Edouard Bovet

Édouard Bovet (1797–1849) was a Swiss watchmaker and founder of the Bovet Fleurier watch company.

Édouard Bovet was born in Fleurier in Neuchâtel, the son of Jean Frédéric Bovet, in 1797. Although the "Genève" tag is virtually compulsory for Swiss prestige name watches in the highest price bracket, it is the lesser known place name "Fleurier" that graces the watches from the Bovet company in Geneva: for the Bovet originated from this village in the Val-de-Travers, to the west of Neuchâtel. Watchmaking was introduced there between 1730 and 1740 by David Vaucher, probably a pupil of the legendary Daniel JeanRichard. The number of watchmakers in the Val-de-Travers grew very rapidly in the first half of the 19th century. The lace making that had provided work for a good third of the people living in the valley had been replaced by the much lower cost production on jacquard machines in France and Flanders.

Four more sons and a daughter were born in the following years. After completing his apprenticeship as a watchmaker, Edouard Bovet and two of his brothers moved to London, then the center of watch assembly and the watch trade in 1814.

He found a job at once, with the Magniac company who sent him to Canton in 1818 as watch repairer; this was the sole Chinese port that tolerated European merchants and businessmen - the so-called “red-haired barbarians”. In Canton in 1818 where he set up in business in partnership with his brothers in 1822. The enterprise, that had luxury watches made in Switzerland for export to China, was a resounding success.

The flourishing watch trade with China prompted Edouard Bovet to set up on his own company in 1822: he founded a general partnership with the two brothers in London and one brother who had remained in Fleurier; the fourth and youngest brother also entered the business. Soon every first class watch in China with a high practical value and elegant exterior was simply called "Bovet" (pronounced "Boway" or read backwards "Tevob"). Pearl ornamentation and enamel miniature painting carried out in Geneva on Bovet watches ensured first class aesthetics at prices that, in contrast to the exaggerated luxury watches of the time, were affordable, at least for the upper class.

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