Mysteries Unveiled: The Old War Office Awakens as The OWO, London’s Enigmatic Escape

Closed to the public for over a century, the former Old War Office is now open as a Luxury Hotel. For more than a century, The OWO (formerly the Old War Office) was closed to the public, designed to keep people out and its secrets in. The OWO is a new center for living, entertainment, … Read more

Pininfarina Unveils First U.S. Battista Hyper GT Cars, Luggage, and Tourbillon collection

The first Battista pure-electric hyper GT cars crafted for clients in North America are delivered to new owners in October, marking another significant milestone for Italian luxury car brand Automobili Pininfarina. The first bespoke Battista is followed by the exclusive Battista Anniversario, which will also leave the Battista Atelier in Cambiano, Italy this month to … Read more

Automobili Pininfarina unveils first high-end timepiece for the new Battista

 

BOVET 1822, crafters of beautifully designed and sophisticated timepieces, reveals the exquisite new Battista Tourbillon, created alongside the pure-electric Battista hyper GT.

@Pininfarina Battista Tourbillon from @BOVET 1822

The Battista Tourbillon timepiece celebrates the creation of the car designed and completely assembled in Cambiano.

Powerful. Precise. Beautiful. Elegant. These words perfectly describe the Automobili Pininfarina Battista and now, the new Battista Tourbillon from BOVET 1822. Working closely with Automobili Pininfarina, BOVET has created a timepiece that perfectly complements the Battista hypercar.

The world’s first pure electric hyper GT has been recognized for its design excellence with several awards to its name already, as production of pre-series Battista passes completion. Each Battista will be bespoke to the client’s personal specification, ensuring unrivalled exclusivity.

 

The timepiece incorporates fresh and groundbreaking ideas with a classically oriented watchmaking structure and extraordinary finishing.

Pascal Raffy, owner, BOVET 1822, explains: “At BOVET 1822, the human element is essential, and so it is for Automobili Pininfarina. Luxury cars and timepieces share the same values: exceptional design and performance. When you start a project and there is no interest other than the pursuit of perfection, passions do not just add up – they multiply.”

BOVET’s exquisite craftsmanship made it possible to design remarkable details, making nearly every piece in-house at the production facility in Tramelan,
Switzerland. Sapphire crystals on both sides ensure that the inner beauty of this mechanical masterpiece can be enjoyed and admired.

@Pininfarina Battista Tourbillon from @BOVET 1822

Inspiration came from Battista’s beautiful exterior curves and detailing. The design teams took these shapes and created watch hands, bridges, dials, and other structures that connect the design of Battista to the timepiece, with fluid, Pininfarina-style shapes such as the flying bridge above the two main dials of the timepiece.

Further references can be found in the subtle background characteristics, such as the Triangolo pattern on the dials, reimagined in miniature and viewed through the sapphire crystal exhibition case back. The timepiece features the Automobili Pininfarina collaborative flags on the power reserve dial. In the Battista Tourbillon timepiece the E-Heart-shaped aperture on the back shows BOVET’s patented differential winding mechanism that makes rewinding the timepiece for a full 10 days of power reserve easier and quicker. The 45.6-millimeter case consists of two large sapphire crystals, enhancing the lightness and purity of the design.

Luca Borgogno, Chief Design Officer, Automobili Pininfarina, explains: “The Battista Tourbillon truly represents the Automobili Pininfarina design philosophy in sublime, small scale. We reached a level of detail and design quality that has not been seen before. It makes a perfect match with the Battista hyper GT.”

@Pininfarina Battista Tourbillon from @BOVET 1822

The fine detailing in Iconica Blu is combined with traditional finishing such as Côtes de Genève, angling, and polishing. Super-LumiNova has been generously applied to all the hands, including on the top of the tourbillon cage as well as the hand of the power reserve.

Automobili Pininfarina believes that luxury can and must be sustainable, without compromise to quality or beauty. By reconsidering and re-inventing materials and processes, the journey toward a sustainable future accelerates. In the Battista hyper GT, new methodologies have been introduced for tanning seat leather with olive leaves, recycling materials throughout the production process, and creating innovative new materials by combining offcuts of leather and wood.

Mechanical timepieces are by their very nature sustainable, as they are meant to last virtually forever with the right care and service. BOVET manufacturing processes are designed to capture and recycle any and all waste, while mechanical timepieces use no disposable batteries. With the Battista, the decision was to not use alligator leather straps, but instead a newly designed rubber strap that is 100 per cent vegan.

 

AT A GLAN

@Pininfarina Battista Tourbillon from @BOVET 1822

CE: BATTISTA TOURBILLON

Patented Double-Sided 60-Second Flying Tourbillon
Brand New Movement with Big Date Display
10-Days of Power Reserve
Patented Spherical Rewinding System
Tourbillon Cage Reinterprets the Battista’s Impulso Wheels
Unique Case with Dual Sapphire Crystals; 45.6mm x 11.95mm
Design Details Inspired by the All-Electric Battista Hypercar Throughout
Asymmetrical Dials for the First Time Ever
Skeletonized Movement Architecture Inspired by the Battista
Exclusive Vegan Rubber Straps
Limited Editions in Titanium, Rose Gold, Platinum, and Bespoke.

@Pininfarina Battista Tourbillon from @BOVET 1822
@Pininfarina Battista Tourbillon from @BOVET 1822

Rolls-Royce introduces utterly unique coachbuilt Boat Tail commission

  With the unveiling of Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars confirms coachbuilding as a permanent fixture within the luxury automotive brand’s future portfolio. Coachbuild provides freedom to move beyond the usual constraints. Normally, there is a natural ceiling to Rolls-Royce Bespoke by way of the canvas. At Rolls-Royce Coachbuild the luxury car brand breaks … Read more

Bovet Amadéo Fleurier 44 Notre Dame. Transform it into a pocket watch or a table clock without the use of a single tool

  Since its founding in 1822, Maison BOVET has maintained close ties with collectors in the United States, representing two hundred years of trans-Atlantic friendship. The most prestigious shops in North America now represent BOVET 1822 and bear witness to this commitment. The artisans of BOVET 1822 have manufactured an Amadéo Fleurier 44 Notre Dame … Read more

Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2018: Bovet wins the Aiguille d’Or Grand Prix

  2018 – the prize-winners of the 18th Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG 2018) were unveiled last Friday on the stage of the Théâtre du Léman. Excellence, creativity and horological expertise were saluted by an international jury which had designated the winners of 17 prizes and awarded the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix to Bovet … Read more