What does one do for an encore after winning the Aiguille d’Or at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve in 2018" Bovet, whose Grand Récital timepiece took home that prestigious prize, continues shooting for new horological heights, as evidenced by the Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter One, which combines a sapphire version of Bovet’s famed “writing desk” sloped case with an array of complications.

The inclined case design of the Brainstorm, conceived by Bovet’s visionary owner Pascal Raffy, is here executed in transparent, crystalline sapphire, a material second only to diamond in its hardness but lighter in weight than titanium. Machining this watch’s asymmetrical case out of this notoriously difficult substance presented Bovet’s watchmakers with an array of technical challenges. The front bezel, case middle, and crystal are entirely made of sapphire, while the back bezel and four attached lugs are machine-cut from grade 5 titanium. The movement, manual-winding Caliber 17DM04-SMP, is visible through another sapphire pane in the back framed by the titanium ring. In an unusual construction that Bovet’s watchmakers chose to emphasize ergonomics, this movement is fastened to the back rather than the middle of the case. Its stepped architecture, with its succession of inclined planes, fits perfectly the V-shaped profile of the sapphire case for enhanced ergonomics and offers a stunning view of the mechanisms from the sid...