Soul Searching

Ahead of the 25 anniversary of Pascal Raffy's acquisition of Bovet next year, the charismatic brand owner and CEO reflects on his time restoring the 18th-century brand to eminence.

- Words: Alvin Wong

WHEN PASCAL RAFFY TALKS about time, he never behaves like the owner of a watch brand trying to entice you with his timepieces. Eloquent and measured, he sounds more like a philosopher pondering existential questions when the topic inadvertently comes up.

“At the end of the day, what counts is what we’ve decided to do with the time that has been given to us,” he reflects. “When we (create), we are not just talking about the mechanics or aesthetics of a watch, but rather, about the true meaning of time.”

This thinking has guided his stewardship of Bovet since 2001. Founded in 1822 by Edouard Bovet, the brand once held court in Qing dynasty China with enamel pocket watches so precious they are still housed in the Forbidden City’s Palace Museum. That kind of legacy can weigh heavily on any successor. For Raffy, a collector and lawyer before becoming Bovet’s owner, the challenge was not simply about preservation, but relevance.

Respecting history while setting a course for the future became Raffy’s earliest challenge. “The founder already had the fantastic vision to bring horology from Switzerland to London and Guangzhou. We needed to understand this ethos of being open-minded to different cultures and habits,” he says.