Oct 16, 2017
Reading time 2 min.
Inside Bovet's Swiss Manufacturing Sites
MANUFACTURE VISIT
WatchTime recently had the opportunity to visit two of Bovet's own manufacturing sites in Switzerland: the Château de Môtiers and Dimier in Tramelan. Read on for our impressions, along with behind-the-scenes photos taken during our tour.
WatchTime recently had the opportunity to visit two of Bovet's own manufacturing sites in Switzerland: The Château de Môtiers and Dimier in Tramelan. Some impressions:
1. Château de Môtiers, Val-de-Travers
Le Château de Môtiers (originally named Vauxtravers) was built in the early 14th century by Rodolphe IV de Neuchâtel. In 1835, Henri-François Dubois-Bovet acquired the Château de Môtiers, but the descendants of the Bovet family donated it to the Canton of Neuchâtel in 1957. It was purchased by Bovet's owner Pascal Raffy in 2006 and now houses the assembly workshop of the brand (after extensive renovation work):
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Assembly workshop at Château de Môtiers
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Bovet minute repeater with tourbillon
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Case engraving example
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Historical pocketwatch movement decoration
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Dial painting example
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Assembly workshop at Château de Môtiers
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Assembly workshop at Château de Môtiers
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A different kind of company car :-)
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The view from Château de Môtiers
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2. Dimier, Tramelan
Also in 2006, Pascal Raffy purchased Bovet 1822 Manufacture de Cadrans (cadrans = dials) and Dimier 1783 Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie. These two acquisitions further increased the independence of the brand. Dimier is mainly responsible for the development and production of the brand's own movements, including hairsprings and balance wheels, as shown below:
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Assembly of a tourbillon movement (with blue protective cover)
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Part production (tourbillon)
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Stamping
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Stamping
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Stamping
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Movement part production
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Polishing
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Polishing (before and after)
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Movement assembly (Bovet by Pininfarina Tourbillon Ottantasei)
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Movement production at Dimier in Tramelan (Bovet by Pininfarina baseplate)
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Part production (tourbillon)
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Part production
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Movement assembly at Dimier in Tramelan
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Raw materials
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Even the balance wheels and hairsprings are produced inhouse
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Balance wheels and hairsprings
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Movement part production and polishing at Dimier, Tramelan.
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Movement assembly at Dimier in Tramelan
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Engraving
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Engraving
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3. Bovet Boutique, Geneva
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Bovet Virtuoso VIII 10-day flying tourbillon big date
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Bovet Virtuoso VIII 10-day flying tourbillon big date (back)
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Bovet Récital 19 Miss Dimier
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Bovet Récital 19 Miss Dimier (back)
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Bovet by Pininfarina Tourbillon Ottantasei (back)
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Monsieur Bovet in pocketwatch configuration
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Bovet Château de Môtiers 40 with luminescent miniature painting
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The Bovet Récital 20 Astérium with 10-day flying tourbillon, night sky annual calendar with astronomical functions (caseback)
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Follow this link for Mark Bernardo's review of the Bovet Amadeo Fleurier Virtuoso V.
