Swiss watchmaker Bovet's Récital 22 Grand Récital wristwatch has taken home the "Aiguille d'Or" Grand Prix from the 18th Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). Presented by french actor Edouard Baer at the Théâtre du Léman in Geneva, the coveted haute horlogerie award for the "best of the best" topped the list of 17 major prize categories that celebrate the top tier of Swiss watchmaking.
Founded in 2001, the GPHG was set up by the Republic and Canton of Geneva, the City of Geneva, the Musée International de l'Horlogerie/International Museum of Horology (MIH) in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the Geneva Laboratory of Horology and Microengineering (Timelab), and the Edipresse group as a way of promoting Swiss watchmaking and helping to maintain its standards of creativity and excellence. Each year in November, an international jury selects the winners in 17 categories, including the "Aiguille d'Or," or the Hand of Gold, for the overall winner.
This year, the Aiguille d'Or"went to the Récital 22 Grand Récital, which isn't that much of a surprise given its remarkable combination of craftsmanship and playfulness. The haute horlogerie timepiece designed by Bovet owner Pascal Raffy features a tellurium-orrery that shows the dance between the Earth, Sun, and Moon, with a flying tourbillon playing the part of the Sun.
Made in a limited edition of 60 units priced at US$469,800 for the red gold version and US$502,200 for the platinum, the Récital 22 Grand Récital, is, to say the least, an ambitious grand complication with its three-dimensional Sun, perpetual calendar, layered Earth with hand-painted details, and miniature Moon that orbits the Earth in precisely 29.53 days – exactly equivalent to the Moon's synodic period.
Source: GPHG
