Highly Personal

A watch collector turned brand owner on building a house that creates the haute-couture equivalent of watchmaking.

- Lynette Koh

Bovet watches might seem like a bit of a curiosity, with their distinctive elaborate, almost baroque finishings. But for the brand’s owner, Pascal Raffy, that is the point: “In our everyday lives, we have a lot of ready-to-wear clothes. But when it comes to a special outfit, we want it to be unique. Bovet is the haute couture of watchmaking.”

It’s a statement amply illustrated by the Recital 20 Asterium (pictured), the latest blockbuster by the Swiss high-end horology brand that Raffy recently presented to collectors and journalists here in Singapore. While it has a sizeable price tag of over half a million dollars, the Asterium offers plenty of watch for every dollar. The highly decorated model includes a multitude of astronomy-centred features such as an accurate sky map, a flying tourbillon, and a 10-day power reserve.

During our interview with Raffy, it becomes clear that much of Bovet’s unique value proposition springs from its owner’s unusual perspective as a watch collector-turned-brand owner. Says the 53-year-old Frenchman: “As a collector, I insist on a high level of watchmaking. This might be something negative for very financially minded people. But I prefer this to making any compromises.”