RAPAPORT... Pascal Raffy, the owner of watchmaker BOVET 1822, became a shareholder and board member of luxury jeweler Asprey and, in addition, the jeweler will present BOVET timepieces in the U.S. at boutiques in Beverly Hills and Miami. BOVET signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Asprey for its U.K. stores in July.
Beginning in 2016, Asprey will also have its own collection of timepieces entirely designed and manufactured by BOVET, according to a joint statement. Raffy and John Rigas, the majority owner of Asprey, stated that their collaboration was born from sharing mutual values on luxury products and their devotion to nurturing the "art of the exceptional." Asprey was founded in 1781 and has a long history with British royalty, dating back to the 1800s when Queen Victoria awarded the jeweler the Royal Warrant in 1862 for dressing cases, traveling bags and writing cases. Asprey has since held a Royal Warrant for every British monarch and several other foreign heads-of-state, including The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, who awarded Asprey a Royal Warrant as Jewelers, Goldsmiths and Silversmiths.
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