Nestled within the Swiss Jura mountains, overlooking the village of Fleurier, the Château de Môtiers is more than a historic stronghold — it is the beating heart of one of horology’s most revered names, BOVET 1822. Inside, generations of craftsmanship, artistry and mechanical mastery converge to create what can only be described as timepieces of artistry and poetry.
At the centre of this renaissance is Pascal Raffy, a collector-turned-visionary who has spent the past two decades transforming the house into a standard-bearer for 21st-century haute horlogerie. Today, it is considered by both watch collectors and aficionados as a house where technical ingenuity and artisanal beauty live in perfect harmony.
PASSION TO PURPOSE
Récital 30.
Raffy didn’t inherit BOVET; he embraced it through a collector’s eye and a deep-seated appreciation for mechanical art. After building a successful international pharmaceutical business, he followed his heart and acquired the 200-year-old watchmaking house in 2001.
“I always had the dream,” he shares. “But I didn’t know if I’d continue collecting or get involved more deeply. I already had BOVET pieces in my collection, and when I saw the brand needed help, I knew this was the house.”
More than a rescue mission, Raffy’s acquisition marked the beginning of a renaissance for BOVET. For the past two decades, he has crafted a narrative that celebrates its rich heritage while establishing its rightful place in the modern world of haute horlogerie.
TRADITION AND INTEGRATION
Pascal Raffy, owner of BOVET 1822.
A turning point came in 2006 when Raffy fulfilled one of his greatest goals: full independence. The acquisition of the Tramelan manufacture enabled BOVET to produce its own movements, cases, dials and hairsprings entirely in-house.
Raffy’s gift to BOVET was integration. “In 2001, we weren’t a facility. That changed in 2006. From stamping to the most complicated hands, we do everything ourselves.”
This rare level of vertical integration — producing over 95% of all components in-house — isn’t just about control. It’s about creative freedom. “When you’re truly integrated, everyone is part of the project from the beginning. The engineers, watchmakers, decorators, they’re all seated at the same table. That, to me, is real luxury.”
INNOVATION WITH SOUL
The brand showcased its models at “The Architecture of Time” in Kuala Lumpur.
In an industry that often leans on tradition, BOVET dares to innovate — not for novelty, but to solve problems and enrich the wearer’s experience. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Maison’s record at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), widely regarded as the Oscars of watchmaking.
Since 2018, BOVET has garnered multiple GPHG nominations and several wins, including the coveted Aiguille d’Or. Each award-winning timepiece reveals not only mechanical mastery but a daring spirit of invention.
When you’re truly integrated, everyone is part of the project from the beginning. The engineers, watchmakers, decorators, they’re all seated at the same table. That, to me, is real luxury.” — PASCAL RAFFY
Take the Récital 28 “Prowess 1,” which won the Mechanical Exception Prize in 2024. Born from Raffy’s frustration with daylight saving time, the watch features 24-city rollers, a perpetual calendar, and a 10-day power reserve, ensuring precision across seasons and time zones.
“It bothered me for years,” Raffy admits. “What time is it in winter versus summer? We created the only mechanical world timer that stays accurate year-round. And if one day daylight savings ends, you’ll still have a piece of history — an existing witness to 200 years of timekeeping evolution.”
The Prowess 1, made up of 744 components, isn’t just a watch, but a complete architecture of time. Similarly, the Récital 30, a 2025 GPHG nominee, furthers the concept with an intuitive world-time display including rare time zones like New Delhi’s half-hour offset. These aren’t complications for their own sake — they are engineering solutions realised through the lens of fine art and balance.
HOROLOGY AS AN ART FORM
Founded in 1822, the brand quickly distinguished itself through its richly decorated pocket watches.
For BOVET, beauty is never secondary. It is part of the very mechanics. The house’s legacy lies in its ability to fuse métiers d’art — miniature painting, guilloché, engraving — seamlessly into the horological architecture itself.
“Our timepieces must be more beautiful on the back than the front,” Raffy stresses. “Luxury is emotion; the art must speak to you.” This philosophy is elegantly displayed in creations like the Récital 20 Astérium (2023 GPHG Calendar & Astronomy winner), where the wrist becomes a mechanical observatory, showing moon phases, solstices, and zodiac calendars.
There’s also the Récital 22 Grand Récital, winner of the 2018 Aiguille d’Or, featuring a tellurium orrery — a mechanical cosmos representing Earth, Moon and Sun. Even ladies’ pieces are far from simple decorative objects: the Miss Audrey Sweet Art uses sugar crystals to create a never-before-seen dial surface, innovating both in material and miniaturisation
EXCLUSIVITY BY DESIGN
The Récital 28 Prowess 1
With just 1,000 pieces made annually, BOVET’s commitment to craftsmanship ensures true exclusivity. “Patience, precision, and permanence,” Raffy says. “That is the rhythm we work by.”
This limited output allows the house to uphold strict standards while fostering collaboration across its ateliers. “I live with my artisans all year round,” he adds. “But travelling, meeting collectors, sharing our work, that’s also vital. It reminds us why we do this.” Each timepiece begins in the mind and heart of its owner, inspired by the Jura skies, modern travellers, or childhood memories.
ENGINEERING TIME
For over two centuries, BOVET has remained loyal to its ethos: to create timepieces that are as technically exceptional as they are emotionally resonant. Under Pascal Raffy’s stewardship, the brand has preserved its heritage while expanding it.
From world-first mechanical solutions to multi-day power reserves and convertible case designs, BOVET’s horological artistry is matched only by its drive to innovate. As Raffy reflects, “We’ve been loyal to the house. BOVET has always stood for meaning, for craft, for beauty. And today, we continue that legacy, one timepiece at a time.”
In the House of BOVET, time is not simply measured but honoured, sculpted, and celebrated. With every tick, a new story begins — and the chapters ahead promise to be even more extraordinary.
