Geneva Watch Days 2024: The Return Of Favre Leuba And Its Modern Brilliance

When a brand as exceptional as Favre Leuba makes a comeback, watch enthusiasts wait with baited breath to discover what new creations that brand has in store for them. It’s re-entry at Geneva Watch Days 2024 is not just a comeback—it’s a celebration of heritage, innovation, and craftsmanship. With 22 new references across three collections, Favre Leuba is poised to captivate watch enthusiasts worldwide. The new collections – Chief, Deep Blue, and Sea Sky Chronograph – demonstrate the brand’s dedication to blending tradition with modernity, combining a distinctive aesthetic with precise engineering to create timepieces that are both functional and stylish. 

The Chief Collection 

Completely restyled, the Chief collection embodies a subtle blend between the original watch and new, more modern aspirations; a reinterpretation of its original, distinctive design cues, in tune with the zeitgeist. 

The Chief Chronograph 

Retaining the distinctive design elements of the 70s, this timepiece is updated with a contemporary, sporty aesthetic. The vintage-inspired ‘cushion’ case accentuates a modern sport-chic profile. The lugs, borrowed from the historical predecessor, now exhibit more streamlined lines, while the ovoid shape on the outside of the case evokes compactness and fluidity. The eye is naturally drawn to the magnificent sunburst dial, which is available in three color variations – blue, ice blue, and black. 

With the bi-compax counters positioned at 9 and 3 o’clock for precise minute and second readings, the Chief Chronograph perfectly embodies Favre Leuba's commitment to innovation and quality. Featuring a tachymeter scale on the inner flange to measure speed, a must on sports chronographs, this dial further stands out with refined details. A stylized hourglass in 3D – the emblem of Favre Leuba – at 6 o’clock adds a touch of sophistication. With a diameter of 40mm and a thickness of just 10.8mm, the Chief Date shares the refined design of the Chief Chronograph in a package that is slightly smaller and slimmer, yet just as delicately sculpted. 

Chief Date 

The Chief Date’s primary point of differentiation lies in its textured dial, featuring a stamped tapestry pattern of high-relief hourglasses. At 3 o’clock, a discreet date window adds practical functionality to the watch’s sophisticated design. The dials each have an offset sunray finish and come in vibrant hues of green, blue, and black, each capturing light in a distinctive, modern way. 

The beautifully chiseled case elegantly combines satin-finished and polished surfaces, creating a subtle interplay of light. The interchangeable bracelet, seamlessly integrated into the case, offers exceptional comfort and underscores the watch’s sporty yet sophisticated character. Powered by the La Joux-Perret G100 movement, the Chief Date impresses with a 68-hour power reserve. This movement, too, features superior finishes, including diamond-cut bevels, blued screws, and Côtes de Genève stripes. 

Deep Blue Collection: A Dive Into Vintage 

The Deep Blue collection pays homage to the brand’s rich history and technical prowess in dive watchmaking. First introduced in the 1960s, the Deep Blue quickly gained popularity for its robust design coupled with a water resistance down to 200 meters, a prized plus for its time.

The Deep Blue Revival 

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Deep Blue (1964-2024), Favre Leuba is reintroducing its iconic model as the Deep Blue Revival, absolutely true to its original design and 39mm dimensions. This reissue is set to captivate both newcomers and aficionados with its blend of tradition and modernity. The Deep Blue Revival features a sunray-finished gray dial adorned with baton-shaped indexes from the original design, ensuring excellent readability. The iconic round date window at 4:30, with its polished and glossy finish, retains the look of 1964. The indexes and hands, subtly filled with egg-shell colored Super-LumiNova® reminiscent of the radium used back then, evoke a vintage charm while guaranteeing remarkable legibility at all times, day or night. The hourglass emblem at 10 o'clock adds an extra distinctive touch, while the uppercase ‘DEEP BLUE’ inscription underlines the watch’s purpose. 

The Deep Blue Renaissance 

The Deep Blue Renaissance is the cousin of the Deep Blue Revival, but with bolder features and an enhanced, modernized aesthetic signature. It’s dial comes in three captivating shades: deep blue, intense green, and anthracite gray. It showcases a striking smoked effect, with a gradient color that is lighter at the center and darker at the edges. White Super-LumiNova, glowing blue in the dark, ensures perfect legibility under any circumstance. The dial elements, such as the resized logo and hands, have been repositioned for a decidedly contemporary look. 

Beneath the dial, the beautifully decorated La Joux-Perret G100 movement – which is visible through the sapphire case back, offering a stunning view of the refined mechanism. Enhanced water resistance up to 300 meters guarantees exceptional performance, even in the most demanding underwater environments. 

Sea Sky Chronograph

Favre Leuba’s Sea Sky Chronograph epitomizes Swiss watchmaking at its best, with peerless precision and exceptional quality. This piece features a 40mm case in 316L stainless steel, finished with a juxtaposition of polished and brushed surfaces for that dashing elegance of rugged refinement. 

Inside pulses the prestigious La Joux-Perret L112 automatic chronograph movement, offering an ample power reserve of 60 hours. Visible through a sapphire case back, the movement is lavishly decorated with impeccable finishes such as circular graining, Côtes de Genève stripes, and sunburst patterns. The gold-plated 4N oscillating weight displays the Favre Leuba hourglass emblem, engraved with ‘Swiss made since 1737,’ adding an extra touch of elegance to the exclusive provenance. 

The dial on the Sea Sky Chronograph includes a tachymeter scale for measuring velocity over a known distance which is deal for pilots, race car drivers, or those who need a quick fix on the average speed over a fixed distance. It also includes a telemeter scale for calculating the distance to an event based on sound wave propagation which proves useful for military personnel, meteorologists, or anyone having to measure the progress of an approaching thunderstorm.