The historic watchmaking brand Favre Leuba continues on a path back to its former glory, expanding its staple Deep Raider collection with a new Power Reserve line.
The watch industry, as you may know, is massive, drawing audiences from all over the globe and attracting plenty of media attention. We all know the major arenas: America, Europe, China and Japan, as well as rising ones like us Aussies in Oceania. However, one region is discussed far less despite exerting significant influence in the watch world and, well, the world in general.
I am, of course, talking about India. As the most populous country on the planet, the Indian watch market is somewhat anomalous among the other major watch countries. Brands like Titan and HMT are revered as local heroes, while Swiss names like Rado have developed a significant following.
This is especially apparent with Le Locle brand Favre Leuba, which is nearing its 300th anniversary. While it has a rich history behind it, even having once been a sister brand to Jaeger-LeCoultre, it found itself particularly comfortable in the Indian watch market, where it has held a dominant position ever since.
Recently, Favre Leuba underwent a change in leadership and positioning, reigniting ambitions for the global recognition it once enjoyed. Since 2024, Favre Leuba’s relaunch has been met with widespread acclaim as it reaffirms its reputation one collection at a time. This month is no different, with the brand expanding its emblematic Deep Raider line through five new renditions.
Destined For The Deep
Sized at a 40mm case diameter and 12.59mm thick, the new Favre Leuba Deep Raider Power Reserve series offers contemporary takes on classic inspirations. Encased in stainless steel, the architectural case profile sits somewhere between the blockier dive watches of today and the vintage skin divers of decades past.
With all the diver-based subtext surrounding the watch, nothing less than 300 metres of water resistance would do. Paired with a unidirectional bezel featuring a ceramic insert and bezel pip, there is no doubt these new watches are every bit the diver Favre Leuba intended them to be.
The tapered lugs flow quickly into an integrated-style bracelet crafted in a shape unique to this watch. It remains a three-link design, though the links are noticeably smaller than what you would typically see on an H-link bracelet. That should provide greater articulation across the wrist as well as improved comfort. Furthermore, they are interchangeable. With quick-release spring bars, the Deep Raider Power Reserve is compatible with all straps offered across the wider Deep Raider collection.
Variety Is…
From a design standpoint, previous Deep Raider models were largely informed by the brand’s 1960s-era Deep Blue line. The Power Reserve version takes a more contemporary stance. The echoes of what came before are still there: the elongated twelve o’clock bezel marker and plongeur hands directly reference the dial layouts of heritage models.
But the asymmetrical display on these new watches is entirely its own. Three o’clock is occupied by an arched date window, allowing the wearer to view the previous and upcoming dates. A small seconds subdial sits at nine o’clock, maintaining the line’s practical nature. Finally, the power reserve indicator at six o’clock adds a small pop of red contrast to the coloured dials.
Speaking of the dials, Favre Leuba has offered the Deep Raider Power Reserve in five distinct iterations. Sunray brushed, they arrive in classic blue and black, a more audacious green, a panda-esque white with black subdials, and a cool ice blue. Personally, the white dial looks the strongest, but the ice blue brings something genuinely different to the table. Paired with a dark blue ceramic bezel, its high-contrast layout makes it especially easy to read at a glance.
A Reliable Reputation
Powering the Deep Raider Power Reserve is the automatic Calibre FLP01. Based on the Sellita Cal. SW279-1, there is little question that the watch is built on a reliable architecture. It runs at 4Hz (28,800VpH) with a 41-hour power reserve. Its complications are fairly self-explanatory, segmented neatly into their own areas of the dial. Like most Sellita-based movements, it feels effectively idiot-proof, allowing for intuitive reading and easy servicing.
As with most dive watches, you will not see the movement in action. The Cal. FLP01 remains hidden behind a closed caseback, featuring an engraved medallion incorporating Favre Leuba’s logo, a wave motif and the inscription “Conquering Frontiers Since 1737”, referencing the brand’s tool-oriented reputation.
Initial Thoughts
Few people realise Favre Leuba is one of the oldest watch brands in the world, even older than Vacheron Constantin, which holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating watchmaker. Yet while Favre-Leuba has an equally deep and storied heritage, its reputation has always been less glamorous, so to speak. A perennial tool watch company, its history has been written more in the ground than in the stars. It builds watches, ultimately, to work, a value that perhaps resonated strongly with its Indian audience.
And while being a dominant force in that market provides a strong foundation, the brand now seeks to tell its story worldwide. That ambition has driven the relaunch, along with the refinement of Favre-Leuba’s most iconic collections. Releases like the Deep Raider Power Reserve continue to strengthen that foundation. With this watch, the brand keeps reintegrating centuries of knowledge and experience back into the global conversation, steadily reclaiming the standing it once held.
References & Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Reference | 00.20310.109.01.200 (Black) / 00.20310.109.13.200 (White) / 00.20310.109.02.200 (Blue) 00.20310.109.03.200 (Green) / 00.20310.109.04.200 (Ice Blue) |
| Dimensions | 40mm case diameter x 12.59mm thickness |
| Case | Stainless steel |
| Dial | Sunray brushed black/white/blue/green/ice blue with red accents |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Caseback | Closed, engraved |
| Movement | Automatic Cal. FLP01 with power reserve indicator, small seconds, & date complications |
| Power Reserve | 41h |
| Beat Rate | 4Hz / 28,800VpH |
| Water Resistance | 300m / 30bar |
| Strap/Bracelet | Interchangeable steel bracelet with butterfly clasp |