Bovet 1822’s handcrafted pieces are testament to what superlative handcrafting and finishing can achieve, something that Pascal Raffy, owner of the House of Bovet, has stressed on since he took the reins of the brand in 2001. In 2020, his eldest daughter Audrey joined him in leading the brand. And while Audrey’s title is very specific today, her work entails everything from communication to marketing to special projects, like the Bovet Café that debuted at Dubai Watch Week in 2023.

WatchTime India: What is a typical day at work like?

Audrey Raffy: Oh my god, there is no typical day. I’m based in Dubai, and when I’m here I work from home, unless I am visiting our retail partners, like Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. I’ll wake up, take advantage now that there’s three hours less in Switzerland so I’ll go to the gym. And get on Zoom calls, emails. Sometimes I’ll try to see if I can create content for Instagram.

But mostly I travel. When I’m travelling, it’s nonstop. I go a day or two before, and as soon as I get there, the next day is from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. When you are visiting a partner abroad, you want to do the meetings in the morning, visit the boutique in the afternoon or have press, and then at night, of course, they want to take you out to dinner, show you the city. So, it’s intense when I’m travelling.

WTI: What would your responsibilities currently entail?

AR: My title technically is vice president, so I’m just under my father. And, I do everything from communication to marketing—I’m doing Instagram, coordinating with the communications team about future posts, future campaigns, future launches, marketing, working on gifts, and projects like the Bovet Café. When I’m travelling, I work with sales very closely, because we’re talking with partners about certain deals or projects, maybe limited editions, new partnerships and ventures, boutiques. Then there is day-to-day management, of course. I try to be the filter before things get to my father so that not everything is taken up to him. And obviously the representation part where when I travel, I do press interviews. So, I do quite a lot of things.

WTI: How would you, as someone who’s now a very important part of management, want to take the brand to the next level?

AR: I’m so proud that we have a brand like Bovet, and that we have so much history. But being part of the new generation, over the years, I have been pushing my father to be adventurous and play with maybe newer, sportier models and modern materials, combinations of colours, projects to consider other avenues. Although we have a very strong identity with our Bovet and the crown at 12, I think that doesn’t mean that we can’t find a way to marry the history with the future. So, it’s always what we can do next year. What we can do in the years to come, that will have the Bovet DNA but is still innovative, different, new, something that hasn’t been done.

WTI: What’s it like to work with family?

AR: Honestly, it’s tough. But I think the tough part comes, for me at least, with the fact that there’s no break between the work and the person. Everything is always intertwined, and that is sometimes mentally draining. When you have even on Saturdays and Sundays the same conversations, the same topics. Obviously, it has its good parts because it’s part of your legacy, so you’re invested in it. But at the same time, everyone needs a break. A lot of times you don’t have that moment to disconnect, and then to say, ‘OK, now it’s Monday, let me go back.’ For instance, sometimes for me, it’s late at night, and I get a call from my father. It’s maybe midnight or 1:00 AM here, and I tell myself I’m not going to answer, and then I end up picking up. It has its good and bad points.

WTI: What would you like to change about the watch industry today?

AR: The watch industry has so much history, so much meaning—we’re lucky enough to work in an industry that has soul. It’s almost like working in the art industry. It’s discovering every single time new launches and ideas. Also, a lot of the times I really enjoy having conversations with the other watchmakers, other business owners, other brands. We’ll just talk, laugh, and share insights or insecurities about certain things. There’s a certain level of honesty that’s really nice to have.

And because I think that it’s such a deeply historical and traditional industry, I think in some respects, the composition of the industry, the share between male and female, is still a little bit skewed. But at the end of the day, most areas in this world today are the same, right? But I do think that for the watch industry, there’s still a lot of women who are loving watches and know about them, and we’re genuinely interested in them and women who can really give men a run for their money in the industry. And that’s refreshing to see.

WTI: The one thing that you worked on in 2023 that you’re really proud of?

AR: Café Bovet. We were very happy with our relationship with the Seddiqi family—it is more a friendship than a business relationship. And a few months ago, someone from their team calls me and says that there’s this café that has been at Dubai Watch Week for the past 10 years (the family who owns the bakery is also very close to the Seddiqi family), and they’re looking this year at having a collaboration with a brand. I was very happy because I saw this as an opportunity not just to work hand-in-hand with one of our close friends here, but also an opportunity to do something different. In these types of shows, sometimes it’s hard to kind of stand out a little bit. And also, for me, it was different, something to take my mind off the day-to-day, with things like just playing with the colour palette, the font, and the composition of the menu and the dessert. It was just fun, to be honest. I’m very happy with how it turned out.

WTI: The one lesson you’ve learned from your father that you hold dear...

AR: My father often used to say to me that if you think of something you want, just wait a little bit, don’t do it right away. Take a couple of days. A lot of times that will teach you that maybe you shouldn’t have done it, or maybe you still want to do it. Waiting a few days or waiting a little bit won’t change anything, it will still be there. That’s something that I’ve actually applied, and it’s worked pretty well for me.

WTI: If you weren’t a part of the watch industry, what would you be doing?

AR: I have a law degree from Northwestern, and I do like the law. But if I had the opportunity, I would do something related to charity. If I had the opportunity to find the financial resources to be able to fund and help and work with kids, I think I would really like that.

WTI: What are you looking forward to 

in 2024?

AR: We have two or three launches in 2024. They’re going to be mind-blowing, but in this case, they’re going to be something that people maybe don’t expect.