Chopard Imperiale Ladies Watch 388532-3002

In surveying the Manufacture Bovet, enthroned in its remote setting amid the pine trees of Fleurier, one cannot help thinking that this venerable House lives in a place beyond time. Far removed from the urban concerns of a city such as Geneva, Bovet displays its inherent difference. "We never position ourselves in respect to the other manufacturers", explains Pascal Raffy, owner of Bovet 1822 and Dimier 1738. And understandably so, since Bovet along with its integrated subsidiary STT Holding, renamed "Dimier 1738" in 2006 is completely independent in terms of both components and artistic crafts. With regard to the latter, "Our Manufacture employs 72 artisans exercising 42 different professions", says Pascal Raffy. Even though such comparisons are basically irrelevant, since Bovet produces just 2,000 watches a year, the company can definitely hold its own against the greatest Geneva-based manufacturers.
Arrest warrant
First in China, where from 1818 onwards Edouard Bovet began a flourishing business in "twin watches" - the ornately decorated timepieces delivered in pairs that were all the rage at the Imperial court. This market had already been opened up by Jaquet Droz, which had been trading there for almost 35 years.  Bovet developed intense commercial activity for an entire generation, simultaneously creating prestigious watches and more affordable watches for the population at large that was generally deprived of access to the watch market due to high costs. The boom was such that the Chinese name for Bovet, poway, became synonymous with the term "watch" in China. And subsequently, in Switzerland. After his glorious return in 1830, Edouard Bovet had a palace built in Fleurier. Swept along by his own momentum, he took part in a failed Republican coup d'etat on the Château de Neuchâtel. This political operation led to an enforced exile, signalled by an arrest warrant. Bovet then settled in Besançon, another great early 19th century watchmaking capital. He did not return to Neuchâtel until the Republic that he had defended was finally instated in 1848.
A free-spirited and rebellious spirit While one might be tempted to take an all-too-easy mental shortcut in assuming that Pascal Raffy naturally displays the same all-conquering spirit of autonomy, the parallels are in fact parallels are self-evident: in 2001, he took over the House of Bovet and in 2006 the various companies composing the Manufactures Dimier, thereby restoring them all to their former independence.  Then, in 2012, "we chose to entrust our distribution in the Asia-Pacific region as well as in Germany to DKSH, a Swiss group specialising in the distribution of luxury products in these territories", says Pascal Raffy… who is thereby taking up the torch lit by Edouard Bovet in establishing his first trade relations with China. Finally, Bovet is actively developing the customisation of its models, a capability made possible by its in-house mastery of numerous artistic crafts… of the kind that Edouard Bovet also developed for wealthy and influential Chinese customers: "Whether in terms of technical developments, hand engravings, miniature paintings or combinations of these different offers, customised timepieces account for 30% of our range. We are delighted to observe steady growth of this demand", adds Pascal Raffy. From the FQF to aeronautics
To certify the broad scope of its fields of competency, Bovet is the co-founder of the Fleurier Quality Foundation quality label, the FQF. "No other label certifies the aesthetic quality, the timing precision of the movement both alone and once cased-up, as well as its reliability. The FQF is the most demanding of all 'public' labels. It is currently the only one that matches our values", insists Pascal Raffy. Other brands such as Chopard have now also adopted this certification.
Finally, Bovet has established itself as a partner of choice for other companies. Its customers include other watch brands, but not only such firms, as Pascal Raffy points out: "our Manufacture has such rare skills that our external client portfolio encompasses the field of Fine Watchmaking as well as the electronics and aeronautical industries".