Favre Leuba is a name with heritage arcing all the way back to the 18th century. Though in the 21st century, like so many brands it struggled to gain traction and eventually disappeared. However, in 2024 the brand was revived by a new crack team including Patrik Hoffmann, the former CEO of Ulysse Nardin. Another key player in the project is watchmaker extraordinaire Jean-François Mojon whose Chronode atelier have produced the movement for the new Favre Leuba Chief Tourbillon.
The headline for this release is that it’s the first Favre Leuba watch in history to feature a tourbillon, bringing the brand to a new level of haute horology. It’s housed in the revamped Chief case, one of the revived brand’s new core models, measuring 41mm in stainless steel. It has a very distinctive case design with a cushion bezel but a curving case body in a tonneau style reminiscent of the Seiko turtle. Though perhaps I should say tortoise as the Chief is not a diver.
However, while the case is eye catching, it’s nowhere near as captivating as the dial. The Favre Leuba Chief Tourbillon has a black dial with a tessellating triangle pattern with a multi-layered structure that has certain triangles recessed into the dial. It’s the type of display you could study for hours, finding the intricate patterns within the overall motif, such as the fact that each pair of triangles represents an hourglass to match the brand’s logo.
Speaking of which, the tourbillon at 6 o’clock also has a custom hourglass cage. The movement is the FL T01 based on the Chronode C502. It’s decorated with Côtes de Genève and an anthracite finish that you can admire through the exhibition sapphire caseback. Plus, as it’s a manual winding calibre with 60-hour power reserve there’s no rotor to obscure the view.
In terms of price, the Favre Leuba Chief Tourbillon is outside of Favre Leuba’s typical range of CHF 2,200 and CHF 4,400 by quite a margin. Which is not unexpected due to the involvement of Jean-François Mojon and the addition of a haute horological movement. It’s CHF 24,800 (approx. £21,700) and a limited edition of 25 pieces.
Price and Specs:
More details at Favre Leuba.
I personally like cushion case watches, they are reminiscent of an earlier era, but this one has an even better wow factor. I don’t normally gravitate towards a steel bracelet, but again, wow, this one is beautiful and melds the watch together as free form gem.
The dial is lovely and goes so well with the case and bracelet. Not a lot more to say, other than, pity about the price and limited availability, otherwise my order would now be in.