hen Pascal Raffy, a collector of vintage Bovet timepieces and other watches, was approached in 2001 by the former owners to buy the House, he said yes immediately, eager to build it into a House that can help make collectors’ timepiece dreams come true. Under Mr. Raffy’s leadership, Bovet quickly became synonymous with exquisite artisanal techniques. He invested heavily in preserving and promoting these traditional skills, ensuring that Bovet’s timepieces showcased the highest levels of artistic craftsmanship.

Bovet has also specialised in bespoke, which makes up more than 30% of the House’s annual production of around 1,000 timepieces. “Since we make every timepiece one at a time, not by assembly line, bespoke is one of our strengths,” Mr. Raffy details. “I want to make collectors’ dreams come true, so if a collector wants a different dial colour, a special hand-engraving, a unique miniature painting or anything special that we can accommodate, we are more than happy to honour their request. We can do almost anything in-house, from the addition of custom initials on the tourbillon cage all the way up to a 100% bespoke timepiece, like the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail timepiece pair that was designed to mount into the dashboard of the car, and everything in between.”

There is no “qualifying” for a bespoke project: collectors just tell the House what they want, specifying their wishes using an existing timepiece as a starting point. Bovet then produces detailed renderings, allowing multiple design revisions before final approval. Customisations can take months, or years in complex cases — the Rolls-Royce pair took three years, while an emerald-set, engraved Braveheart required nearly eight months to source matched gemstones and complete the intricate work.

The 10-piece limited edition 18k red gold 19Thirty series for the Raffles Residences at the OWO

Highlighting exclusivity, Bovet recently produced a 10-piece limited edition 18k red gold 19Thirty series for the Raffles Residences at the OWO, featuring special engravings, a unique dial and an engraved Winston Churchill quote on the case back. For the 75th anniversary of retailer Ahmed Seddiqi in the Middle East, Bovet also produced a 7-piece limited edition of the award-winning Récital 30 using special colours, Dubai written on that time zone’s roller in Arabic and the 75th anniversary logo engraved on the back.

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