Celebrating its Tenth Anniversary, the Bovet 19Thirty Receives a Refreshingly Modern Face

Bovet, the historic Swiss brand founded in 1822, was revived by Pascal Raffy in 2001 as a temple of haute horlogerie. Since then, the brand has become synonymous with high-end complications decorated with lavish artistic flourishes. One of the more ‘straightforward’ collections in Bovet’s universe is the 19Thirty, a time-only model with a unique and fascinating case construction released in 2015. Coming up for its tenth anniversary, Bovet releases a trilogy of 19Thirty references with refreshingly contemporary and minimalist dials to appeal to a “new generation of watch enthusiasts”.

When Pascal Raffy describes a watch as an ‘everyday’ beater, it has to be taken with a pinch of salt. Admittedly, the time-only 19Thirty is one of the simpler models in the brand’s universe of hyper-complicated models, but its distinctive case construction gives it a unique Bovet personality. The name 19Thirty pays homage to the last pocket watches crafted by Bovet before the fashion for wristwatches took hold in the 1930s, and the muse for the collection is a 1930s Bovet Frères pocket watch. Featuring a bow and crown at noon and an extractable stand on its caseback, the advantage of the historical ‘easel’ pocket watch was that it could double as a table clock.

Sharing the iconic pocket watch-inspired Fleurier case with the crown and bow at noon, the stainless steel anniversary watches have a 42mm diameter and a slim height of 9.05mm. Although the crown is set with a sapphire cabochon, the strap and bow bolts attaching the bracelet do not have sapphire cabochons. Instead, they have rounded steel tips, creating a more contemporary look. For additional comfort, the bow at the top of the case is articulated and sits flush on the wrist.

Where things alter quite radically, though, can be appreciated on the dial. The elegant, inverted figure eight display of earlier 19Thirty editions, with hours in the larger counter intersected by the small seconds at 6 o’clock, has been exchanged for a more minimalist arrangement. While the position of the hours and small seconds remains unchanged, the applied sub-dials, often decorated with hand-guilloché and flanked by engraved Fleurisanne motifs, are no longer featured and have been replaced with monochrome lacquered dial colours.

The three lacquered dials – green “in the dusk”, blue, and a sparkly black “queen of trees” – create a serene background for the indications. Minimalist yet playful, the hours are represented by four cursive Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock and baton indices. Generously proportioned, the numerals at 3 and 9 o’clock are positioned horizontally to mix things up. The minimalist design mood continues to the small seconds at 6 o’clock, which are insinuated with just five short markers and a long hand that grazes the lower half of the hours area. Poised just below 3 o’clock is the arched power reserve gauge, truncating the base of the marker at 4 o’clock. Even the blued screws add to the appeal of the composition, especially on the gradient green dial.

Designed specifically for the 19Thirty, Bovet’s in-house manual-winding calibre 15BM04 delivers an exceptionally long 7-day power reserve on a single barrel. Like pocket watch movements, the generous 15 ¾’’ (about 35mm) calibre fills all the available space. As you would expect, the finishes are in line with Bovet’s exceptionally high level of craftmanship with perlage on the mainplate, Geneva stripes arching over the bridges and blued screws.

The 19Thirty Tenth Anniversary models can be paired with alligator or rubber straps and share a retail price of CHF 21,000 (excl. tax). More information at bovet.com.