WT_2009_06: PROFILE: BOVET FLEURIER

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Bovet’s Fleurier Tourbillon 7Days Jumping Hours watchfeatures the firm’s in-housetourbillon movement andfleurisanne decoration onthe bridges.Bovet owner and managingdirector Pascal RaffyIn the course of the next generation,the cosmopolitan Bovets lost interest inwatchmaking and sold the manufacturingfacility in Fleurier to its managers.The Bovet firm evolved into a tradingcompany that exported watches and otherSwiss products to China, and importedChinese silk and tea, primarily throughthe Bovet subsidiary in London. Finally,the business was sold for 100,000 goldfrancs to Leuba Frères at an auction inParis in 1901. It changed hands again in1918, and returned briefly to the Bovetfamily in the 1930s. It passed permanentlyout of family hands in 1948. Bovetwatch production halted in 1950 and thebrand became dormant.In 1997, the Bovet brand reappearedunder new owners, Roger Guye andThierry Oulevay. The new Bovet watcheswere well received. Particularly noteworthywas the “Fleurier” model: a smallpocket watch modified for the wrist, witha crown and a massive, stirrup-shapedbow at 12 o’clock for attaching the strap.Instead of conventional lugs at 6 o’clock,it had a hidden attachment that gavemaximum mobility to the band. Thispocket-watch-inspired geometry has distinguishedall Bovet watches ever since.Each Bovet, wristwatch as well as pocketwatch, has the instantly recognizable featureof the crown and bow at the 12o’clock position.THE MAJOR TURNING point for theBovet brand in the modern era came in2001 when the French-Lebanese businessmanPascal Raffy acquired the firmand began running it. Raffy was born to aFrench father and a Lebanese mother inBeirut in 1963. When the Lebanese civilwar erupted in 1976, Raffy’s family leftthe country. They initially settled inSwitzerland, and then moved to Paris,where an uncle lived, in 1978.December 2009 WatchTime 161
PROFILEBovet FleurierRaffy attended secondary school inthe French capital, where he later studiedlaw. After earning his law degree, heworked in the pharmaceuticals industry.Eventually, his entrepreneurial spiritkicked in and he founded his own pharmaceuticallaboratory.He inherited a love of watches fromhis paternal grandfather, an enthusiasticwatch collector who shared his passionwith his young grandsons and grandnephews.At family gatherings on Sundayafternoons, he entertained the youngstersby putting his treasures through theirpaces and explaining complicated movements,beautiful enamel work and thetechniques of engraving, guilloché andgemstone setting. The seed planted by thegrandfather sprouted in Raffy in Paris,where he began collecting beautifulwatches.He ran his pharmaceutical businessfor 12 years, traveling more than 300days each year. When his nine-year-olddaughter lamented her father’s frequentabsences, he promised her that he wouldchange his workaholic ways and spendmore time at home. Shortly after that, hesold his business and took a two-year vacationto devote himself exclusively to hisfamily. But his banker knew that a dyedin-the-woolentrepreneur wouldn’t beThe Bovet workshop in theChateau de MôtiersEACH BOVET BRAND WATCHHAS THE DISTINCTIVEFEATURE OF THE CROWN ANDBOW AT 12 O’CLOCK.The Chateau de Môtiers, built in the 13th century,overlooks Fleurier and once belonged to theBovet family. Pascal Raffy bought it in 2007.content to retire at the age of 40, so hearranged a meeting between Raffy and aman with connections in the Swiss watchmakingindustry. The watch maven recommendedthat Raffy invest in that industry,but the young retiree initially refused.Soon after, however, Raffy laid his eyes forthe first time on a Bovet watch, which fascinatedand deeply moved him. He beganan intensive study of Bovet’s watches andhistory. He valued Bovet as a prestigebrand, which reflected his notion of genuineluxury as opposed to an apparentlyluxurious but mass-produced product.Raffy decided to purchase the firm,and has since elevated it to the highest levelof luxury. In keeping with Bovet tradition,20 percent of its production consistsof one-of-a-kind pieces created and/ordecorated according to customers’ requests.But the most striking thing aboutBovet today is how quickly Raffy has162 WatchTime December 2009
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WT_2009_06: PROFILE: BOVET FLEURIER

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