Having explored every known Métiers d’Art dial from flinqué enamel to miniature painting and Fleurisanne engraving, Bovet 1822 is now adding sugar to its repertoire. That’s right, sugar. And created the unique Miss Audrey Sweet Art watch.
In a complex, top-secret process developed by Bovet, raw sugar crystals are processed in a way that prevents any structure change (i.e. melting) when they are exposed to light or heat. The crystals are hand-picked for size consistency and then colored with bio-degradable lacquer paint, which Bovet says has no impact on the environment. They are then applied to the dial by hand. The process, protected by a patent, leaves no room for error. Bovet explains that the sugar crystals are very fragile and easy to damage right up until the point when they are put into the oven and baked at high temperatures. If the artisan scratches one when putting them in place, the process has to start all over again.
To further sweeten the deal, the new Miss Audrey Sweet Art watch, the first watch to use this dial decoration technique, can be used three ways: as a wristwatch, a pendant watch or a desk clock, without the use of a tool to change it. The crown on its Fleurier Amadéo convertible case is placed at 12 o’clock in order to facilitate this transformation and make it wearable in all formats. The pendant comes with a chain made of rhodium-plated silver. The hands, another signature Bovet touch, are shaped so that when they come together, they form a heart.
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The unique art offers a textured tableau ripe for a variety of hues. The colour options come in either solid hues or gradients. Because of the organic nature of the materials and the hands-on process, every dial is unique, with its own mix of texture and sparkle, and cannot be exactly duplicated.
Beneath each confectionery dial is the automatic calibre 11BA15, with a 42-hour power reserve. The bow and bezel are set with 103 round-cut diamonds totaling about 1 carat, and the crown and strap bolts are set with a 0.72-carat sapphire cabochon. The original Miss Audrey, sans the sugar dial, was the winner of the Ladies’ Watch category in the 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (the Oscars of watchmaking) and in a heart-melting touch is named after Bovet owner Pascal Raffy’s daughter.
The new Miss Audrey Sweet Art watches are priced at US$28,000 (or about RM116,000) each.
Previously published on Robb Report.
