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 new collection, representing the ‘diver’ facet of Favre Leuba's relaunch, presents two flagship models: the Deep Blue Revival and the Deep Blue Renaissance. The former is a faithful reissue of the original 1964 model, while the latter is a modernized, more contemporary version.
Deep Blue Revival: Celebrating our 60th Anniversary
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 distinctive green glow in the dark enhances the watch’s unique identity and retro appearance. The hourglass emblem at 10 o'clock adds an extra distinctive touch, while the uppercase ‘DEEP BLUE’ inscription underlines the watch’s purpose.
The case, 39mm in diameter and 12.75mm in thickness, thick case is designed and built for a water resistance of up to a depth of 300 meters, surpassing the 200 meters of the 60s model. All the professional dive watch boxes are ticked, including the unidirectional rotating bezel for calculating and monitoring no-stop dive times. This elegantly slim and robust case makes the Deep Blue Revival an ideal diver’s companion, offering exceptional wrist comfort both below and above sea level, in the wet or the dry. The solid case back, engraved with the ‘Favre Leuba 1737’ and hourglass emblem, is identical to its historical predecessor.
The Deep Blue Revival is powered by La Joux-Perret’s automatic G100 movement, ensuring a generous 68-hour power reserve, allowing you to leave your watch over the weekend and find it running accurately on Monday morning. This mechanism, entirely designed and produced by the prestigious Manufacture La Joux-Perret in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, offers hour, minute, central second, and date functions.
The model introduced in 1964 had an acrylic crystal; the new reincarnation boasts a sapphire crystal for increased durability. The bezel, made of bakelite back in the day, has been replaced with a sapphire insert printed on the back, faithfully reproducing the original’s look. The visual effect of depth is preserved, with the added bonus of superior scratch resistance. The luminous triangle at 12 o'clock and the white printed scale remain, as before, key identifying features. While these material improvements reflect contemporary standards and production techniques; they fully respect the vintage spirit.
Priced at 30 000 SEK the Deep Blue Revival embodies the spirit of innovation and excellence that has defined the brand since its inception, a watch that integrates modern technical features while honoring its heritage. The steel bracelet, too, stays true to the original design with its 5-link construction featuring triangular links. Featuring a deployant clasp, its subtle satin-brushed steel sheen captures the light, adding a note of sophistication and elegance.
The Deep Blue Renaissance is the cousin of the Deep Blue Revival, but with bolder features and an enhanced, modernized aesthetic signature. It has been redesigned with a fresh, contemporary approach, highlighting a harmonious blend of design and functionality, and careful attention to detail. It oozes sophistication.
The Deep Blue Renaissance’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. The enlarged screw-down crown, engraved with an hourglass emblem, completes this robust design and ensures maximum water protection against water ingress.
Besides the fundamentals such as hour, minute, and central second, the Deep Blue Renaissancefeatures a date function with a window at 4:40. Naturally, it ticks off the key essentials of a dive watch, a unidirectional rotating bezel. Adapted in ceramic for the slightly larger 40mm case, the combination of the sleek material with a new numeral design projects a modern, purpose-designed vibe.
The Deep Blue Renaissance is available with a rubber strap or the completely redesigned ‘3-link’ steel bracelet, both featuring a quick-change interchangeability system for versatility. Note the curved lugs that add a bold touch to the overall design, giving the watch a modern vintage charm.
Favre Leuba’s Deep Blue collection celebrates six decades of horological excellence, blending the brand’s historical designs with the latest in engineering. Each piece pays homage to the spirit of perpetual innovation that defines Favre Leuba. The Deep Blue Renaissance, priced at 30 000 SEK, embodies this legacy with an elegant, modern take.
Anchored in the brand’s nautical heritage while sailing towards the future
2024 proudly brings back the iconic Favre Leuba Deep Blue to celebrate the 60th anniversary of one of the maison’s earliest and most legendary dive watches. Originally released in 1964 during the Swiss Watch Fair, Deep Blue came imbued with the zeitgeist of the 1950s and 60s. It was a period during which Favre Leuba remained committed to pursuing the goal of producing robust, functional watches that were extremely useful for the wearer in any situation, wherever they were in the world. The brand’s advertising slogan at the time perfectly summed up this approach: The Swiss Watch for All Climates.
Retro Inspired
For a faithful recreation, Deep Blue Revival forgoes contemporary proportions and embraces the humble 39mm dimension of the original. This moderate size at once feels retro and sizeable on the wrist while exerting a surprising level of wearability. It is 12.75mm thick and features a classic round shape that delivers an appealing vintage aesthetic. It further nods to the past with a closed caseback decorated with the maison's monogram and the use of box crystal atop the dial.
In addition to these nostalgia-borne details, the Deep Blue Revival is well-balanced with considered evolutions. It adapts modern functionality by expanding water resistance to 300 metres in lieu of the original’s 200. Furthermore, the fine polished finish on the stainless steel case juxtaposed with the brushed, bevelled edges of the tapered lugs certainly gives the watch a contemporary character.
Instantly Recognisable
The dial brings back the design of the 1964 Deep Blue in all its purity. The interesting placement of the brand logo and the Deep Blue name at nine and three o’clock positions is a remarkable throwback to the original, as are the extra-long quarter hour indexes. Together, these details make the dial of the Deep Blue Revival truly recognisable.
An overall neat aesthetic is maintained with the subtle addition of the date aperture between four and five. Meanwhile, the brushed texture on the grey surface endows the dial with a sense of depth and visual distinction. As a rugged dive watch, Deep Blue Revival finds the strength of legibility with its ergonomic sandwich construction, where the base layer comes coated with luminous material and a second layer with cutouts sits above it. Deep Blue Revival utilises a radium-like lume for its markers and vintage-inspired hands for an honest retro look.
Underwater Ready
The Deep Blue Revival holds the principles of a classic dive watch close with its brilliantly crafted unidirectional bezel. It carries a unique three-part construction and time-honoured aesthetics drawn from the lineage of the 1964 Deep Blue. It features a steel ring with a coin edge pattern and a glass insert upon which is neatly diving countdown scale. A lume-filled marker sits at 12 o’clock for enhanced legibility and overall functionality, completing the dive watch trope with the signature vintage flavour.
A Vintage Five-Link Bracelet
The Deep Blue Revival features a vintage-inspired five-link bracelet built to exacting standards in stainless steel. Its meticulous construction is in the service of a better fit and high level of detailing. It carries elaborate finishing with alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces, evoking a timeless charm. It is attuned to prioritise comfort and comes with a well-crafted butterfly clasp, precisely replicated from the original Deep Blue.
Superior Driving Force
Designed and manufactured with high Swiss craftsmanship, FLD01 is a self-winding calibre. A testament to unrivalled accuracy and reliability, the movement is equipped with a date complication. It features a power reserve of 68 hours and delivers exceptional precision, beating at a 4Hz frequency.
Visibility Under All Conditions
The hands, indexes, and 12 o'clock marker on the diving bezel have a radium-like lume that offers a vintage look to the watch and a highly effective glow in the dark.
Technical information
Case
- Case: Size 39 mm
- Material: Steel
- Case shape: Round
- Case Thickness: 12.75 mm
- Lug Width: 19 mm
- Glass Material: Sapphire Crystal
- Bezel: Unidirectional Rotating Bezel
- Water Resistance: 300M
Dial
- Dial Colour: Grey
- Luminosity: On Hands, Hour Markers & Bezel
Movement
- Caliber: FLD01
- Movement: Automatic
- Features: Date
- Jewels: 24
- Power reserve: Approx. 68 hours
- Frequency: 28800 vph
Bracelet and straps
- Material: Steel
- Clasp Type: Folding clasp
- Strap: Black rubber
Reference
- 00.20307.100.06.200 Bracelet
FAVRE LEUBA HISTORY
A JOURNEY OF 287 YEARS SINCE 1737
Favre Leuba developed the legendary Bivouac, the world’s first mechanical wristwatch with an aneroid barometer for altimetry and air pressure measurement. It soon ranked among the indispensable equipment of those who overcame seemingly defined limits. The Bivouac completed one of its first missions on the wrists of the Swiss national parachuting team during the 1962 World Cup in the United States. The Italian mountaineer Walter Bonatti wore a Bivouac in 1964 when he and the Genevan Michel Vaucher successfully ascended the north face of Pointe Whymper (4,196 m) in the Grandes Jorasses for the first time and when he conquered the north face of the Matterhorn on the most direct route. The young Valais native Michel Darbelley undertook his first solo ascent of the Eiger in 1963 with his watch from the workshops of Favre Leuba, which reliably showed him what altitude he had already scaled and whether a change in weather was imminent. The famous French polar explorer Paul-Emile Victor relied on his Bivouac on numerous expeditions to the endless ice.
FL251 CALIBREThe patented FL251 calibre of 1962, with 11.5‴ and a height of only 2.95 mm, revolutionised thanks to the use of two barrels, series production of extra flat movements with centered second hand.
Three years after the presentation of the first diver’s watch from the in-house atelier, the brand launched the Deep Blue, waterproof up to 200 metres.
NEW HEADQUARTERS Favre Leuba reincorporated production of their own ébauches in the newly established company, headquartered in Petit-Lancy near Geneva. The company was consequently named at the end of the 19th century as Manufacture d’Horlogerie Favre-Leuba S.A.
280th anniversary of the Maison was celebrated at Baselworld with the launch of the Bivouac 9000, the ultimate instrument for all altitudes.
BRAND AMBASSADORSThe brand supports many athletes and expeditions that express our claim of Conquering Frontiers. Pen Hadow, who led a mission to the Arctic, Satyarup Siddhanta, who embarked on a journey to the Mt. Vinson Massif, and Sayuri Kinoshita, who undertook a world-record dive, are some of the ambassadors representing Favre Leuba and their tool watches.
Within less than a year of its launch, the Raider Bivouac 9000 wins the Watchstars award in the category New Stars for being the best new watch.
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATHY Favre Leuba celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1968 superstar Bathy with the Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth, which measures and records depth to 120 m.
BIVOUAC 9000 SUMMITS EVERESTA great year for Favre Leuba as its pioneering instrument watch, the Raider Bivouac 9000, reaches the summit of Mount Everest. The Bivouac 9000 is the only mechanical altimeter watch in the world to have successfully reached an altitude of 8,848m.
2024
FAVRE LEUBA REVIVAL
Favre Leuba relaunched at Geneva Watch Days 2024 with three cornerstone collections. These collections include the Chief, which features two modern icons: the Date and Chronograph. The brand also introduced the 60th-anniversary Deep Blue Revival and Renaissance models, honoring its diving heritage. In addition, the brand unveiled the Sea Sky, a tribute to their original 70s design.
