Legendary watchmaking brand Favre Leuba has officially been revived, its return announced at Geneva Watch Days 2024. Leading it is CEO Patrik Hoffmann, industry veteran, who has previously been associated with Ulysse Nardin. While the news of Favre Leuba’s resuscitation has been in the news for nearly a year now, its relaunch with three new collections – Chief (land), Deep Blue (sea), and Sea Sky (air) - highlights the new direction the brand is set to take. A total of 22 new references have been announced.
Before we get into the new timepieces, a little context. For those who might not know, Favre Leuba is one of the oldest Swiss watch brands, established in 1737 in Le-Locle by master watchmaker Abraham Favre (Blancpain, considered the oldest registered Swiss watch brand, was established in 1735). In 1815, his grandson Henry-Auguste partnered with watchmaker and merchant Auguste Leuba, marking the birth of Favre Leuba. Even within these nearly 80 years, Abraham Favre collaborated with renowned watchmakers like Jacques-Frédéric Houriet, considered the founder of Swiss chronometry, and Abraham-Louis Breguet, founder of Breguet, and around the year 1749, was appointed 'Maître horloger du Locle', the master watchmaker of Le Locle. Favre Leuba pocket watches received numerous awards at national and international exhibitions – in London (1851), New York (1853), Paris (1855), Bern (1857), and Porto (1865), among others.
In the 20th century, and the brand came to be known for its first dive watch, Water Deep in 1960; the Bivouac (1962), the world’s first wristwatch equipped with an aneroid barometer, capable of mechanically measuring atmospheric pressure and altitude; and Bathy (1968), a revolutionary watch featuring a mechanical depth gauge for divers. The brand however, could not survive the Quartz Crisis and the family-owned company was subsequently sold in the 1980s, after which it changed ownership multiple times, including to Benedom SA, LVMH, and Titan in 2011 - it relaunched in India in 2016 with new Raider and Chief collections. In 2017, it introduced the Raider Bivouac 9000, the only watch to measure altitude up to 9000m mechanically.
“Favre Leuba is not just a watch brand; it's a symbol of resilience and innovation for the entire watchmaking industry. We honour our past and our collective heritage while embracing the future, creating watches that embody the pioneering spirit of our founders,” explains Patrik Hoffmann, CEO of Favre Leuba. "The relaunch of Favre Leuba marks an extraordinary transformation. With a team of seasoned experts and an ambitious strategic vision, we are determined to restore this legendary brand to its rightful place in the global watchmaking landscape."
The brand is now headquartered in Grenchen, in the canton of Solothurn – where watchmaking workshops and a museum will be established in the coming months. Its new watches have been developed by Antoine Tschumi, who has created timepieces for Czapek & Cie and Louis Moinet in the past, and Laurent Auberson, who’s worked for Zenith and Chronoswiss. The brand aims to produce several thousand pieces annually within three years.
Indian Connect
Favre Leuba and India have deep roots. As early as the 1800s, the company expanded and started exporting watches to India, China, and the Americas. And in 1865, Favre Leuba became the first Swiss watch brand to enter the Indian market, establishing a lasting presence. In fact, the company website states that it was the Indian market helped it stabilise after WWII - “After the Second World War, the brand was able to count on a stable position in India thanks to their own office in Bombay. Gradually, the family company won back its standing and relevance in other watch markets – first in Switzerland, then Europe, and later in America and Africa. Among others, branches in Hamburg, London, Rangoon, Karachi, Singapore, and New York secured well-functioning distribution as well as first-class customer service.” Enjoying huge popularity in India in the 1950s-70s, even today you are likely to find vintage watch stores in the country with a sizeable collection of old Favre-Leuba models.
Favre-Leuba New models
For its three new collections, the brand says that it has stayed true to its history of creating purpose-driven watches, and has therefore drawn from a “treasure trove of vintage pieces painstakingly documented by archivists and designers,” while staying true to original design codes.
Favre Leuba Chief
Headlining the new timepieces is the Chief collection, which has been positioned as the cornerstone of Favre Leuba's relaunch. Inspired by the 1970 Chrono Valjoux 23 hand-wound model, Chief is a cushion shaped, integrated bracelet watch that has been introduced in six new references: Three for the 41mm Chief Chronograph, and three for the 40mm Chief Date. The 315L steel watches feature a bicompax layout with a sunburst dial, available in blue, ice blue, and black. The subdials are raised, and a tachymeter scale features on the inner flange. The hands and applied indexes are rhodium-plated and multifaceted, and are coated with Super-LumiNova®, and the case has a circular brush finish on top and a satin-brushed finish on the four facets. The watch is water-resistant to 100 metres.
The exhibition caseback provides a view to the La Joux-Perret L113 chronograph movement with a blued column wheel, and a 60-hour power reserve. Other decoration include Côtes de Genève stripes, blued screws, a circular-grained barrel bridge, and polished steel components.
The Chief Chronograph is priced at CHF 4,300 with a rubber strap, and CHF 4,375 for a steel bracelet.
The Chief Date is also a steel integrated bracelet, albeit with a slightly reduced size and a slimmer profile. The time and date watch’s dial has a stamped pattern of the hourglasses, the logo of the brand, with a sunray finish. There is a date window at 3 o’clock, and dial options come in green, blue, and black. The case has a combination of satin-finished and polished surfaces, and the bracelet is interchangeable. The watch is powered by the La Joux-Perret G100 movement, with a 68-hour power reserve, and also features a range of finishes.
The Chief Date is priced at CHF 2,300 for a rubber strap, and CHF 2,375 CHF for a steel bracelet.
Favre-Leuba Deep Blue
The Deep Blue is a collection that was launched in the 1960s, and highlights Favre-Leuba’s diving legacy. So, to mark the 60th anniversary of the collection, the brand has launched the anniversary edition Deep Blue Revival (39mm) and Deep Blue Renaissance (40mm), a modern take on the line, available in three references. Both models are powered by the LJP G10.
The Deep Blue Revival is a reissue piece that is entirely true to its original design and 39mm dimensions from 1964, except the water resistance of up to 300 meters - the original was water-resistant to 200 meters. The watch features a sunray-finished grey dial with the iconic round date window at 4:30. There are baton-shaped indexes filled with egg-shell coloured Super-LumiNova®, which glows green, similar to the radium used in the old model. There is an hourglass emblem at 10, and at 3, the uppercase ‘DEEP BLUE’ inscription. A sapphire crystal tops the case, and the unidirectional rotating bezel features a sapphire insert, which replaces the original bakelite. The steel bracelet, too, stays true to the original design with its 5-link construction featuring triangular links and a deployant clasp. The watch is priced at CHF 2,250.
The Deep Blue Renaissance is a new dive watch with a water resistance of 300 metres, available in three dial colours - deep blue, intense green, and anthracite grey – with a fume effect. The dial features resized logo and hands, and a date function with a window at 4:40. The large screw-down crown and unidirectional rotating bezel address the dive watch aspect of the design, although the bezel is in ceramic and has a new numeral design. The Blue Renaissance is available with a rubber strap or the redesigned ‘3-link’ steel bracelet, both featuring a quick-change interchangeability system. The Deep Blue Renaissance is priced at CHF 2,200 with rubber strap, and CHF 2,300 CHF with a steel bracelet.
Sea Sky Chronograph
Introduced in three references, this chronograph line features all the essentials associated with the complication. Inspired by the design of 70s watches, the 40mm watches are cast in 316L stainless steel. Its sunburst dials – in black, brown and blue – have a tricompax layout, powered by the LJP L112 movement (60 hour power reserve), and it flaunts broad arrow-style hands and vintage-inspired indexes. The dial is topped with a double-domed sapphire crystal with an antireflective coating, and there is a unidirectional rotating bezel, in black ceramic and engraved with countdown markers. The watch also feature tachymeter and telemeter scales. Water-resistant to a depth of 100 meters, the watches come with a leather pin buckle strap featuring a quick and convenient interchangeability system. The watch is priced at CHF 3,950.
The watches will be retailed at Ethos Watch Boutiques.
Images: Courtesy brand
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