Why this watches cost over $450,000
The $460,000 versions is in red gold, an the more expensive half million dollar version is done in platinum
Why this watches cost over $450,000
Many of the most expensive watches are expensive because they're set with precious stone, which, of course, raise the price through the roof.
In the case of retical 22 grand retical, however the watches as expensive as it is entirely because of amount of craftsmanship
that goes into it and the lenght of time that it takes to produce various effects and make the watch what it is.
Bovet watches are inherently limited in production simply because of the complexity that's associated with making them.
This particular watch is a limited edition of 60 pieces worldwide. Those are going to role out very slowly, simply because they can't be made quickly. It's just inherent in the natuee of the watch.
The single decorative element that's probably most strongly identified with BOVET today is the use of extremely fine miniature painting, often in form of, what's called, cold enameling on the dials of their watches.
And the recital 22 grand recital has a really, really wonderful example of this particular craft. The centerpiece of the watch is a hemisphere represanting the earth as seen from above the North Pole.
There are many, many layers of enamel that have been applied to the hemisphere in order to achieve a wonderful kind of translucent effect in which the clouds literally seem to float above the oceans and continents.
The paint actually luminous and very, very luminous, and when you turn the lights off, you are treated to view of the continents glowing up at you that just incredibly compelling.
This particular wristwatch is in a class of, what are called astronomical complications.
These are timepieces that shows, often, the relative position of the stars an observer standing on Earth, or in this case, the relative position of the sun and the moon relative to an observer standing on earth.
So the centerpiece is this revolving hand-painted depiction of the upper hemisphere, the nothern hemishpere of the Earth. Placed just below it in the six o'clock position, is what's called a tourbillon.
Rotating around the earth is a spherical deciption of the moon divided into a sunlight hemisphere and a dark hemisphere. And you can read the phase of the moon from the position of this little hemisphere as it rotates around the Earth.
Back to of the watch is also loaded with information it's what called the perpetual calender. Now, a perpetual calender is a mechanical watch which knows the difference between a leap year and a non-leap year and which also advanced the date correctly at the end of each month, wheter it's a 30-day month or a 31-day month. The relative rarity of the watches and the amount of handwork that goes into finishing the movement, the case and other aspects of the watch all adds up to tremendous, teemendous amount of real old-school craftmanship which simply doesn't come cheap.
At this level of watchmaking, youre really talking about something that designed to appeal to someond with extremely spesific tastes and with budget to match.
