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Bovet 1822

Switzerland · Founded 1822

Founded 1 May 1822 in London by Édouard Bovet (1797-1849), whose family originated in Fleurier, Switzerland. Bovet built its early reputation exporting richly decorated pocket watches to China via Canton, at one point producing almost exclusively for that market until it collapsed around 1855 amid competition and counterfeiting. Ownership passed through several Swiss houses over the following century (Jequier/Bobillier 1864, Landry Frères 1888, Leuba family 1901, Jacques Ullmann & Co. 1918, the Bovet family again 1932, Favre-Leuba 1948-1966, then a cooperative, then Parmigiani Fleurier in 1989) before financier Pascal Raffy acquired the company on 6 February 2001 and revived it as a high-horology manufacture. In June 2006 Raffy acquired the STT group, renamed Dimier 1738 Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Artisanale, giving Bovet in-house movement and dial/gem-setting capability in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva; the brand's ceremonial headquarters is the Château de Môtiers in the Val-de-Travers. Signature elements: the patented Amadeo convertible 'writing slope' case (unveiled 2010) that converts tool-free between wristwatch, pocket watch, and table/desk clock; hand-guilloché, enamelled, and Fleurisanne-engraved dials; and a long-running design collaboration with Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina (from c. 2010) on the Ottantasei and related sport-luxury lines. Annual production is roughly 800 watches, with about a third being unique pieces, spanning roughly $18,000 to $2.5 million.