In a special Masterclass, collectors in Vietnam had the opportunity, under the watchful eye of BOVET’s master miniature painter, Andre Martinez, to create their very own Miss Audrey Sweet Art Dial.
The events were held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with a total of 50 collectors participating. At the end of the Masterclasses, the collectors were able to take their finished dials home with them.
Introducing the Miss Audrey Sugar
Over the course of watchmaking history, watch dials have been made of a number of different materials, all designed to stand out from the crowd. Precious metals, enamel, miniature painting, guilloche, engraving, mother-of-pearl, aventurine, skeleton – you name it and BOVET, with more than 200 years of history, has probably used it for its dials.
The Miss Audrey Sweet Art, however, uses a completely new material and a special process to produce a dial that has never been seen before in watchmaking.
One made from pure sugar.
In a special Masterclass, collectors in Vietnam had the opportunity, under the watchful eye of BOVET’s master miniature painter, Andre Martinez, to create their very own Miss Audrey Sweet Art Dial.
The events were held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with a total of 50 collectors participating. At the end of the Masterclasses, the collectors were able to take their finished dials home with them.
At one miniature painting Masterclass in Dubai, U.A.E., one of the students loved her dial so much she arranged to have it placed inside a BOVET timepiece. She wears it on her wrist today.
Audrey Raffy, the daughter of BOVET owner Mr. Pascal Raffy, was on hand to welcome all the collectors and try her hand at dial-making as well.
Inspired by Sweetness and Love
The sugar crystals covering the dial of the Miss Audrey Sweet Art represent a breakthrough in engineering innovation, materials, and miniature painting – all hallmarks of the House of BOVET.
Born in the heart and mind of Mr. Pascal Raffy, the owner of the House of BOVET since 2001, the Miss Audrey Sweet Art takes this material and transforms it – all with the goal of capturing the sweetness of love and the purity of a child’s carefree desire for confections.
Mr. Raffy calls his children his “sweethearts,” and from this simple appellation came the idea to try sugar as a decorative material for the dial of the Miss Audrey. After a full year of trial and error, Mr. Raffy and the artisans in the House of BOVET found the “recipe” and the Sweet Art was born.
Creating the Sugar Dials
Placing the prepared and colored sugar crystals one by one on the dial, the collectors were able to create their own unique sugar dial, one unlike any other dial that will ever be produced.
Mr. Martinez started the Masterclass by introducing the process needed to produce the sugar crystals to be applied on the dial. Then, all the “students” took their turns making their own dials.
“It’s much harder than I thought it would be,” said one female collector in Hanoi. “The attention to detail needed is remarkable. The material is so unique and the finished dial is so beautiful.”
BOVET Director of Sales Romain Milet presented a number of finished Miss Audrey Sweet Art timepieces as examples of what is possible, then the collectors took it from there.
“Starting with a blank dial can be very daunting,” a lady from Ho Chi Minh City said. “I felt a bit paralyzed at first, then the creative juices started to flow and I got started and really enjoyed it. We were able to choose from a number of colors. I am no artist, but the dial I did surprised even me. I love how the sugar dial looks – like a mixture between jewels and a miniature painting.”
“I was surprised at the talent in these Masterclasses,” said artisan extraordinaire Martinez. “There were many dials that could have gone right into a timepiece. It’s not an easy process, with a great deal of attention to detail and precision needed.”
“I had a blast doing my dial,” said one of the Masterclass students in Hanoi. “It took a while to get the technique down to place the sugar crystals exactly in the right position, but once I got it, it was great fun.”
Inspired by Sweetness and Love
The sugar crystals covering the dial of the Miss Audrey Sweet Art represent a breakthrough in engineering innovation, materials, and miniature painting – all hallmarks of the House of BOVET.
Born in the heart and mind of Mr. Pascal Raffy, the owner of the House of BOVET since 2001, the Miss Audrey Sweet Art takes this material and transforms it – all with the goal of capturing the sweetness of love and the purity of a child’s carefree desire for confections.
Mr. Raffy calls his children his “sweethearts,” and from this simple appellation came the idea to try sugar as a decorative material for the dial of the Miss Audrey. After a full year of trial and error, Mr. Raffy and the artisans in the House of BOVET found the “recipe” and the Sweet Art was born.
Creating the Sugar Dials
Placing the prepared and colored sugar crystals one by one on the dial, the collectors were able to create their own unique sugar dial, one unlike any other dial that will ever be produced.
Mr. Martinez started the Masterclass by introducing the process needed to produce the sugar crystals to be applied on the dial. Then, all the “students” took their turns making their own dials.
“It’s much harder than I thought it would be,” said one female collector in Hanoi. “The attention to detail needed is remarkable. The material is so unique and the finished dial is so beautiful.”
BOVET Director of Sales Romain Milet presented a number of finished Miss Audrey Sweet Art timepieces as examples of what is possible, then the collectors took it from there.
“Starting with a blank dial can be very daunting,” a lady from Ho Chi Minh City said. “I felt a bit paralyzed at first, then the creative juices started to flow and I got started and really enjoyed it. We were able to choose from a number of colors. I am no artist, but the dial I did surprised even me. I love how the sugar dial looks – like a mixture between jewels and a miniature painting.”
“I was surprised at the talent in these Masterclasses,” said artisan extraordinaire Martinez. “There were many dials that could have gone right into a timepiece. It’s not an easy process, with a great deal of attention to detail and precision needed.”
“I had a blast doing my dial,” said one of the Masterclass students in Hanoi. “It took a while to get the technique down to place the sugar crystals exactly in the right position, but once I got it, it was great fun.”
The Miss Audrey
The process of producing the Sweet Art dial is extraordinarily complex. First, the pure sugar is prepared so the structure will not change when exposed to light or heat (no, the sugar crystals will not melt). Then the sweet crystals are chosen for size, then combined with special paints and hand-applied to the dial by one of BOVET’s miniature painting artisans.
This demanding process, protected by a patent, leaves no room for error. One misstep and the entire process has to start again.
Thanks to its artisanal and hand-made nature, each dial is in effect a piece unique. A variety of colors are available, solid hues as well as gradients.
The result is an intriguing mix of texture and sparkle, unlike any other dial ever produced in the long history of watchmaking.
The special hands on the dial of the Sweet Art are a whimsical, romantic touch. Uniquely shaped, they form a heart once every hour, as the minute hand catches up to the hour hand, reminding the wearers of the loved ones in their lives.
Sweet Art Dial Production
Winner of the Ladies' Watch category of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève 2020 (the watchmaking Oscars), the Miss Audrey model has captured the hearts of collectors all over the world.
The signature 36mm Fleurier Amadéo® convertible case is available in stainless steel hand-set with sparkling white diamonds. The unique and patented Amadéo® case can be transformed into a wristwatch, table clock, or pendant all without the use of any tool. Powering the Miss Audrey Sweet Art is an automatic high watchmaking movement.
At BOVET, the measurement of time is a form of poetry, and the Miss Audrey Sweet Art represents a romantic look at fine watchmaking. Sugar is sweet, and so is the BOVET Miss Audrey Sweet Art.
Thanks to its artisanal and hand-made nature, each dial is in effect a piece unique. A variety of colors are available, solid hues as well as gradients.
The result is an intriguing mix of texture and sparkle, unlike any other dial ever produced in the long history of watchmaking.
The special hands on the dial of the Sweet Art are a whimsical, romantic touch. Uniquely shaped, they form a heart once every hour, as the minute hand catches up to the hour hand, reminding the wearers of the loved ones in their lives.
