La Bovet by Pininfarina Collection, risultato della partnership nata nel 2010 tra le due Aziende, si arricchisce di una nuova gemma: il flying Tourbillon OTTANTASEI. Questo quarto Tourbillon segna una svolta significativa nello sviluppo della Collezione evidenziando, al tempo stesso, codici di design distintivi. Il Tourbillon OttantaSei è disponibile in titanio e in oro rosso 18K in un’edizione limitata di 86 orologi. La Bovet by Pininfarina Collection è composta da altri tre Tourbillon (OTTANTA, OTTANTADUE and OTTANTATRE) e due Cronografi (Sergio e Cambiano).Il Tourbillon OttantaSei rimane fedele alle linee essenziali che caratterizzano la Collezione ma, al tempo stesso, afferma il proprio carattere grazie ad innovazioni tecniche e a evoluzioni stilistiche. La parola “light”, con la sua connotazione ambivalente di luminosità e di leggerezza, è stata la parola d’ordine in ogni fase di sviluppo di questo progetto. Prendendo ispirazione dal mondo dell’aviazione, i team di Pininfarina e Bovet hanno studiato soluzioni capaci di rendere il Tourbillon distintivo e molto confortevole al tempo stesso. La cassa dell’orologio incarna pienamente questa filosofia: quattro ampi cristalli di zaffiro coprono le principali superfici, mentre elementi a contrasto in titanio e oro tracciano i contorni essenziali della struttura.
Il risultato evoca il vetro che circonda la cabina di pilotaggio di un aereo o di un elicottero. L’accurata lavorazione e la delicata metallizzazione dei cristalli di zaffiro permettono una straordinaria vista del movimento, vera anima dell’orologio, mentre il tocco di eleganza sinonimo delle due società è presente attraverso le parole ‘Pininfarina’ e ‘limited edition’ incise a laser sulle superfici interne concave delle pareti dei cristalli di zaffiro. Le viti disegnate da Pininfarina, usate in tutti gli orologi della collezione, sono un’ulteriore caratteristica distintiva. L’evoluzione stilistica è abbinata a un’importante innovazione tecnologica che garantisce 10 giorni di autonomia all’OttantaSei.For 2016, Swiss Bovet presents the latest timepiece as part of the brand’s ongoing design collaboration with the famed automotive (for the most part) design firm Pininfarina in Italy. aBlogtoWatch debuted the first watch from this relationship back in 2010 with the Bovet Pininfarina Ottana Tourbillon. Since then, there have been a range of relatively affordable models, and for 2016, we return to a glitzy tourbillon model which has an interesting new design with the Bovet Pininfarina OttantaSei 10-Day Tourbillon watch.The most distinctive design feature of the OttantaSei (means “eighty-six” in Italian) watch is how the case looks and feels. At 44m wide and 12mm thick, the specs alone do not really communicate what this wide and proportionally thin case feels like on the wrist. Because the sides of the case are fitted with sections of transparent sapphire crystal, this feels so little like how most watch cases do. It feels more like a display cage for the movement contained within.The Bovet Pininfarina OttantaSei 10-Day Tourbillon watch is also quite light – especially in the two titanium versions. I must admit that given the “bow style” crown position at 12 o’clock, it wears in a quite large fashion, but it isn’t uncomfortable. Bovet claims that even in gold, the case only weighs 51.66 grams (without the strap). The entire point of the design was to make the Bovet Pininfarina OttantaSei 10-Day Tourbillon light-looking… and light-feeling.There are a total of four sapphire crystals on the case, and the use of flat crystals on the top as well as the flat planes on the sides make the watch feel like a large coin on your wrist. Laser engraving is used on the sides of the case to print the “limited edition” and “Pininfarina” labeling, while the partial seconds indicator scale is printed on the one of the main crystals and read on the opposite side. Unlike some of the convertible Bovet watch cases I’ve reviewed in the past, the Bovet Pininfarina OttantaSei 10-Day Tourbillon watch does not transform into a pocket watch, pendant, or desk clock. The case is water resistant to 30 meters.Inside the Bovet Pininfarina OttantaSei 10-Day Tourbillon is a new movement known as the caliber 17BM03MM. Manually wound, the movement operates at 18,000 bph (2.5Hz) and has a long power reserve of 10 days in one barrel. To view and operate the movement is real beauty. Bovet decided to keep things as simple and classy as possible by offering the time on a subsidiary dial, large-diameter tourbillon (which doubles as the small seconds indicator), and a power reserve indicator.There is also a special system on the winding stem which can be observed just under the Bovet logo that was developed by Bovet a few years ago and, in addition to looking really nice, is said to increase winding efficiency so that the user does not need to wind the crown as many times to fully charge the movement. Note the small sapphire crystal plate on the crown which happens to have the Pininfarina logo on it (for the first time in this watch collection, I believe).Design wise, the 17BM03MM movement is a stunner, with dark-gray-finished plates and attractive texturing and finishing. All the Pininfarina watches have a decidedly modern edge to them compared to a lot of the classic or Old World, “artistically dense” design style that many people associated with Bovet.Even as a ritzy tourbillon-laden timepiece the Bovet Pininfarina OttantaSei 10-Day Tourbillon still feels like a sport watch with the highly legible hands and indicators as well as the very light feeling on the wrist. The rubber strap has a nice deep blue Alcantara-lining, and allows for an overall very comfy fit – an even comfier fit if you have really large wrists given how the larger-feeling case fits.The movement architecture and skeletonization is pure “haute horology” with a range of fine yet modern decorative details and finishing. I am aware that the design of Bovet timepieces makes them not suitable for everyone, but I still believe most watch lovers can easily rally behind the execution of technique and skill in these watches. Moreover, how often to have a watch that so conspicuously features a large flying tourbillon and also has brightly SuperLumiNova-painted hands (note that on these prototype models, the hands were hand-painted so the lume appears uneven).Bovet will produce the Bovet Pininfarina OttantaSei 10-Day Tourbillon as a limited edition of just 86 pieces. That includes all three case styles which are available as the reference TPINS002 in 18k red gold, the TPINS001 in natural titanium, and the TPINS003 in DLC-coated black titanium. Last, it appears that Bovet has also updated the warranty on their watches (at least some of them) in light of moves by other watch industry players, so the Bovet Pininfarina OttantaSei 10-Day Tourbillon
