Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Bovet 1822 19Thirty Blue Meteorite & Titanium (Live Pics & Price)
A sliver of outerspace brings a timeless dimension to Bovet’s vision of an ‘everyday’ beater.
Roughly four and a half billion years ago, a burning meteorite hurtled through space at 28,000 km/h before crashing on Earth and scattering its iron masses across the Kalahari Desert in Namibia. The distinctive crisscrossing patterns of the meteorite are produced during the melting and cooling stage and have caught the eye of several watch brands that use the meteorite slivers to embellish their dials. Bovet has also taken a shine to the extraterrestrial material and introduces a version of its 19Thirty with a cosmic blue Gibeon meteorite dial housed in a matte sandblasted titanium case.
In Pascal Raffy’s universe of formidably staged complications and lavishly decorated timepieces, the 19Thirty is one of the brand’s more straightforward, less flamboyant models. Described by Raffy as his vision of an everyday watch, the 19Thirty is equipped with a manual-winding movement with a robust 7-day power reserve. The design cues of the collection, with the signature bow and crown at noon, are inspired by a 1930s pocket watch. Known as the ‘easel’ chronometer because of the extractable stand on the caseback allowing the pocket watch to double as a table clock, the shape of the crown and bow, and the layout of the dial of the 19Thirty models, are inspired by this 1930s ancestor.
Titanium and Meteorite
The latest 19Thirty comes in a matte 42mm sandblasted titanium case with a slim 9.05mm height. Lightweight yet resilient, the dull matte surface of the titanium case adds a contemporary touch to the watch. The hallmark crown at noon and the strap bolts are set with cabochons. The bow at the top of the case is articulated and sits flush on the wrist for additional comfort.
To reveal the lines and patterns of the Gibeon meteorite, the dial is first etched with nitric acid and then treated with a transparent blue PVD coating. Like other 19Thirty models, the dial features an inverted figure eight with the hours displayed in the larger top circle and the running seconds in the intersecting sub-dial at 6 o’clock. All the printing on the dial is white for contrast, and complementing the time indications is a power reserve indicator at 3 o’clock.
Manual-winding movement
A sapphire caseback reveals the beautiful in-house calibre 15BM04, a specifically developed manual-winding movement with an exceptionally robust power reserve of seven days on one barrel. It’s worth pointing out that the Bovet brothers created the first transparent casebacks in the early 19th century to show off the refined finishings of their movements.
Like pocket watch movements, the generous 15 ¾ ligne calibre (35.53mm) fills all the available space. The symmetry on the dial is echoed on the movement, and the finishings reflect Bovet’s high level of craftsmanship with blued screws, perlage on the mainplate, and Geneva stripes arching over the bridges.
Availability & Price
The Bovet 19Thirty Blue Meteorite & Titanium joins the regular collection and is fitted with a matching blue textile strap. The watch retails for CHF 35,000. For more information, please visit bovet.com.
