Why Bovet CEO Pascal Raffy believes that tradition trumps fashion
Pascal Raffy, CEO of Bovet, is proud of the brand’s extraordinary hand-engraving technique
Pascal Raffy, CEO of Bovet, believes that watches express emotions. STYLE sat down with him in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss the brand’s DNA and artisanal skills.
Q. With regards to technology, the watchmaking industry is increasingly embracing 3D printing. Why have you decided against using this technology for Bovet?
A. With all due respect to the other brands, I’m very proud of the fact that even on the watch parts that are machine-made, Bovet does hand-engraving. The love and the human element that go into it make the timepiece what it is. A watch tells you the time, but it’s not enough. A timepiece should speak to you. You should see the passion and the emotion that goes into it. That is the value and tradition of Bovet. Fashion is ephemeral; tradition lasts.
Q. How would you describe the brand’s DNA? How do you push innovation in this day and age without sacrificing tradition?
A. We do live in a world of appearances. Bovet is more about watchmaking, handcrafted in-house. We remain, nearly two centuries after the house was born, very much attached to true watchmaking values where the artisan is the key contributor to express time in the most beautiful way. Our fundamentals are deeply linked to bringing more collectors to preserve and strengthen such skills in this globalised world where consumers tend to become followers than opinion makers.
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Q. What has been the biggest risk you’ve taken so far as CEO? Why did you take it?
A. [Making sure] that all the values [of the house] are still alive. For the next generations, education will be even more crucial. Our house could appear conservative. It is not at all [if you look] carefully at our ability to sustain watchmaking and at the same time demonstrate year after year our ability to innovate and propose new ways to tell time in such a valuable expression. Art is about emotion. The biggest risk which became a strength has been to offer Bovet a real verticalisation allowing such uniqueness – a true watchmaking house, with real facilities and extraordinary artisans.