Bovet Designed This Intricate Gold Watch for Residents of London’s Most Luxurious New Apartments
Partnerships abound in the watch industry. Brands collaborate with designers, artists, and even superheroes on special editions. Now, Bovet is partnering with a luxury apartment building that was once the headquarters of Sir Winston Churchill. The Bovet OWO Special Edition 19Thirty is the Official Timepiece of the residences at OWO (Old War Office), a luxury development in central London near the Houses of Parliament. The building was home to British monarchs from 1530 to 1698 and once housed Britain’s Naval Intelligence Division, where Ian Fleming worked and was inspired to write his James Bond series. The building was a film location in five Bond films. Prices for the residences range from around $5 million to over $100 million.
The landmark building has been undergoing a major renovation for the past six years, and will include nine restaurants, three bars, and a spa, as well as Raffles Hotel and luxury residences. The hotel has 120 guest rooms and suites and 85 residences, plus a landscaped courtyard garden and a pool. Bovet was commissioned to create the unique collection of ten 18-karat gold watches to be gifted to the buyers of the most luxurious apartments in the building, including an outstanding penthouse.
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As with all Bovet watches, this one has a high decorative finish, including hand engravings that were inspired by the handcrafted touches and artistic details of the building. The 42mm 18k red gold case is decorated with a hand-engraved “egg and dart” motif, a pattern found throughout the OWO property. The Bovet bow at 12 o’clock is hand-engraved with a marble shell motif that is visible on the fireplaces and moldings in the building. The dial, in dark blue with gold lacquer, is patterned after the rose ceiling above the grand staircase. A quote from Sir Winston Churchill is engraved on the caseback: “We shape our dwellings, and afterward our dwellings shape us.” The engraving of each piece took 20 hours. It contains a hand-wound movement with a seven-day power reserve. It would be valued at CHF 60,000 (around $67,000) if sold.
The OWO property was developed by the Hinduja Group, whose principals met Bovet owner Pascal Raffy at a Formula 1 race in Monaco, which lends some insight into how the world of luxury works. Bovet was founded in London and is headquartered in a restored 14th-century castle in Fleurier, Switzerland.
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