Watch Brands

The Ultimate Guide to Bovet Watches 

Bovet is one of the most respected high-watchmaking houses in the world. Learn more about the brand and Bovet watches here.

By 

Cait Bazemore

 |  February 25, 2025

Bovet is one of the oldest brands in watchmaking. Few brands throughout the history of horology can claim heritage, values, and accolades at the same level as Bovet. The watch brand has been in continuous operation for over two centuries, thanks to its steadfast family leadership — first with the Bovet family, and then, more recently, with the Raffys. 

Since the beginning, the maison has been a leader and innovator in nearly every facet of watchmaking, from métiers d’art to micromechanics. Bovet is a master of techniques such as hand engraving, enamel work, and miniature painting. It holds the world record for the timepiece with the longest power reserve: a pocket watch from 1910 that runs for 370 days. In addition, it was one of the first brands to equip its watches with clear exhibition casebacks, putting its technical achievements on full display.

The maison has won multiple awards at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) — watchmaking’s highest honor — for its exceptional designs. These include the reversible and convertible Amadeo case, inspired by historical pocket watches, and modern, sporty car collaborations. 

This is the story of Bovet.

Bovet Watches Review and History

The History of Bovet Watches

Horology was in the Bovet family’s blood. The Swiss family hailed from Fleurier, a once-prominent watchmaking town now called Val-de-Travers. (You might be familiar with the name because of Parmigiani Fleurier, another top Swiss watch brand.) Fleurier is located in the canton of Neuchâtel, which remains an important part of Switzerland’s horological landscape today. Jean-Frederic Bovet was a master watchmaker, and his four sons followed in his footsteps and established the namesake brand in 1822. 

Bovet quickly built its reputation on two pillars: its exceptional level of decoration and its technical prowess of chronometry (precision). In just over a century of business, the maison accrued awards and patents for its outstanding work in artistic and mechanical crafts. It received a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1855 and notched a few key patents. The first was for a flyback chronograph watch equipped with a seconds hand, a minute counter, and an hour counter that featured measurements of up to 24 hours, offering the possibility of using the chronograph as a second time zone. The next was for its Mono Split-Second chronograph, which remains highly desirable among collectors to this day. 

Bovet Watch Collections

Today, Bovet has three core collections distinguished by their case shapes: Fleurier, Dimier, and Bovet by Pininfarina. Each collection includes several different models. 

The Fleurier Collection

The first collection is Fleurier, fittingly named after the home of the Bovet family. This line is a contemporary tribute to the brand’s heritage by drawing design elements from its historical pocket watches. The signature of the collection is the Fleurier case. The crown is located at 12 o’clock instead of the traditional 3 o’clock placement, and a decorative element, the Bovet bow, surrounds the crown, giving the wristwatch the appearance of a minute pocket watch. The Fleurier family has several different watches for men and women: the Monsieur Bovet, the Miss Audrey, the 19Thirty, the Virtuoso, and the Orbis Mundi.

The Monsieur Bovet

The Monsieur Bovet represents the brand’s most historic offering. Each watch has the Amadeo convertible system, which made its debut in 2010. This patented system acts as four timepieces in one. You can wear the watch and show the front or the back. One side features a full dial, typically decorated with colorful guilloché; the reverse is skeletonized to showcase the manufacture movement with in-house hairspring and regulating organ and a seven-day power reserve. A small, off-center dial displays the time. In addition to getting two different looks as a wristwatch, you can use the Monsieur Bovet as a desk clock or wear it as a pocket watch — all without any tools.  

The Miss Audrey

The Amadeo system extends to the Monsieur Bovet’s ladies’ counterpart, the Miss Audrey line. This subset of the Fleurier collection is named after the daughter of CEO Pascal Raffy, the brand’s vice president, Audrey Raffy. The timepieces are not reversible but still offer three options: a traditional wristwatch, a pendant watch worn on the neck, or a desk clock. The dial is beautifully decorated; some models have guilloché, others enamel painting or gemsetting. The 36mm watch has a diamond-set bezel and a mechanical movement with a 42-hour power reserve. In 2020, the Miss Audrey won the ladies’ watch prize at the GPHG.

The 19Thirty

The 19Thirty is the simplest and most pared-down model within the Fleurier line, although it still retains the signature pocket watch elements. This 42mm titanium model has a meteorite stone dial coated in a transparent blue PVD treatment that shows the striations of the meteorite. The 19Thirty is not reversible but has a seven-day power reserve. 

Virtuoso

Alternatively, the Virtuoso is the most complex of the models encompassed in the Fleurier family, pairing the Amadeo case with complications like tourbillons, retrograde displays, jumping hours, perpetual calendars, and moon-phase displays. 

Orbis Mundi

Last but certainly not least, the Orbis Mundi is a special piece created as part of the watch brand’s 200^th anniversary in 2022. The world timer honors the journey of founder Edouard Bovet, who traveled the globe to establish the brand (learn all about world-time watches with our ultimate guide). It displays the time in all 24 time zones on the front of the dial, and all functions are set through the crown. The movement has a seven-day power reserve and is visible through the open caseback. 

The Dimier Collection 

The Dimier collection offers a classic wristwatch interpretation, with the crown at the traditional 3 o’clock position. Within the Dimier family is arguably Bovet’s most successful model: the Récital. 

In the past seven years alone, the Récital has won an incredible five awards at the annual GPHG. In 2018, the Récital 22 Grand Récital took home the top award: the Aiguille d’Or. Two years later, Bovet received another GPHG award for the Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two, which earned the Mechanical Exception prize. Then, in 2023, the Récital 20 Asterium landed the award for the Best Astronomical Timepiece. 

Just last year, the Récital 28 Prowess 1 gave Bovet yet another Mechanical Exception prize. This latest addition to the award-winning Récital line solved the daylight saving time issue that has long been a challenge when designing world timers, marking a first in watchmaking history.

The Bovet by Pininfarina Collection 

Bovet created its third collection with the famed Italian car design firm Pininfarina. The collection combines the two brands’ love and appreciation for superb design and craftsmanship. The synergy was instantaneous when the pair came together in 2007 and has continued ever since. Their creativity and know-how resulted in several collaborative timepieces in nearly two decades. 

The most recent addition to the Bovet by Pininfarina collection is the Aperto 1, launched in 2024. The model’s name, “open” in Italian, has a fitting open-worked design, putting the 15BMPF09-OW manufacture movement on full display. Framing the skeletonized dial is a 42mm grade 5 titanium case with a sporty interpretation of the Amadeo case with the trademark crown at 12 o’clock. It’s fitted with a bright blue rubber strap. 

New Blood: The Raffy Family Leadership 

Leading Bovet through each of its milestones and accomplishments over the past 25 years is Pascal Raffy, who joined the brand in 2001 as the owner and CEO. Raffy developed his fascination with timepieces during his childhood. He spent Sundays with his grandfather, a collector who showed him the watches from his collection. Years later, Raffy turned his passion into a career, ultimately leading him to Bovet. 

One of the things that resonated with Raffy early on was the family behind Bovet. Family has been a part of Raffy’s journey into the world of horology since the beginning, and he wanted to bring this spirit back to the Bovet brand. Fittingly, in 2020, his daughter, Audrey Raffy, joined the business to help continue the legacy.

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