October 25, 2021: Watchmaker Bovet 1822 has revealed the exquisite new Battista Tourbillon, created alongside the pure-electric Battista hyper GT. Created closely with Automobili Pininfarina, the new timepiece perfectly complements the Battista, with unrivalled craftsmanship and attention to detail
This shared vision and expertise of both the brands becomes apparent in every aspect of the collaboration. The unique skills of both houses led to the creation of a one-of-a-kind timepiece that simply could not have been realized without the shared development process between the craftsmen at Bovet 1822 and the design team at Automobili Pininfarina. The completely in-house development and manufacturing of this hand-made masterpiece of horology, constructed by the world’s most skilled precision artisans, offers the freedom to create highly bespoke parts and decorations with utmost precision.
The creation of a client’s Battista is a process of virtually unlimited personalization, with more than 128 million combinations for the interior color and materials alone, ensuring the only limits are the dreams of the client. Because of the expertise between BOVET and Automobili Pininfarina, this can be taken a step further, giving clients the possibility to express their own personalities and that of their bespoke Battista through the Battista Tourbillon as well.
“Since the day we first connected with Pascal Raffy and the artisans of Bovet 1822, we felt mutually inspired by the opportunity to create another art form for clients desiring the pinnacle in design and watchmaking,” says Per Svantesson, Chief Executive Officer, Automobili Pininfarina. “With the unveiling of our first timepiece, we aim to showcase another step forward in the world of artisanal horology.”
“The world is becoming more sustainable and the future is definitely in electric cars,” notes Pascal Raffy of Bovet. “This is what is so exciting about the beautiful Battista, which combines engineering excellence with hand-made attention to detail, like the fine timepieces of the House of BOVET. The Battista is a stunningly-designed hypercar, with almost 2,000 BHP, but it is 100% electric and sustainable. We all need to move in this direction, and Automobili Pininfarina is inspiring us to use new methods and materials, and look at our processes with an eye to sustainability as well.”
Detailing inspired by Battista’s most characteristic design features can be found in every part of the Bovet timepiece, including the movement’s mechanical components. Box sapphire crystals on both sides ensure that the inner beauty of this mechanical masterpiece can be enjoyed and admired, opening up the view of the movement visible from all sides. In addition, the sapphire crystals are shaped at 12 and 6 o’clock to integrate the specially-designed vegan rubber straps.
The watch hands, bridges, dials, and other structures connect the design of Battista to that of the timepiece. The design features more fluid, Pininfarina-style shapes compared to traditional timepieces. As an example, the flying bridge above the two main dials of the timepiece has a subtle three-dimensionality that is unique and reflects the curves of the Battista.
The timepiece features the Automobili Pininfarina and Bovet collaborative flags on the power-reserve dial, a signature Pininfarina detail that celebrates both companies’ heritage and future.
One of Battista’s most recognizable features, the E-Heart, represents Automobili Pininfarina’s spirit for constant innovation. It is the physical element that, besides being functional, acts as an icon on Battista and all the following automobiles. Similarly, in the Battista Tourbillon, the E- Heart-shaped aperture of the Big Date on the front, and on the back shows Bovet’s patented differential winding mechanism; the mechanism that makes rewinding the timepiece for a full 10-days of power reserve easier and quicker. This way, the E-Heart doesn’t just find a place in the timepiece for visual reference, it has an actual shared function as well.
The two-tone blue dials on the face of the timepiece, for the first time in the almost 200-year history of Bovet, are asymmetrical, featuring Battista’s Triangolo pattern and shaded from light to dark blue, while together forming the shape of the number “90,” a reference to the Battista Anniversario and Pininfarina’s 90-year heritage.
Above the two main dials, the flying bridge resembles Battista’s curves, and the “V” in BOVET, while the tourbillon cage is inspired by its Impulso wheels of the Battista with their center-lock technology. The hands of the timepiece and the hour-indication ring are a reference to the curves of Battista’s exterior.
Through the exhibition case back, the main structure of the movement can be admired, which is an abstract representation of Battista’s curves that wrap around the teardrop-shaped Goccia roof like a clamshell. The two-tone coloring of the bridges supports this reference to Battista.
Finally, the signature of Battista “Pinin” Farina, the legendary designer who started it all, graces the dial above the date display. Battista famously said, “Above all, it must be beautiful.” And the Battista timepiece and car certainly meets and exceeds this expectation.
The Battista Tourbillon features a brand-new movement using Bovet’s patented double face tourbillon, running at 18,000 vibrations per hour, with an incredible 10-day power reserve with just a single barrel. This movement started from a clean sheet of paper and was created specifically for the Battista Tourbillon, following the design input from Automobili Pininfarina.
The patented two-sided flying tourbillon is attached at the center of its axis, and the weight distribution of the escapement and balance-spring drastically reduces the lever-arm effect and friction, another example of the high precision and complexity of this movement. The miniaturization of the winding mechanism resulted in a second patent — a mechanical watch with 10-days of power reserve would typically require twice as many turns of the crown to wind; however, the exclusive winding system in the Battista Tourbillon and its spherical differential halves this number.
Surprisingly light both in weight and in transparency, the Battista Tourbillon makes quite an impression when worn. Though at 45.6mm, the Battista could not be considered small, the configuration of the re-designed BOVET bow at the 12 0’clock positions makes it possible for the timepiece to fit just about any size of wrist. And, thanks to the skeletonized structures of the movement itself and the sapphire crystals on both sides, the Battista is thin and extremely comfortable. The flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock, in perpetual motion thanks to its astounding 10- day power reserve, is mesmerizing and a key point of focus when checking the time. The big date on the right-hand dial keeps you on schedule, and it is easily set thanks to a corrector on the side of the case.
