Bovet: history, models and value

Founded

1822

Founder(s)

Édouard Bovet and his brothers

Headquarters

Geneva

Owner / group

Independent (Pascal Raffy)

Bovet: origins and founding

Bovet was chartered in London on 1 May 1822 by Édouard Bovet (1797–1849), a watchmaker's son from Fleurier in the Val-de-Travers. He had moved to London in 1814 to study watchmaking. The firm was set up to sell watches in China. London gave easy access to the shipping of the East India Company, while the watches themselves were made in Fleurier.

Bovet watches for China were showpieces: finely engraved, often enamelled cases and decorated movements, usually made in pairs. Édouard built up the business in Canton, and Bovet became a leading supplier in southern China. The Chinese form of the name, "Bo Wei", became a common word for a watch there.

Founders and family

Bovet was a family business. Édouard worked in China, his brothers Alphonse and Frédéric handled shipping from London, and Charles-Henri ran production in Fleurier. Their father, Jean-Frédéric Bovet, was himself a watchmaker. In the 1830s the family opened a workshop in Canton and later moved to a smaller site in Macau after trade restrictions linked to the Opium War.

Bovet history and milestones

• Around 1855: the Chinese market collapses under competition and counterfeits.
• 1864: the Bovet family sells the company to Jules Jequier and Ernest Bobillier.
• 1888 to 1966: the name passes through several owners, including Landry Frères (1888), the Leuba family (1901), Jacques Ullmann and Co. (1918) and Favre-Leuba (1948), before going to a watchmakers' cooperative in 1966.
• 1990: Bovet Fleurier SA is formed.
• 1994: Roger Guye and Thierry Oulevay take over and restart watch production.
• 6 February 2001: Pascal Raffy buys the company. He still owns and runs it.
• 2006: Raffy buys the movement maker STT, renamed Dimier 1738, plus a dial and gem-setting workshop in Geneva, and acquires the Château de Môtiers in the Val-de-Travers from the State of Neuchâtel.
• 2010: Bovet introduces its patented Amadeo convertible case.

Famous Bovet models

If you own a Bovet, it most likely falls into one of these groups:

• 19th-century China-market pocket watches: engraved and enamelled cases, often with visible, decorated movements. These are collected as antiques.
• 20th-century Bovet watches: made while the name belonged to other firms, including chronographs with bought-in Valjoux and Landeron movements.
• Modern Bovet (1990s to today): watches with the crown and bow at 12 o'clock, a pocket-watch look that the brand introduced in 1997. Current lines include Fleurier, Récital, Virtuoso and the Dimier sister brand.
• Amadeo pieces: watches whose case converts from a wristwatch into a pocket watch or a table clock without tools.

Movements and technique

Today's Bovet group makes most of its movement parts in-house through Dimier 1738, including the hairspring, which few brands produce themselves. Production takes place in Môtiers and Tramelan. Some modern models have used movements from Vaucher Manufacture. Bovet is known for tourbillons, including a seven-day self-winding tourbillon, and for hand engraving, enamel and miniature painting on dials. About one-third of production is made as one-off pieces to order.

Bovet today

Bovet 1822 is an independent haute horlogerie brand owned by Pascal Raffy, with its head office in Geneva. The group makes roughly 800 watches a year with around 150 staff. It has also made dashboard clocks for Rolls-Royce. Bovet sits at the very top of the price range, well above most luxury brands.

Bovet prices on the pre-owned market

Bovet is a small brand, so pre-owned prices vary a lot from one piece to the next. Modern complications such as tourbillons, Amadeo models and pieces with enamel or engraving draw the most interest. Simpler modern pieces often sell well below their original retail price, because few buyers look for them. Box, papers and service history make a real difference.

Antique China-market pocket watches are judged like other antiques: the quality of the enamel and engraving, whether the case is original, whether a pair has survived together, and the condition of the movement. Twentieth-century Bovet watches with standard bought-in movements are a separate, more modest category.

How to recognise a genuine Bovet

A modern Bovet should have a finely finished, decorated movement visible through the back, consistent engraving on case and bridges, and matching numbers on the case and papers. Be wary of China-market pocket watches signed "Bovet": the name was widely copied in the 19th century, which helped end Bovet's business there. Not every old watch with the name is from the family firm. A specialist can compare movement, case style and marks. Our guide on how to spot a fake watch covers the general checks.

What is your Bovet worth?

Send a few clear photos of the dial, caseback and movement for a free watch value estimate. If you need a written document for an estate, a sale or insurance, you can order a watch appraisal.

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