Bovet Watches With Miniature Painting Dials

Bovet Fleurier is celebrated by watch aficionados for its extremely fine--and necessarily limited--output of luxury timepieces. Pascal Raffy, owner of the brand, has placed great importance upon the cultivation of prestigious haute horlogerie specialties, among them such mechanical masterpieces as tourbillons, minute repeaters, and perpetual calendars. However, rare decorative techniques are practiced with equal passion in the picturesque Bovet workshop in Val-de-Travers, Switzerland; this dedication is yet another example of why Bovet watches are commanding such admiration from the most dedicated collectors. The focus on such disciplines also clearly links the modern vision of Bovet with its glorious 19th century history--a time when Edouard Bovet charmed the Imperial House of China with works of breathtaking horological art.

One of the most charming crafts practiced by Bovet Fleurier is that of miniature painting. Executed upon a mother of pearl dial base, each of these one-of-kind artworks place extreme demands upon the skill and patience of the elite craftsmen who specialize in their creation. Among the subjects popular for these hand-painted dials include reproductions of famous paintings, and exotic fauna such as tigers, lions, birds of prey, and colorful tropical frogs. Would you care to wear the likeness of a loved one--or even a beloved family pet--on your wrist? Such a project is indeed possible: supplied with a high resolution photograph, studio portrait, or an oil painting, the Bovet artisans condense a miniature outline of the image onto the dial of the watch. After this, the artisan begins his or her painstaking work, armed only with a palette of paints and the most minuscule of brushes. Gradually, the work takes form and shape, a process which can entail months of effort to complete. It must be noted that any mistake is irreversible, and necessitates beginning the project anew.

Each of these exceptional dials begins with the Bovet artist accepting the challenge of re-interpreting a subject to the round format of the dial--an often difficult project in itself due to the fact that the original subject is typically presented in a rectangular form. It is at this point that the artist creates the image in pencil which is then approved or declined by the customer. Assuming approval is given for the project to proceed, a grid of horizontal and vertical lines atop the mother of pearl substrate allows the artist to hone his or her focus on each minute detail in the picture. After an analysis of the colors required for the work, the artist prepares his paints and forms his brushes, each of which requires the use of marten hair, the only variety of hair which meets the requirement for fineness.

With this process behind him, the Bovet Fleurier artist can embark on the most arduous part of the task--realizing the eyes and facial elements of a subject before moving on to other features. Throughout the process, the artist must constantly maintain the dominant colors of each element while assuring that the paint is applied in such a way that none of the underlying mother-of-pearl can be seen. Gradually, additional colors are merged on each element, to satisfy the gradation and nuance that the artist has determined most closely matches the original work. Even when all the layers are finally down, the thickness of the paint can be measured in hundredths of a millimeter! Adding to the thorny difficulties, each layer of paint demands individual kiln firings; naturally, this is essential to drying the paint properly before the next application, but it also minimizes the risk posed by dust and other minute debris. In the most complex paintings, as many as sixty individual kiln firings may be required.

After the final firing, which lasts five hours, the Bovet Fleurier hand-painted dial is ready to receive a transparent lacquer. Undertaken in a specialized cabin with highly filtered air, five layers are applied which stand at a completed height of 0.15 millimeters--the level required for the realization of the last stages. A 24-hour kiln firing at a temperature of 120-degrees Celsius prepares the dial for its finishing with polishing disks, a necessary step to bring out the ultimate beauty of the dial. Finally, the apertures for the hands and hour markers are created, and the pattern for the dial markings are transferred.

Other extraordinary processes which Bovet Fleurier can employ to create "pieces unique" include cloisonne enamel and miniature paintings in fired enamel. Enamels can also be united with gem-setting and hand engraving to produce a singular masterpiece of beauty, true rarity, and personal significance. Regardless of what technique is chosen, the customer can be assured that his or her Bovet watch will be the only one of its kind. In a world where efficiency, mass production, and big-name branding have become the day's watchwords, Bovet Fleurier offers a refuge that is as refreshing as it is extraordinary.