BOVET Presents The Poetry Of Time With Pascal Raffy In Kuala Lumpur

A mechanical watch can be admired for the ingenuity beneath its dial, but its appeal often extends beyond the movement itself. The interplay of form, finishing and function is what gives a timepiece its character — a philosophy that BOVET explored at a private luncheon in Kuala Lumpur.

Held at Potager KL, the gathering, titled The Poetry of Time, offered guests an opportunity to discover the Swiss Maison’s latest creations and meet Pascal Raffy, its owner and CEO. The presentation centred on three timepieces — the Récital 30 Ceramic, Récital 31 and Récital 32 — each demonstrating a different facet of BOVET’s approach to haute horlogerie.

With a history spanning more than two centuries, BOVET has built its identity around watchmaking that combines mechanical complexity with decorative artistry. Under Raffy’s direction, that tradition continues through complications designed not merely to impress on paper, but to offer a more intuitive experience on the wrist.

Complications With A Purpose

The Récital 30 Ceramic represents a contemporary expression of the Maison’s expertise in travel timekeeping. For the first time in BOVET’s history, high-tech zirconia ceramic features in its watchmaking, bringing scratch resistance, durability and a lighter feel to the distinctive 42mm Dimier case. Available in black or green, the watch is conceived for regular wear as much as for journeys across time zones.

Its defining feature is a roller-based world-time mechanism developed over six years. The system displays 25 independent time zones across four seasonal periods, accounting for variations such as New Delhi’s 30-minute offset. Building on the technical foundations of the Récital 28 Prowess 1, it translates a sophisticated complication into a display intended to be read and used with ease.

The Récital 31 takes a different approach, reinterpreting the perpetual calendar through a new in-house movement comprising 469 components. A retrograde date display and spherical moon-phase indication are complemented by a 120-hour power reserve. Its hand-finished and hand-engraved movement features BOVET’s new étoiles carrées, or square stars, motif, underscoring the continuing role of artisanal work in modern watchmaking.

Available in Grade 5 titanium or 18K red gold, the 44mm timepiece comes in blue, red or black, with each variation limited to 60 individually numbered pieces. Practical considerations have also informed its design: clearly indicated corrector pushers make adjusting the perpetual calendar more straightforward.

A New Perspective On Travel Time

Completing the presentation, the Récital 32 marks BOVET’s first true GMT, bringing an independent second-time-zone function together with an expanded flying tourbillon. Housed in a 42mm case of Grade 5 titanium or 18K red gold, it balances the demands of travel timekeeping with the visual theatre of an exposed mechanical complication.

Its new in-house movement contains 375 components and offers a 240-hour, or 10-day, power reserve. This is made possible in part by a patented spherical rewinding system designed to double the energy delivered with each turn of the crown. The patented flying tourbillon, elevated above the main plate, can be appreciated from both the front and the side.

Local time is displayed at noon, while a blue guilloché day-and-night indicator and a 24-hour track serve the independent GMT hand. As with the Récital 31, the Récital 32 is available in blue, red or black, with each variation limited to 60 individually numbered pieces.

Across the three creations, the emphasis is not simply on adding complications, but on integrating them into watches with distinct visual identities and clear functions. At Potager KL, The Poetry of Time offered a closer look at how BOVET continues to interpret that balance — bringing precision, decorative craft and practical considerations into the same conversation.