Bovet goes natural, offering the Récital 12 with malachite and tiger’s eye dials
Borna BošnjakWhen I think of Bovet, I think of complex case architectures housing the most extravagant astronomical complications, with all the hand-finishing you could think of. But there’s more to the brand than that, and the new Récital 12 is perhaps the best proof that a Bovet can be worn daily. With a sporty, 40mm case and matching titanium bracelet, it brings the best of Bovet to the dial in a surprisingly subtle manner. For 2025, Bovet is refreshing the Récital 12 with on-trend stone dials, with both malachite and tiger’s eye options available.
The dials
Funnily enough, the actual dial portion of the Récital 12 is restricted to an off-centre display enveloped by swirling bridges and striping. Foregoing the usual guilloché, Bovet lets the natural stone shine, with just simple white printing for the hours, brand name, and limited edition number.
The rest of the traditional dial area is taken up by movement architecture designed for symmetry, with the shape of the balance cock echoed at 6 o’clock. In between them, a three-pronged running indicator could be used to track seconds, but in all honesty, its intricately blued spokes are impressive enough.
The case
When designing the Récital 12, Bovet sought to make a watch that could comfortably be worn all day. 40mm is actually on the larger side of the spectrum these days, but by no means oversized. Thanks to a grade 5 titanium construction and a 9.8mm thickness, you don’t have to worry about overbearing wrist bulk. As this is a Bovet, however, you can and should expect a high degree of case finishing. Blingy polishing dominates the design, with brushing used as a highlighting element on the side of the lugs, and down the length of the flat-link bracelet.
The bracelet
Though the bracelet itself doesn’t taper, Bovet provides the illusion of slimness with an elongated polished segment down the middle, which becomes narrower towards the butterfly clasp. I’d usually moan about a butterfly clasp as they rarely provide the on-the-fly adjustment capabilities that a true daily needs, but with the Récital 12, we’re in luck. Hidden in its construction, the watch’s clasp has 3mm of adjustability if your wrist ever needs it, all without affecting the design.
The movement
Created to be viewed from the front, the catchily named calibre 13BMDR12C2 can still be viewed through the display caseback. With 43 jewels and 227 components, it’s really complex for a time-only calibre, and beats at 3Hz for an impressive seven days. There’s not much of the actual movement to see, though, as Bovet has essentially inverted a movement, which would mean the side that’s usually beneath the dial is now visible. Still, Bovet does a good job of decorating the movement with circular striping that’s centred around the seconds indicator, with a cut-out for the keyless works.
The verdict
Buffy said it best in their piece presenting the Récital 12 for the first time – it’s not quite a sports watch, but it is a new proposition for Bovet. With a refreshed set of dials, it plays to the market’s current obsession with stone dials, offering more variation to Bovet’s most versatile watch.
Bovet Récital 12 malachite and tiger’s eye pricing and availability
The Bovet Récital 12 models with natural stone dials are now available, limited to 60 pieces per stone. Find out more on Bovet’s website here. Price: TBC
| Brand | Bovet |
| Model | Récital 12 Malachite Récital 12 Tiger’s Eye |
| Case Dimensions | 40mm (D) x 9.8mm (T) |
| Case Material | Grade 5 titanium |
| Water Resistance | 30 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Open with malachite or tiger’s eye sub-dial |
| Strap |
Case-matching bracelet, butterfly clasp with micro-adjust
|
| Movement | 12BMDR12C2, in-house, manual-winding |
| Power Reserve | 168 hours (7 days) |
| Functions |
Hours, minutes, small seconds, power reserve
|
| Availability | Limited to 60 pieces per dial variant |
| Price | TBC |