Ahead of the 25 anniversary of Pascal Raffy’s acquisition of Bovet next year, the charismatic brand owner and CEO reflects on his time restoring the 18th century marque to eminence
When Pascal Raffy talks about time, he never sounds like the owner of a watch brand trying to entice you with his timepieces. Eloquent and measured, he sounds more like a philosopher pondering existential questions when the topic inadvertently comes up.
“At the end of the day, what counts is what we’ve decided to do with the time that has been given to us,” he reflects. “When we (create), we are not just talking about the mechanics or aesthetics of a watch, but rather, about the true meaning of time.”
This thinking has guided his stewardship of Bovet since 2001. Founded in 1822 by Edouard Bovet, the maison once held court in Qing dynasty China with enamel pocket watches so precious they are still housed in the Forbidden City’s Palace Museum. That kind of legacy can weigh heavily on any successor. For Raffy, a collector and lawyer before becoming Bovet’s owner, the challenge was not simply preservation, but relevance.
Respecting history while setting a course for the future became Raffy’s earliest challenge. “The founder already had the fantastic vision to bring horology from Switzerland to London and Guangzhou. We needed to understand this ethos of being open-minded to different cultures and habits,” he says.
That respect took concrete form. Raffy reinstalled Bovet’s headquarters in its ancestral 13th-century castle in Môtiers—a symbolic act, but also one of legitimacy. At the same time, Raffy built a fully integrated manufacture, so that it “give us the freedom to create truly magical timepieces.”
And create, Raffy and the team did. From the sculptural sloping dials of the Récital collection that house spellbinding technical innovations, to the Amadéo Fleurier’s miniature painting and engraving, Bovet’s watches combine artistry with technical bravura. Among Bovet’s recent notable creations is the Récital 28 Prowess 1. The watch won the Mechanical Exception Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) by tackling one of watchmaking’s perennial irritations: daylight savings time.
“It resolves the issue with a complex roller system,” explains explains. “And on top of that, it features a perpetual calendar with an isolator system, and a tourbillon in a newly designed cage.”
At the same time, artistry remains equally central to Bovet’s identity. Its bespoke programme—accounting for 35 per cent of annual production—offers collectors not just watches, but deeply personal creations. Drawing upon Bovet’s long heritage of miniature painting, enamelling, and engraving, the programme transforms each piece into an emotional talisman.
“When the images or words mean something personal to you, the art becomes an emotional thing,” says Raffy says. He singles out the Récital 30 as a favourite canvas, a watch that can bear the engraved name of a city that holds personal significance.
Since 2006, Bovet has collected more than 60 international awards, including five from the GPHG. Each one, Raffy admits, remains a moment of disbelief and gratitude. “Each time that happens, I just need to make sure I heard it correctly before I walk to the stage,” he says. “And each time, I look out to see my family and the team—you never think about yourself. Of course, you feel emotional and proud. But the next day, the trophy is on the shelf, and it’s back to work.”
Two decades into his stewardship, Raffy continues to regard himself less as an owner and more as a custodian. His mission, he suggests, is not only to preserve Bovet’s legitimacy and exclusivity, but to imbue each watch with soul.
“From the start of the process, the team is seated around the table, brainstorming and discussing ideas. Many times, they’ll say something is impossible to achieve,” he says with a smile. “But most times, we make the impossible possible—and that is what I love about the journey.”
