Two years ago, Bovet debuted the Recital 18 Shooting Star, to much acclaim and accolades. The Recital 18 is incredibly intricate, beautifully luxurious, and gorgeous from every angle. Now, two years later, the Recital 20 Asterium continues the tradition set by its illustrious predecessor.
A Passion For Time Itself
The Recital 20 Asterium reprises the characteristic shaped case of the Recital 18 Shooting Star. But where the Shooting Star soars above to give a beautiful view of earth, the Asterium lifts its eyes to watch the skies. Fitting, considering that our ancestors used the stars to guide themselves, and the sun to measure their time.
In the Recital 20 Asterium, this attention to the skies is brought down to a miniature, intricate form that fits on the wrist. The eye-catching sky map is designed to be functional, precise, and intuitive all at once. The Bovet technicians mapped out the stars and constellations on a dome of translucent blue quartz. The quartz globe is then laser-engraved and coated in Super-LumiNova to create a dazzling, almost luminous effect.
It’s a measure of how dedicated the Bovet watchmakers are that the night sky on the Asterium is calculated for the more precise sidereal year of 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, and 9.77 seconds. It would’ve been easier to round it down to 365, of course, but easy is not always the best path to take.
The lower left and right hand sections of the watch face feature hemispheric indicators, and a hemispheric precision moon phase indicator. The lower right-hand portion also features a 10-day power reserve indicator.
Elegance From All Angles
Turning the Asterium over reveals another, wonderfully intricate vision. The transparent sapphire crystal covering the movement of the watch features a series of graduations linked to astronomical indications. The single central hand that travels around it marks out the dates and months on the case-back bezel. The zodiac system, seasons, equinoxes, and solstices are on the back.
Despite the complexity that goes into its making, the Recital 20 Asterium is easy and intuitive to wind. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to wear this watch. Though if you do, you’ll be the most stylish rocket scientist around.
Only sixty watches will be produced across all versions, keeping the Recital 20 Asterium tastefully exclusive. This includes requests for unique pieces. The case options are 18K red or white gold, or platinum 950/1000, and the straps are made of full skin alligator. You can also further customise the cases.
