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n a 1989 editorial, Europa Star’s then editor-in-chief Valentin Philibert reflected on Favre Leuba’s 250-year history.
It was a turbulent time for the Swiss watch industry, in a period of transition between the upheavals caused by the advent of electronic technology and what would eventually become the renaissance of mechanical watchmaking.
Echoing this transition, Favre Leuba – having also dabbled in quartz – launched a new collection aptly named Generation. As Valentin Philibert noted, since the company’s founding in Le Locle in 1737, “as attested by a notary deed in the Neuchâtel archives (...), eight generations succeeded each other at the helm of the firm.”
The Generation collection was defined by its “elegant, simple lines, in keeping with Favre Leuba tradition through the centuries.” It comprised 22 models featuring either quartz or mechanical complication movements, reflecting the state of flux prevalent in the industry at the time. The collection was accompanied by a clever advertising campaign showing the wrist of an infant trying on the watch – a nod to the generational theme that was about to become very popular in watchmaking.
Two years later, in 1992, a lengthy Europa Star report confirmed that “the automatic is back”, using Favre Leuba’s Generation model with calendar and second time zone as an example.
The report surveyed the opinions of some 70 watchmakers about the revival of watches whose “charm comes from inside”. Many, including Favre Leuba, had never abandoned mechanical movements, even during the “quartz years”.
But before exploring this mechanical renaissance, let’s return to Favre Leuba’s origins. A 1993 article (following the brand’s acquisition by Benedom a decade earlier) detailed the eight generations of the family.
According to contemporary written records, on 13 March 1737 Abraham Favre (1702-1790) established his business in Le Locle after apprenticing with watchmaker David Gagnebin. He went on to collaborate with Jacques-Frédéric Houriet, a chronometry specialist in what is still considered a golden age for the quest for chronometric precision.. A timepiece they produced in 1764 can be seen today at the International Watch Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
The generations that followed saw Frédéric and Henri-Louis Favre inherit their father’s business towards the end of the 18th century. In 1814, Frédéric’s son Henry-Auguste Favre partnered with watch merchant Auguste Leuba to create the Favre Leuba watch factory, which relocated to Geneva at the end of the 19th century.
From 1850, Fritz Favre (1827-1877) began exploring international markets, establishing retail outposts in St. Petersburg, New York, Havana and Rio de Janeiro, and participating in several world fairs. He pioneered Swiss watchmaking in India, which became a key market for the brand. His 1855 marriage to Adèle Fanny Leuba cemented the alliance between the two families.
Henri Favre-Leuba strengthened the brand’s presence in Asia, particularly India, leading the company until his death in 1961. Three years later, Henry A. Favre (1908-1972) opened a new Geneva factory, an event documented by Europa Star. In 1963, he discussed his Indian export strategy with our publication (see below). He ran the company with the help of his children until 1972.
This was a period of intense development for the brand, which designed some of its most iconic models between the late 1950s and 1970s. Earlier Favre Leuba creations in the Europa Star archives followed a classic vein, focusing on precision and elegance (including some extraordinary women’s watch designs), and emphasising their suitability to tropical climates, given the brand’s Indian export strategy.
In 1955, signalling growing reach and ambition, the brand introduced its in-house FL101 calibre for the Sea Chief, Sea King and Sea Raider models. But it was in the 1960s that Favre Leuba truly made its mark, launching several ultra-technical timepieces for sea and mountain exploration in quick succession.
The Water Deep, Favre Leuba’s first diver’s watch, debuted in 1960. Four years later came the Deep Blue, water-resistant to 200 metres, as shown in this 1964 Europa Star archive. In 1968, the brand introduced its most innovative diver’s watch, the Bathy – the world’s first mechanical wristwatch to display both dive time and current depth.
A technological pinnacle was reached in 1962 with the Bivouac, the world’s first mechanical wristwatch equipped with an aneroid barometer for altimetry and atmospheric pressure measurement. Walter Bonatti wore a Bivouac in 1964 when he and Michel Vaucher made the first ascent of the north face of Pointe Whymper (4,196 m) in the French Alps, and conquered the Matterhorn’s north face by the most direct route – a feat recounted in detail by Europa Star.
Swiss mountaineer Michel Darbelley also wore a Favre Leuba watch during his first solo ascent of the Eiger, as did French polar explorer Paul-Emile Victor on his many expeditions. In 2020, Pierre Maillard produced an extensive retrospective on this model.
The 1960s were a golden decade for Favre Leuba. Beyond its adventure-oriented R&D, the brand also introduced ultra-thin mechanical calibres for elegant models, showcasing impressive creative range. At the 1968 Basel Fair, Favre Leuba exhibited alongside Longines and Piaget.
However, like most Swiss watchmakers, Favre Leuba struggled in the following decade with the rise of electronic watches. The brand tried to embrace this new technology while maintaining its mechanical lines, but production figures show the decline in volumes that would eventually force the original family to relinquish the business. While a 1964 article on the new Geneva workshop mentions an annual capacity of around 300,000 pieces, a 1994 piece notes only 20,000 pieces thirty years later. The brand was then backed by the Benedom group, which also produced Christian Dior watches.
In the 1970s, Favre Leuba introduced quartz models with a radically different aesthetic, as seen in the 1977 document below, featuring a watch with an LCD screen (bottom left of the first page).
However, the brand didn’t completely abandon its mechanical offering, as evidenced by these two classic automatic models from the same year.
The 1970s also saw experimentation with exuberant shapes. Favre Leuba was no exception.
It’s interesting to note that even through this experimental phase, Favre Leuba relied on its longstanding tradition of elegance, rather than on technical mechanical watches, as quartz seemed poised to dominate in terms of performance.
Amid these uncertainties and market shifts, the brand changed hands several times: Saphir, Benedom, Jacques-Bénédict Time Force Group, even LVMH, then Valfamily and, more recently, Tata.
The Generation line, mentioned earlier, foreshadowed the renaissance of fine mechanical watchmaking, affirming Favre Leuba’s place in watchmaking tradition – a tradition that has flourished over the last two decades.
The new owner can draw on this rich heritage to relaunch the brand. Favre Leuba is too often reduced to its Bivouac model and strong Indian presence, yet it has left its mark on Swiss watchmaking through elegance, innovation in the ultra-thin segment, and an early commitment to globalisation beyond the Indian subcontinent.
The portfolio available to Patrik Hoffmann, the new Managing Director, and his team is diverse and extensive. We look forward to seeing the first fruits of their efforts this year: there’s not much time left to wait, as the first new products will be unveiled at the Geneva Watch Days, to be held from August 29 to September 2!
