Tourbillon Ottanta Bovet by Pininfarina

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"80 movements were designed for these 80 timepieces, and I will never make this movement again for any other watch." -- Pascal Raffy

The Pininfarina design studio is celebrating its 80th anniversary. Eight decades during which Pininfarina has distinguished its career with milestone designs whose sleek, flowing forms have contributed towards the definition of a particular style and modern esthetics. Having never before worked with the world of fine watchmaking, Pininfarina could not have dreamt of anything better than a timepiece to symbolize its jubilee in a fitting and worthy manner. Ater meeting with Mr. Pascal, owner of Bovet and Dimier 1738, Mr. Paolo Pininfarina was reassured of having found in Bovet the brand with which he could co-write a new chapter in history. Thus was born the Tourbillon Ottanta.

The design and entire production of this exclusive new calibre consisting of 514 components were entrusted to Dimier 1738. To honour the 80th anniversary of Pininfarina, Dimier 1738 watch-makers produced a tourbillon which makes a complete rotation in exactly 80 seconds instead of the usual 60. The rim of the balance wheel has been designed in the form of an "8"  which, centered in the ring of the balance wheel forming a "0", once again evokes with subtlety Pininfarina's 80th anniversary.
Complementing the display of hours and minutes in the centre, the seconds and tourbillon at 3 o'clock, the power reserve is indicated by a hand at 9 o'clock. To round off this perfect symmetry, the large date is indicated at 6 o'clock by means of two concentric discs.

Ultimately, the essence of the partnership between Bovet and Pininfarina resides in the decoration of this automatic tourbillon. A past-master in the art of showing off materials and volumes to their best effect, the Pininfarina design studio suggested the use of the widest possible spectrum of shades of grey. The Dimier 1738 craftsmen thus focused their attention on 56 samples of decorations and treatments in different nuances of grey. The final detail, the areas on both sides of the tourbillon cage are decorated with circular bi-polar "Clous de Paris". The case is a revisited version of Bovet's already famous Amadeo, here proposed in titanium and steel with black DLC coating. Two other versions with a bezel and case-back in grey or rose gold are also available. Together with Pininfarina's very active contribution to the watch's design, eight emblematic phrases, each reflecting one decade in the brand's career and written by Mr. Paolo Pininfarina himself, have been engraved around the middle of the case.