Bovet celebrates 10 years of the 19Thirty collection with a surprisingly subtle special edition
Anyone who has enjoyed a conversation with Pascal Raffy, owner of the house of Bovet, knows he has a flair for the poetic. One only needs to glance at the brand’s collection of ornate and extravagant timepieces to understand that artistic indulgence is embedded deep within Bovet’s identity. So, when the brand announced that it would be releasing a special-edition 19Thirty model to celebrate the collection’s 10th anniversary, we readied ourselves for an extravagant, and borderline baroque, timepiece.
The reality, however, is a little more nuanced. The new 19Thirty anniversary model—available in three dial variations—retains the silhouette and mechanical integrity the collection has come to be known for. The 42mm Fleurier case, with its slim 9.05mm profile, polished stainless-steel surfaces, and signature 12 o’clock crown and bow, is very much present. So too is the manual-winding calibre 15BM04, an in-house movement delivering a generous seven-day power reserve from a single barrel, and meticulously hand-finished by Bovet’s watchmakers.
It is, however, on the dial of the 19Thirty 10th Anniversary Special Edition that we see a departure from the brand’s extravagant watchmaking language. Instead of the guilloché textures and engraved ornamentation of earlier 19Thirty iterations, the timepiece sports a lustrous lacquered dial that exudes restraint and sophistication. The three distinct dial variations—midnight blue, a soft green gradient, and a glitter-flecked black—offer a contemporary expression of the collection’s design language.
Accentuating this shift is a new and measured dial layout. In place of the collection’s former layered, decorative arrangement, the dial now features just four stylised Arabic numerals—at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock—while baton markers indicate the hours in between. The numerals at 3 and 9 o’clock are rotated on their sides, a subtle choice that gently unsettles the symmetry and adds a note of charm and whimsical allure. Elsewhere, a small seconds counter is positioned at 6 o’clock, while a power reserve arc curves discreetly beneath the 3 o’clock numeral.
Despite its visual restraint, the 19Thirty 10th Anniversary Special Edition is far from a minimalist watch. Although designed to look measured and contemporary, the dial remains eye-catching and richly finished. Couple that with Bovet’s signature case—with its old-world bow and crown at 12 o’clock—and you have a timepiece that’s more than capable of making its presence known.
While seasoned Bovet collectors may be more familiar with the brand’s elaborate and ornate flourishes, the 19Thirty 10th Anniversary Special Edition offers a restrained expression of the brand’s design codes and, as is always the case with Bovet, its theatrical sensibilities.
This story first appeared in the August 2025 issue. Purchase it as a print or digital copy, or consider subscribing to us here
