Pascal Raffy, owner of Bovet 1822, inaugurated 2020 by commemorating the three international awards given in just a few months to the tourbillon Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter One, with the creation of an exclusive edition of just 10 timepieces featuring a sumptuous hemispherical dial sculpted in a red quartz block. This exceptional watch features numerous innovations and hints at the wide range of unprecedented possibilities offered by the lectern-shaped case. For this first version of the Brainstorm, Raffy chose sapphire. With its crystalline transparency, sapphire is the hardest material after diamond and possesses the little-known quality of being lighter than titanium. This original choice presented Bovet's engineers with a great challenge. Although sapphire cases have been known for almost forty years, their design had remained relatively simple due to the difficulties of machining and polishing caused by the hardness of the material. The asymmetrical profile of the case middle, bezel and case glass in the shape of a lectern forced engineers and technicians to face unprecedented difficulties. The case middle and crystal form a unique element that scrupulously respects the original design of the slanted cases in the collection. The caseback consists of a ring and four lugs made of grade 5 titanium. Naturally, this ring features a sapphire crystal that opens onto the back of a movement full of secrets to unveil. To make the most of transparency and ergonomics, the watchmakers at Bovet 1822 decided to attach the movement to the back rather than inside the case middle as in the usual procedure, an option that had already been successfully tested in the construction of the Tourbillon Ottantasei in 2016. The movement chosen to occupy this three-dimensional panoramic display case is regulated by the patented double-face flying tourbillon, launched in 2015. Four years later and after several stages of evolution, the House now presents a balance with variable inertia for improved chronometry from the use of a traditional balance spring. The new calibre takes energy from a single barrel, which guarantees a 10-day power reserve despite the many complications it powers. The traditional mastery of large power reserves by the watchmakers of Bovet 1822 - who hold the absolute record with a pocket watch manufactured in 1900 with a total of 370 days of power reserve - is explained by their constant efforts to minimise friction at the heart of the movement. The application of artisanal methods and the care devoted to every detail determine this control of energy and sum up the philosophy that governs the Manufacture's technical department, based on the idea of saving energy rather than increasing it to increase the power reserve. The solution to the problem posed by winding times is offered by the spherical differential winding system, the subject of two patents, which halves the number of revolutions of the crown required to fully wind the timepiece. On the strength of this solid foundation of chronometric performance, the Brainstorm presents the hours and minutes off-centre at 12 o'clock. Being the highest part under the pronounced dome of the case, the watchmakers have created a particularly high attachment of the hands. A pointer screwed to the cage wheel, as well as two arms of the cage bridge follow each other at 120° intervals, running through the graduated seconds sector in a groove in the main dial. It should be noted that the gilded titanium cage bridge alone requires two days of work by a craftsman for its decoration. To accentuate the transparency of the case, the power reserve is displayed by means of a cam indicating the energy available through a "crescendo" indicator located at 4 o'clock. Arranged symmetrically at 8 o'clock is the large date, displayed through a circular window. At 12 o'clock, immersed in the volume of the hour and minute dial, a three-dimensional moon phase emerges, in which the curvature of the dome "opposes" the curves of the dial. For added realism, the surface of the lunar dome is engraved and the deeper parts are filled with Superluminova. In addition, the Bovet1822 quadrantists succeeded in setting two circular aventurine glass plates inside the pronounced curve of the hemispherical moon phase indicator. The latter can be read with extraordinary realism through the two circular apertures above the dome. The dial of this new timepiece is made up of a red quartz dome, the transparency of which allows one's gaze to travel successively through the different layers of the movement. Entirely developed in the offices and workshops of Bovet 1822, the movement reveals a stepped architecture in which successive inclined planes support all its components. This exclusive choice offers numerous advantages in several respects. First of all, it makes it possible to optimise the volume of the V-shaped profile of the case middle, resulting in improved ergonomics and aesthetics up to the highest standards of haute horlogerie craftsmanship. Each display is articulated around an axis perpendicular to the inclined plane of the bezel, offering the best reading angle with the wrist in a normal position. This particular sapphire construction created many hitherto unknown difficulties for the craftsmen. Experts in micro-engineering, decorators, quadrantists and watchmakers together succeeded in meeting all the challenges presented by this Récital 26. Pascal Raffy pays tribute to them by christening this new horological feat Brainstorm, a name that evokes both the solutions they found together and the ingenuity required to resolve the many unusual situations that arose in the course of a project that became a reality. The Tourbillon Brainstorm Chapter One is offered in a limited edition of sixty movements, of which only ten will wear an exclusive red quartz dial. Finally, the Chapter One designation that subtitles the description of this timepiece suggests that Raffy's imagination still has many fields to explore, to demonstrate the range of possibilities offered by the unique design of the lectern-shaped case typical of Bovet 1822's production
