Independents

Raffy is a very particular man with meticulous tastes and precise routines. Undoubtedly a wealthy man, he has discovered that the value of luxury and fulfilment is beyond mere price. The scope of 'scale of luxury" afforded may range from the simple to the sublime.

Portrait of Luxury 

Quiet time with a favourite watch

An example of simple luxury is the quiet pleasure of setting a favourite pocket watch at dawn, when everyone else is still asleep. With the busy lives that ‘occupy’ us these days and total accessibility afforded by e-mail, text messages and PDA, there is much to be said for stolen moments like that. It is ironic that one of the most precious things to a purveyor of timepieces is Time itself.   How true does that resonate in your personal lifestyles, dear PuristS?

Personal keepsake

At the other end of the spectrum are the sublime dials with miniature portraits of his daughters, captured for all time – priceless luxury indeed!

Portrait of Methodology

As Raffy spoke, we could sense the visionary spirit that would overcome any obstacles in his path. Monsieur Raffy is certainly driven by his intuition and heart. He talks fondly of a gift watch in 2000, whose case attracted him the most; a pocket watch worn on the wrist, with its bow and crown at 12 o’clock, that was “that rare pearl” that he had been searching for. When he speaks of watches, whether in his private collection or public offerings by the House of Bovet, they are more than just mechanical timepieces – they are his “babies”.

His description of the stepwise process to breathe new life into Bovet, taking it from the verge of extinction to a symbol of rare luxury today, is indicative of his methode – nothing is left to chance and he often repeats that it is “eye for detail that governs good taste”.  The challenging task involved revitalising a brand, creating a manufactory, gathering people who shared the same philosophy, identifying craftsmen with expertise to give added value to their exceptional timepieces, and making the right choice among clients and partners to ensure that they became friends of like-minded conviction and passion.

Repeatedly, during the evening, Monsieur Raffy stressed his meticulous selection of long-term partners in each of their markets. In Hong Kong, these are Jimmy Tang at Prince Jewellery & Watch or Ashley Lung at iW (Chinese Edn) magazine; old friends who are comfortable with him and with his style.

The new company has developed quickly. In less than six years, they have increased from two complications to a collection with 20 complicated movements in the Bovet FLEURIER and SPORTSTER lines, as well as the RECITAL line at Dimier. Pascal Raffy is most passionate about engineering, the “secret” art that breathes life into the heart of his watches or in his words: “the essential is invisible to the naked eye”.

The unique dials feature all of the decorative arts that the company was renowned for at the Chinese imperial court. Miniature paintings on enamel or mother-of-pearl, flinqués, engraved champlevés featuring Fleurisanne decorations or delicately set with precious stones and pearls; the entire repository of techniques was given a new lease of life.

As a passionate collector, Raffy understands that the enthusiast is a demanding creature who values the attention to slightest detail. Every component must be worked, finished and decorated according to criteria established by the purest (purist?) watchmaking tradition. This was difficult when dealing with suppliers whose first priority is to meet high volume demand. The need for independence to ensure a future working palette made Pascal Raffy decide to take the risky path towards independent Manufacture, whilst accepting that luxury finds true expression in rarity for the elite. Although they can produce 5000 pieces, they choose to only perfect 2000 watches.

Movement Manufacture

When the supplier of tourbillion movements for more than 20% of Bovet 1822 timepieces got into fiscal trouble in 2006, Pascal Raffy had to decide quickly how to secure Bovet’s future. In a matter of days, he quickly took control at the Manufactory renamed Dimier 1738 Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Artisanale. As the new leader of a team of more than 70 craftsmen and women, the first remedial action was to instil the same driving passion into his employees. Priority had to be given to quality over quantity. The redundancy in capacity is more than double the annual in-house production!

Dial Manufacture

The other bottleneck in watchmaking is dial supply, especially the specialised materials and techniques used by Bovet 1822.  Motivated by desire for complete independence, Pascal Raffy acquired 81% holding in a dial manufacturer and precious stone setter in Geneva that same year, which was renamed Dimier 1738 Manufacture de Cadrans et de Sertissage and joining the Bovet 1822 group.

Group Headquarters

The most recent acquisition was the Château de Môtiers as the new prestigious Group headquarters. The castle overlooks Fleurier, where Bovet history started. From here, Pascal Raffy can oversee the next phase in the development of Bovet 1822.

Final portrait