In each edition of ONLY WATCH, a colour palette is given to guide the designers of the unique timepieces for the auction. This year’s colour choices, a range of colours including blue, green, yellow, pink, and magenta, celebrate the 10th edition of ONLY WATCH, a perfect choice for a world that needs more compassion, understanding, and tolerance – Bovet 1822 Orbis Mundi Only Watch 2023 Special Edition.
BOVET selected magenta as the primary colour because of what it represents –- kindness, harmony, support, and love.
The award-winning Orbis Mundi was chosen by BOVET as the base for this year’s ONLY WATCH unique piece because of its universal time display, and for how travel brings the world together, expanding horizons, fostering understanding, and increasing compassion.
The dial of the Orbis Mundi is guilloché, covered with seven layers of vibrant magenta lacquer, each one applied by hand, then dried before the application of the next layer. When all seven layers are in place, the dial is fired in the oven and then polished.
On the world time dial, Monaco, where ONLY WATCH is based, replaces the Geneva time zone, and this is in magenta as well, helping it to stand out as a beacon to the world. The X on the hour dial is in the same hue as well, a nod to the 10th edition of ONLY WATCH.
“ONLY WATCH is a fantastic opportunity for the entire watch industry to come together to do the right thing, selflessly,” says Pascal Raffy, owner, BOVET 1822. “Helping children is the focus of ONLY WATCH, and as such this cause is dear to my heart”.
“I’ve known Luc Pettavino for many years and I have tremendous respect for him and what he has done for charity and for the world,” Mr. Raffy continues. “This year is the 10th edition of ONLY WATCH, and I say this for all the artisans at BOVET, we are happy and proud to support this incredible effort.”
The Orbis Mundi
Back in 1822, 200 years ago this year, founder Edouard Bovet, a watchmaker from Fleurier, Switzerland, traveled the world. As a result, multiple time zone timepieces are in the DNA of the House, and BOVET has produced several variations on this theme.
When Mr. Raffy was designing the world time dome of the Recital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two, which won the “Mechanical Exception” award at the GPHG in 2020, he already had in mind its adapted use in the Orbis Mundi.
In development for more than two years, the Orbis Mundi, Latin for “the world,” simplifies both the setting and the indications of the world timer for a new generation of watch lovers.
The Orbis Mundi, thanks to BOVET’s engineering expertise, is easy to set, using only the crown to both set the time and the 24 world cities. Turn the crown counter-clockwise to set the hours and minutes, and clockwise to set the unique 24 world time zone dial.
Exquisitely finished, the Orbis Mundi stands out for its ease of use and emblematic Fleurier case, a true symbol of two centuries of watchmaking excellence. The ergonomic 42mm red gold case provides optimal comfort no matter the size of the wearer’s wrist, thanks to its slim profile (11.25mm) and its iconic real-sapphire-cabochon-topped crown and BOVET bow at 12 o’clock.
In addition to clear and easily readable hours and minutes, this timepiece opens up the dial to display the in-house BOVET balance wheel and regulating organ, with its three-arm rotating second hand and a 20-second dial at 6 o’clock.
On the right side of the world-time dial, is the power reserve indicator, highlighting the incredible and very useful seven days of power reserve with one single barrel. In fact, BOVET 1822 has a history of impressive power reserves, all due to the fact that Mr. Raffy is a collector and knows how important long power reserves are for complicated timepieces.
The sapphire glass of the screw-down back lets collectors appreciate every detail of this finely finished manual-wind manufacture movement, polished, angled, and decorated like the House of BOVET’s high complications, thanks to the work of the in-house artisans. The exhibition back is also a hallmark from the history of Maison BOVET: the BOVET brothers are famous for inventing the see-through cover during the 1800s to showcase their finely engraved and decorated movements.
The House of BOVET is one of the few completely integrated manufactures in the watchmaking industry. BOVET produces more than 95% of the components that go into its timepieces, and as a result the House uses the term “Swiss Handcrafted” instead of “Swiss Made,” as the Swiss Made barrier, 60%, is too low.
The Orbis Mundi endeavors to bring the world closer together, and the hope of this special unique piece for ONLY WATCH is that the world will come together to rally behind and support this worthy cause.
The ONLY WATCH Special Edition Orbis Mundi details
Unique piece for ONLY WATCH 2023
Movement
- Meticulously-finished high-watchmaking hand-winding manufacture movement
- Exposed In-House Hairspring and Escapement
- Components 246
- Functions Hours, Minutes, Sub Seconds, Power Reserve indicator, world time display
- All Functions Set Through the Crown
- Frequency 21,600 vph/3 Hz
- Power Reserve 7 days with a single barrel
- Water Resistance 30 meters
Case
- Fleurier 42mm case in 18K red gold, sapphire caseback
- Dial Magenta Guilloche Base Dial
- Unique and Easy to Read World Time Display
- Monaco in Magenta
- The “X” on the Hour Dial in Magenta for the 10th Edition of Only Watch
