he stunning full blue guilloché dial of the Virtuoso V belies the complexity of this timepiece. Instead of a normal hour/minute display, the Virtuoso V features a jumping hour with retrograde minutes, a charming complication that draws your attention at the end of every hour.

When the minute hand hits 60, it snaps back to zero, and at the same time the digit in the very centre of the dial jumps forward. Quite the feat of engineering and power management, this instantaneous action is crucial to the Virtuoso V’s operation. Needing to work flawlessly every hour, 24/7, throughout the full five days of its power reserve – it wouldn’t do for one to move earlier than the other – the minute hand and the hour digit have to be perfectly synchronised, working in complete harmony.

Diameter: 43.50 mm. Thickness: 15.70 mm. Material: Grade 5 titanium. Strap: full-grain alligator. Buckle: Grade 5 titanium. Chain: rhodium-plated silver. Water resistance: 30m. Calibre: 13BM11AIHSMR (hand wound). Frequency: 21,600 vph. Functions: jumping hours, retrograde minutes, GMT. Reversed hand-fitting (hours, minutes and seconds), power reserve indicator. Dials: blue guilloché, 7 layers of lacquer. Guarantee: 5 years.

But that’s not all the Virtuoso V offers. Turn it over and you have another dial, showing off-centered hours and minutes, as well as a peek into the mystery of this in-house high watchmaking movement. Bovet produces more than 95% of all its components itself, in its own facilities, including the hairspring and the regulating organ, so showing the movement and its exquisite hand finishing is a priority for the House.

The Virtuoso V can be worn on either side, used as a pocket watch or a table clock, all without any tools. And to top things off, the jumping hour can be set to a different time than the other side (via the corrector at two o’clock) – the only timepiece in Bovet’s Amadeo collection that can be configured this way.

Price: CHF 75,000

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