Reflet XL The 150-year-long story dating back to 1858 that Boucheron can look back on, and will be celebrating this year, is shimmering with creative panache and consummate passion. Its time-honoured watch-making tradition dates back more than 140 years and has spawned a gem befitting the occasion: it will be revisiting a patent that it filed 60 years ago (and has never quite stopped using since) for a limited-edition masculine emblem that it will be introducing in 2008 – and that discerning collectors will covet: Reflet XL. That 1947 patent – in essence, a brilliantly simple strap fitting, locking and interchanging mechanism – inspired the new Reflet for men with taste and character. And it is back with a completely restyled case. It is hand-crafted (as tradition decrees) but features a Girard-Perregaux automatic winding system. The oscillating weight and bridges have been customised to the jeweller-watchmaker’s specifications. A patent Reflet watches were created one year before the 1947 patent protecting their simple and invisible strap-fastening mechanism was filed, and their original design has earned them unflagging success since. The fact that women are so keen on them has overshadowed the fact that men fell for the larger versions as well. Edith Piaf, for instance, gave her lovers a Reflet when she felt the time to move on had come. Engineered for the versed The straps, however, only explain part of the Reflet’s success. Its shape and gadroon elated the savvy with a penchant for uplifting watch-making flair. It was to please up-to-the-minute aesthetes with an eye for timeless style that Boucheron decided to release this self-winding, mechanically-calibrated GP-4000 atelier watch for its 150th anniversary. The Reflet XL is clothed in new finery and its everlasting glow shines through a 150-watch limited edition clad in steel or gold with steel dials, and 26-watch limited edition clad in rose gold or diamond-set platinum. Restricting production in 2008 is Boucheron’s way of maximising its time-honoured timepiece’s potential. It is generously sized (45 x 31 x 9 mm) is expected to appeal to informed and urbane enthusiasts alike. New life The first thing you notice when you see a Reflet XL with a calfskin strap or steel case is that it has encapsulated its maison’s main hallmarks – and that it’s sobriety, sophistication and precision could well set a trend for tomorrow. Its three distinct components open up original combinations (rose gold and steel, or polished and satin surfaces). The Reflet XL’s new case cuts straight to the point with its wrist-embracing, strap-espousing design. No amount of care was too much to strike this perfect and complex volumetric balance. The result is a quietly virile timepiece where every in-vogue trend has converged. A longing heart In the realm of the imaginary, the ellipsis is reminiscent of the primordial egg, the cradle of life. The bend smoothens the rectangular case and an oblique window opens into the screwed-on base to reveal the immeasurable care that cossets this watch’s invaluable heart. To further sublimate the GP-4000 calibre with a 40-hour power reserve, engineered and manufactured by Girard-Perregaux, Boucheron has replaced the usual “Côtes de Genève” with a crossover finish providing a more geometrical pattern. And, to intensify these finishing touches and original bluer markings, the classical oscillating weight (or “rotor”) is lighter and expertly carved to capture the maker’s mark. For elegant men, surely Boucheron’s 150th anniversary and this historical model’s 60-year-rich tradition prompted this maison – which, as an aside, was the first to open on Paris’ Place Vendôme – to offer collectors the first limited-edition Reflet XL watches in 2008. It will be releasing 150 steel models in each of the two dial colours (silver or black with red railroads), as well as an appealing variant in gold and steel that will thrill purists with its volume-unleashing almond-shaped silhouette (and the use of different materials). The all-rose-gold version will be initially available in a 26-watch limited edition. As Boucheron is also a jeweller, it sourced the finest gems to enshrine this mechanical miracle in a platinum and delicately diamond-enhanced case (spanning the top and “almond”). The 26-watch limited edition will precede mass production. Fact sheet Case: curved rectangle, three screwed components, vertical brand engraving and open ellipsis on back.
Material: steel, gold and steel, all rose gold, platinum
Sides: 45 x 31 x 9 mm
Waterproof to 50 metres
Back engraving: N° XXX of 150 or XX of 26 150 watches (steel with black dial)
150 watches (steel with silver dial)
150 watches (gold and steel)
26 watches (solid gold)
26 watches (diamond-set platinum) Dial: silver, black guilloche with red railroad. Date square at 1 o’clock in place of Place Vendôme boutique. Dial with central oval on the diamond-set version. All models have a vertical “Boucheron” inscription on the left hand side, “série limitée” marking at 6 o’clock, “automatique” tracing between 4 and 5 o’clock, and “26 Place Vendôme” marking at 6 o’clock. Movement: calibre GP 4000 designed and manufactured by a Girard-Perregaux atelier. Custom geometric finishes and oscillating weight restyled to match the “coat of arms” of the maison established in 1858.
Size: 11½ lines (eq. approx. 26 mm)
Power reserve: 40 hours
Oscillations per hour: 28,800 Strap:
Boucheron has developed a full collection of leather straps for all these models. The choice ranges from traditional alligator to red top-stitched fabric, and back to felt-touch, sporty-looking vulcanised alligator.
The steel models come with a steel strap and a leather strap each. Press release | 
