Icons on the Wrist: The Favre-Leuba Deep Raider Revival Is a 1964 Dive Watch Done Right

Favre-Leuba was established in Le Locle, Switzerland, in 1737 — making it the second oldest watch brand in the world, behind only Blancpain, which was founded two years prior. The company took its current name in 1815, when Henry-Auguste Favre partnered with Auguste Leuba.

By the 1960s, the brand had built a reputation for instrument watches — the Bivouac (1962), the world's first mechanical wristwatch with an altimeter and barometer, and the Deep Blue (1964), a dive watch rated to 200 metres, among the deepest ratings for a production wristwatch at the time. The Deep Blue was first shown at the 1964 Swiss Watch Fair and became one of the brand's most recognised references.

The Deep Raider Revival, launched at Geneva Watch Days in August 2024 to mark the watch's 60th anniversary, is a direct re-edition of that reference — retaining its original 39mm dimensions and most of its defining design details, with targeted material upgrades.

Favre-Leuba Deep Raider Revival Case and Dial

The Deep Raider Revival sits in a 39mm fully polished stainless steel case, 12.75mm thick, with a 19mm lug width and a 48mm lug-to-lug distance — matching the original 1964 Deep Blue's proportions exactly. The case carries a polished finish, a direct reference to the original, with brushed bevelled lug edges. Water resistance has been upgraded to 300 metres from the original 200. The original acrylic crystal is replaced with a sapphire box crystal. The solid engraved caseback — not exhibition, replicating the 1964 reference — carries the inscription Conquering Frontiers Since 1737 alongside the brand's hourglass emblem.

The dial is grey with a fine sunray brushed finish. The brand name and hourglass logo sit at 9 and 10 o'clock respectively — an off-centre placement drawn directly from the original Deep Blue reference 59603. Extra-long quarter-hour indexes extend toward the chapter ring, another period-correct detail.

The date window sits between 4 and 5 o'clock. Hands, indexes, and the 12 o'clock bezel marker are coated with aged eggshell-toned Super-LumiNova to replicate the patina of vintage radium lume; the afterglow is green. The unidirectional rotating bezel has a two-part construction: a steel outer ring with a coin-edge pattern and a sapphire insert with a printed 60-minute countdown scale — the original used bakelite.

The five-link stainless steel bracelet is replicated from the 1964 Deep Blue, with triangular inner links, a satin-brushed finish, and a butterfly clasp.