished angles. This decoration extends past the movement and is optionally applied to the sides of the sloped Virtuoso XI case that is produced from 18k white gold. It isn’t uncommon for Bovet to offer watches like this with different case decoration and setting options. The movement operates at a steady 2.5Hz (18,000 bph) but offers a very long power reserve of 10 days (from one mainspring barrel). Indicators on the dial include a power reserve indicator hand over the mainspring barrel, central hands for the hours and minutes, and flying tourbillon that also doubles as a seconds indicator. While this isn’t the easiest watch dial in the world to read, it does make use of contrasting blued-steel hands, which even have bits of luminant in the hour and minute hands. Note that the tourbillon is “double-sided,” meaning it is designed to be viewed from both sides of the case; this is just one of the several Bovet patents that apply to features in the manually wound movement.
Based on the style of antique writing/drafting desks/tables, the Virtuoso XI case has a slant to it, which actually helps you read the time a bit easier since the dial is angled up to where your eyes go while wearing the watch. Bovet’s Recital collection watches offer an even more dramatic version of this case design but for considerably thicker watch movements. The case shape retains the Bovet “bow” crown at the top of the case, which is inspired by Bovet’s historic pocket watches. The bar-style lugs allow for the otherwise large 44mm wide (13.45mm thick) Virtuoso case to wear rather comfortably. The case is water resistant to 30 meters with a domed and AR-coated sapphire crystal over the dial. Attached to the case is an alligator skin strap.
In all, the Bovet Virtuoso XI is a bold wristwatch-wearing experience that celebrates classic values in horology and traditional artisanship. This is about as un-modern as a new watch can get given the materials it is made from, the manner in which it was manufactured, and the artistic style of the watch case and movement. It is a show-off watch in a relatively tasteful manner and beautifully evokes the values that Raffy and his family have put into the Bovet brand, including a penchant for complexity, exclusivity, rarity, and artistic density. Not a limited edition but naturally limited in production, the price for the non-engraved case version is $325,000 USD, and the price for the engraved case with diamond-set bezel version of the Bovet Virtuoso XI watch is $453,000 USD. Learn more at the Bovet website.
