In 2018, Favre-Leuba celebrates its 281st anniversary, a remarkable milestone in the illustrious history of Switzerland’s second-oldest watch brand. With a successful history marked by uncompromising courage, a pioneering spirit, the enduring refusal to accept boundaries, and the drive to grasp opportunities and achieve the extraordinary – the brand has set new standards in the watch industry time and again due to its ingenuity, exceptional engineering, and precise, perfectly functioning timepieces.
At the 2018 Baselworld, the company has unveiled three new additions to the ever-expanding award-winning Favre-Leuba Raider family of functional, stylish, time-keeping masterpieces:
Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth
The Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth is the only mechanical wristwatch capable of measuring and displaying depth to 120m. The 48 mm titanium case houses a special membrane, which compresses with the changing depth and water pressure. This membrane is hermetically sealed from the movement, to ensure that even if the diver dives below 120m, there is no damage to the watch. 2018 marks the 50thanniversary of the legendary Bathy launched in 1968, and the brand celebrates this occasion with the launch of the Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth, which paying homage to its namesake, surpasses the technical brilliance and capabilities of the original dive tool. The case back of the new watch features an aperture in the form of the brand logo, through which water enters the watch. A mechanical contact sensor reacts to the variation of the water pressure experienced by the membrane that is then relayed on to the dial via the blue dive hands. The central blue hand displays the current dive depth. The scale for the first 30 m is finer, while thereon it is marked with 10m intervals. Two red indicators between 3 m and 6 m and between 9 m and 12 m markings highlight the depth where decompression stops may be necessary. The Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth also features a mechanical depth memory (MemoDepth), which stores the maximum depth reached during a dive. The depth gauge at 3 o’clock reliably displays this max depth value until it is reset via the screw-in pusher at 4 o’clock – a feature that typically appears on professional dive watches.The retro-futuristic case design that combines the vintage look with the contemporary is based on the principle form follows function. The bold, functional colors; striking, easy-to-read hands, and the blue emission Super-Luminova, all guarantee perfect readability no matter the surrounding light conditions. This future-ready dive companion is quite a complete piece for all diving adventures.
Raider Sea King
The latest addition to the Raider line, the Raider Sea King, is reflective of precision mechanics, great style, and performance. Inspired by the brands’ legendary watches that broke new barriers in time-keeping instruments, Favre-Leuba’s design DNA is evident on the new model with the signature tetradecagon bezel and rectangular indices featured on the vintage Deep Blue watch, and the striking hands seen on Favre-Leuba’s Bathy. The new Raider Sea King is however not limited to the design of the past but is skillfully reimagined creating a charismatic, contemporary look for today’s explorers. This amalgamation of the past, transitions into the bold look of the future with its sharp lines and modernistic arcs, creating a retro-futuristic design philosophy unique to Favre-Leuba. The multi-layered case resulting from these fixed and functional bezels, along with their interplay of polished and satin-brushed surfaces enables a creative contrast, in-turn producing an emboldened style for the business casual look. True as a companion, the individuality of the time-keeper is a vital component in the design elements of the Sea King. Three different dial colors can be chosen to reflect the spirit of the wearer: an understated yet discerning slate gray hue, discreet yet stylish midnight black, or a deep royal blue. The flat sapphire crystal used on the Sea King is finished with a dual side anti-reflective coating ensuring clear visibility of time under all conditions. The 100 m water resistant watch is held snuggly onto the wrist due to its comfortable lug drop. A sporty, stainless steel bracelet features an end piece to attach to the stylish case. A soft antelope leather strap option is also available. What is more, this watch pairs perfectly with the Raider Sea Bird, making it a great duo set for gifting.
Raider Deep Blue
The Raider Deep Blue was launched in 2016 and has been recognized for its unique design, with the multiple layered case. In 2018, the brand introduces a 41mm case size version of this highly demanded timepiece. The identifiable, retro-futuristic design DNA of Favre-Leuba is carried on to this watch, making it a great hit with the visitors at Baselworld this year, especially with those who like a tool watch but prefer a smaller size. With a water-resistant capability of 30 bar or 300m, this multi-functional dive timepiece features either a black or a blue dial with raised luminous (blue emission) index marks, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflection coating on both sides, and a unidirectional rotating bezel with a 20-minute marking on the anodized aluminum. The hour and minute hands, as well as the sweep seconds function control disc feature Super-Luminova, thus making the time perfectly visible even in the dark. Paired with a rubber strap makes this Raider Deep Blue watch good for swimming or diving, while when purchased with a thick calf leather strap that has contrast stitching, it becomes a great piece for the everyday sharp dressing. One can also buy the watch with a stainless-steel bracelet that is multi-purpose, for wearing on land as well as in the water. The Raider Deep Blue houses an ETA automatic movement, ensuring reliability. The always aligned case-back is a feature one may consider small to being with but exemplifies the brand’s outlook for perfection and engineering excellence.
I like the Raider Deep Blue and was interested to learn its at 41mm (my max size is 42mm) from your article.
However, the website (using link embedded) clearly says its in fact 44mm. Far too large for me.