The interview: Bovet’s Pascal Raffy on the brand’s 2025 novelties and the evolution of functional complications

During Watches and Wonders 2025, Bovet once again captured the imagination of collectors and connoisseurs with a presentation that was both poetic and technically bold. From the deeply complex Récital 28 Prowess 1, hailed for solving the centuries-old challenge of daylight saving time, to the newly unveiled Récital 30 World Timer, the maison reaffirmed its commitment to handcrafted excellence and meaningful innovation. Each timepiece speaks not only to mechanical mastery, but also to a philosophy rooted in heritage, art and individuality.

Now led by owner Pascal Raffy, Bovet continues to defy convention through limited production, in-house craftsmanship and bespoke complications that respond to real-world needs. Whether through retro-inspired silhouettes or astronomical creations, the Maison preserves the decorative arts while embracing the future.

Boulevard sat down with Pascal Raffy to delve into the soul of the brand, the novelties of 2025 and how Bovet continues to define what true luxury means in watchmaking today.

Bovet’s owner Pascal Raffy. Top: Récital 27 (left) and Aperto 1.

Boulevard: Where does Bovet sit in the world of luxury, and what sets the brand apart?

Pascal Raffy: The House of Bovet, founded in 1822, has always stood apart as a singular presence. Edouard Bovet left his village of Fleurier to go to London and then to Guangdong, China, in the nineteenth century. The house has always embraced discovery, respected different cultures and territories, and sought sustainability—even in today’s collections.

In 1822, the House of Bovet was already honouring decorative arts. Edouard Bovet introduced open casebacks to showcase movements, finishings, and techniques. He also perfected the duplex escapement. In 1936, the house patented the first flyback chronograph. So, on one hand, there is the mastery of decorative arts; on the other, beautiful mechanics. This is the soul of the house.

Today, we create astronomical timepieces not because it’s fashionable, but because of a deeper connection. I imagine Edouard Bovet journeying by horse and boat, inspired by nature’s beauty, flavours, and sounds. That’s also why I wanted to make astronomical pieces.

Virtuoso V Turquoise Guilloché.

Bovet’s singularity lies in being fully integrated. We produce nearly all our components in-house (more than 95 per cent). Our facility is open to collectors, expert journalists, and partners. You’ll interact with 100 artisans and witness how each component is made in-house. That’s also why we limit production to around 1,000 timepieces per year. They require care. Quantity isn’t the goal—quality and uniqueness are everything. We also embrace bespoke craftsmanship, just like in the nineteenth century.

What makes Bovet truly different is that, for me, luxury means having a clear identity—you’ll never confuse a Bovet timepiece with anything else; small quantities—true luxury isn’t mass-produced; and, finally, handcrafted excellence. I believe that if you are a Swiss house, true luxury must be handcrafted in Switzerland.

Our singularity comes from staying true to who we are. We defend our decorative arts and continue to advance in beautiful mechanics. In the last six years, the House of Bovet has earned five Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) awards, thanks to our artisans, for the Miss Audrey, the Grand Récital, a mechanical exception, and the Récital 20 Asterium, an astronomical timepiece, as well as the Récital 26 Chapter 2, and the Récital 28 Prowess 1. We are consistent and committed to our path.

Miss Audrey “Bris de Verre”.

Blvd: Based on that extraordinary history, which past collections best exemplify Bovet’s core values?

Raffy: There are key moments over the past twenty years. 

For example, in 2001, I had serious neck problems. I’ve always been in the habit of taking off my timepieces and placing them on my desk. Since I prefer folding buckles, my timepiece is usually  placed on its side. But every time I wanted to read the time, I would hurt my neck, because I needed to position myself properly to read it.

In 2010, we patented the first-ever versatile pocket timepiece that could be worn on the wrist. You can convert it, without any tools, into a table clock or a true pocket watch, and you can wear it on both sides. This was a milestone, and again, it relates to the brand’s unique identity.

“What makes Bovet truly different is that, for me, luxury means having a clear identity—you’ll never confuse a Bovet timepiece with anything else.”

It’s not just about classical expressions. Since 2010, we have been working with Pininfarina, the iconic Italian design bureau, to create co-branded timepieces that are futuristic in form and exceptional in mechanics.

Another milestone has been our ability to truly master our own movements, dials, hands and cases in-house, since 2006. That flexibility—the ability to interact daily with artisans, engineers, watchmakers, and all departments—gives us real freedom.

After that came collections like the 19Thirthy Fleurier, the Monsieur Bovet, and our major complications—the Virtuoso X as well as the Virtuoso XI, which is an incredible pure skeleton tourbillon with a rewinding system that gives ten days of power reserve in under two minutes. There’s the Dimier collection, the Grand Récital, the Asterium, the Shooting Star, the Brainstorms—these are ones I’m most proud of. Then there is the latest grand complication, the Récital 28 Prowess One, which brings a real solution to a problem humankind has faced for over two hundred years, which is daylight saving time. The singularity of the house lies not in doing for the sake of doing, but in doing with meaning—to help the collector wear a piece of art that also delivers exceptional mechanics.

Left: Récital 28 Prowess 1. Right: Virtuoso V.

Blvd: With the Récital 28 Prowess 1, did you know a solution to daylight saving was possible from the start, or were you simply following an idea to see where it led?

Raffy: The Récital 28 Prowess 1 is a fantastic story. I was dreaming about three different ways to display time. You have a fully skeletonised perpetual calendar with beautifully finished plates, bridges, and wheels. I wanted the bridges to be curved, which makes chamfering extremely complicated. I also wanted a universal time like the Orbis Mundi—a plain dial divided into 24 segments, rollers for the date and month, a disc for the day, and a brand-new tourbillon carriage positioned at noon, like the sun radiating over the planet. That was my first inspiration.

Then came June 2022. Our artisans—whom I meet with two or three times per week—came in with the first finished and validated movement of the Récital 28 Prowess 1. When I saw it, I was, of course, very proud. But in that very moment, I realised there was still something missing, which is the daylight saving time issue.

You can be the owner, the captain—but when your artisans have poured in so much passion and dedication, you want to say something, and yet you hold back. There were about two minutes of complete silence. Then I said to my watchmakers, “It is truly gorgeous. Thank you so much.”

But I also said, “We need to rework the movement.” When passion takes over reason, which often happens in our relationships, it can be overwhelming. They got nervous. I told them, “Please, hear me out for just two seconds. Would you like a collector, a journalist, or a partner to ask this question: Why doesn’t the timepiece solve the daylight saving time issue?”

“Most of our collections have been designed, conceptualised and developed in collaboration with Pininfarina to create co-branded timepieces that are futuristic in form and exceptional in mechanics.”

Since the pandemic, more than ever, we’ve all been navigating Zoom meetings across Tokyo, the Middle East and the US. I kept getting confused. So I proposed we create a roller system—24 rollers printed at 90 degrees, connected to the crown with no tools required. It would rotate through four settings: UTC, U.S. summertime, Europe/US summertime, and Europe wintertime. Intuitively, I knew collectors would be delighted. And we would be solving a 200-year-old problem. Every year, the same question returns: Is it wintertime or summertime?

One of our watchmakers, Jacques, raised the objection, “But Mr Raffy, everyone says daylight saving time will be abolished.” I said, “Exactly. That’s why we must do it now. If we master this, the timepiece will stand as a witness to two centuries of human history. One side will always be correct.” They loved the idea. Then came the engineering and brainstorming. Just the daylight saving complication alone consists of 199 components.

In the end, we didn’t present the Récital 28 Prowess 1 in April 2023—we needed eighteen months. It launched in 2024, with the beauty and satisfaction of a meaningful achievement. Everyone agreed that it was worth the effort and the repetition. Since then, it’s hard to imagine traveling or doing international business without wearing the Récital 28 Prowess 1.

I told myself, the next timepiece must also be beautiful, meaningful and useful—something I need every day. I wanted to create a middle complication, connected with the planet, in a brand-new case. It was a fascinating process. I asked for pushers to give collectors greater ease with the Récital 30 World Timer—and that’s how we designed our next chronograph.

When you turn the timepiece, you see a beautiful box-shaped sapphire crystal. I wanted a vintage touch, with pushers, a day-and-night disc at the centre, and the decorative elegance of a guilloché dial. By pressing the pusher at 2 o’clock, you select the time of year. The pusher at 4 o’clock allows the central 24-hour disc to align with the proper part of the day. Once you’ve selected the season, you turn the two main hands and position Geneva—say it’s 9AM—and verify that the inner 24-hour disc aligns correctly.

We added vintage touches—a white dial, a strap in the colour of the sky, and ergonomic proportions of 42mm in diameter and 12.9mm thick. On the wrist, it feels more like 39 or 40mm. The case is entirely made in-house. We’re very proud of it.

Récital 30 World Timer.

This is the highlight of the collection. It brings a great sense of pride because it truly reflects what we spoke about earlier—the House of Bovet’s dedication to decorative arts and beautiful mechanics. It offers something that has never existed before, serving a purpose that complements the Récital 28 Prowess 1. It has meaning, and we pushed it a little further.

Then, the next timepiece came from a challenge I set for myself. I imagined one of my Indian collectors saying, ‘Pascal, I live in India all year round, and I want the two main hands to permanently show Delhi time.’ So we rotated the Récital 30 World Timer’s movement by thirty minutes. The reasoning is reversed, but you can still read the time in the other 23 time zones. It is an invitation to bespoke, and the House of Bovet is all about bespoke.

We began sharing this piece on social media on Sunday. On Monday morning, I woke up to a message from a close friend in Adelaide. He said, “Pascal, you know what to do next. I want my triangle set to reflect Adelaide time.”

This is what makes the house unique. We are proud to remain true to where we come from, to what we create, and to how we do it. Modern tools and materials certainly enhance our work, but the goal remains the same—to express the most beautiful and meaningful representation of time.

“All timepieces deserve the same level of respect—you wouldn’t favour one child over another. So we treat them all the same way.”

Blvd: Across those two pillars—your retro expressions and your more technically forward pieces—what is the one unifying element that makes them unmistakably a Bovet creation?

Raffy: Attention to detail and harmony in the way complications are displayed. From the simplest to the most complex, you can sense the continuity and sustainability across the collections. The dials—the faces of the timepieces—are crafted with the same precision in our facility. Whether it’s a Récital 28 Prowess 1 or a 19Thirty Fleurier, each receives the same care, love, and passion.

Take the 19Thirty, for example. It’s a steel timepiece, but the details matter. The cabochon is genuine sapphire, not synthetic. The caseback is open, not closed. It’s screwed, not clipped. The bridges, plates, and components are finished just like those in a tourbillon. It has a seven-day power reserve and can be rewound in under a minute using a single barrel.

This equal treatment is essential. All timepieces deserve the same level of respect—you wouldn’t favour one child over another. So we treat them all the same way.

Récital 12.

Blvd: What are you still learning in the world of watchmaking?

Raffy: I’m fully aware that I don’t know everything. Every morning, I’m eager to learn and to listen, whether it’s to objections or advice. There is no limit to creativity.

That said, it’s a long journey to master beautiful mechanics, to perfect a new technique, or even to create a dial. It’s very complex. A timepiece might look simple, but achieving that simplicity often requires great complexity. And there’s something truly beautiful in being able to create something that appears effortless. 

So yes, I’m learning every day. I see beautiful things, and we continue to have many ideas. There really is no limit.

“A timepiece might look simple, but achieving that simplicity often requires great complexity.”

Blvd: Do you think collectors will increasingly demand bespoke pieces that reflect their identity or geography?

Raffy: Bespoke timepieces have always been important to us, and it has been for centuries. Creating a bespoke piece is a way to express a moment or detail of your life. It must be beautifully made, high in quality, and truly unique. You’re not just collecting a watch, you’re collecting a piece of art. Art matters. It is universal. It is education.

A Bovet timepiece is not made for followers, it is made for opinion makers. People with charisma. People who have seen a lot in their lives and no longer feel the need to show off as a social statement. Instead, they choose an educational code. That is the spirit of the House of Bovet.

“A Bovet timepiece is not made for followers, it is made for opinion makers. People with charisma.”

Blvd: Is there anything else from the current collection and novelties that you want to talk about? 

Raffy: I have a timepiece that’s quite special to me. It’s named after my eldest daughter—Miss Audrey. I’m very thankful to our artisans, especially Coraline and her colleagues, for the incredible hand-engraved dial.

After that touch of elegance—not with an overload of stones, but with four pear-cut sapphires—it becomes something truly refined. And with our patented system, you can wear it on your wrist or as a necklace.

It’s poetry. It’s an emotion. Luxury must evoke emotion. As long as the collector feels that little spark of satisfaction. That’s everything.

Go further with the 2025 edition of Watches and Wonders in Geneva.

Read next:

• These watchmakers are redefining the way we traditionally read the time
• Captivating watch dials that marry art and horological ingenuity