Bovet manufacture tour & Back at +200 years of History in 2022

Two hundred years is a big birthday that deserves to be celebrated in style. And style it was during a day full of festivities at Bovet’s facility housed in a medieval castle in Môtiers. 

Fairy Tale Watchmaking

Travelling to Bovet is a fairy tale experience in itself. You take the highway to Saint-Croix and then head up the mountain to Fleurier, where you continue to climb, zigzagging up country lanes into the woods. Suddenly the 14th-century castle comes into view, nestled among the trees with its turrets and towers protruding majestically above the foliage as if it has been lost in time. 

For this special 200th anniversary, however, visiting the Chateau de Môtiers is even more spectacular as Bovet’s owner Pascal Raffy has transformed the ground floor of his private quarters (previously off limits to visitors) into a museum to showcase his collection of Bovet timepieces, past and present. 

Hand-painted dial © Bovet

The beginning of the Bovet Story

These extraordinary timepieces tell the Bovet story right from the beginning when Edouard Bovet, the son of a watchmaker, travelled to China in 1818 with four pocket watches to sell. Immediately finding clients for his timepieces and returning Switzerland a rich man, he saw a massive opportunity in the Asian market. He founded the Bovet company with his brothers in 1822, focusing on highly decorative timepieces with chronometrically advanced movements.

These pocket watches were made with the Asian consumer in mind. They were adorned with a variety of métiers d’art such as cloisonné, flinqué, and champlevé enamel, as well as miniature painting, engraving and pearl settings. The movements were equally elaborate, with various decorative finishes. 

In addition to the timekeepers in this temporary museum, the exhibition documents the travels of Edouard Bovet with letters that he sent home to his brothers. A selection of timepieces from Raffy’s contemporary collection shows how the brand has evolved to create exceptional timepieces that appeal to today’s discerning collectors. 

Roméo & Juliette © Bovet

From the 14th to the 21st Century

The company may be housed in a 14th-century castle, but don’t be distracted by the medieval storytelling; this is a cutting-edge manufacture, making 95% of its components in-house. Between its workshops in Môtiers, its movement and dial manufacture in Tramelan, this comprehensive manufacturing pool makes almost everything, including the hairspring and regulating organ. 

Workshop © Bovet