Favre Leuba expands its revived Deep Raider collection with a colourful new Day Date that blends dive-watch heritage with modern everyday practicality.
Favre Leuba may not be a common household name in the world of watchmaking, but it is a brand with a history that traces all the way back to 1737, when Abraham Favre was first officially recorded as an independent watchmaker in Le Locle, Switzerland.
In the early days of watchmaking in the 1800s, Favre Leuba pocket watches won awards at several major exhibitions, including those held in London, New York, Paris, Bern and Porto. As the decades passed, the brand continued to grow in demand and became the first Swiss watchmaker to enter India, which later became an important market for them. Between the 1950s and 60s, Favre Leuba introduced several important timepieces, such as the Water Deep, the Bivouac and the Deep Blue, showcasing the brand’s expertise in combining practical functionality with real-world adventure.
Then in the 1980s, disaster struck, with the Quartz Crisis taking its toll on many watchmakers. This turbulent period placed enormous pressure on the mechanical watch industry, ultimately leading to many brands closing their doors. In the case of Favre Leuba, the family-owned brand eventually made the difficult decision to sell. It sadly closed a major chapter in the brand’s history, one that had stretched across generations.
While the brand has had several “revivals” over the years, many were short-lived and never fully managed to capture Favre Leuba’s identity. That changed in 2024, when the brand made a more focused return, leaning further into its centuries-old heritage and the qualities that made the name significant in the first place.
Favre Leuba returned with collections that directly referenced the past, while updating them for modern wearing standards, materials and wearability. One of the latest collections to join the brand’s revival was the Deep Raider, a reinterpretation of the 1964 Deep Blue. Sitting alongside Favre Leuba’s Harpoon Revival, 1737 Triple Calendar and Chief collections, the Deep Raider Revival is a modern dive watch that continues the brand’s long-running connection to exploration and functional tool-watch design. Now, Favre Leuba is extending the Deep Raider collection with four new models, complete with a day-date complication to suit.
Classic Diver DNA, Modern Execution
The Deep Raider Day Date carries the same familiar case profile as the Deep Raider Renaissance models that came before it, giving the watch a clear connection to Favre Leuba’s modern dive-watch line. Crafted from 316L stainless steel, the watch measures 40mm in diameter and 12.5mm thick, with a lug-to-lug distance of 48.2mm. In line with modern trends, the case feels compact enough for daily wear while still having the robust presence expected from a capable diver.
The case comes with a mix of brushed and polished finishes, adding a nice level of refinement. The unidirectional rotating knurled bezel, fitted with a black ceramic insert, gives the watch a durable and classic dive-watch aesthetic. The three-link bracelet also features brushed outer links and polished central links, continuing the refined character of the case, while the tool-free interchangeability allows owners to switch between the bracelet and rubber straps from other Deep Raider Renaissance editions.
A Sandwich Dial With A Contemporary Edge
The biggest change with this new Deep Raider Day Date, compared to previous Deep Raider editions, can be seen on the dial. Here, Favre Leuba has moved away from the more straightforward designs of the previous models to give this version a more distinctive personality.
The new Deep Raider Day Date collection comes in four dial colours: salmon, green, blue and burgundy. As Favre Leuba states, “Presented in an ombré format, the dial on the Day Date features vivid color on the upper end, as the gradient goes darker towards the lower half. This effect creates a visual impact, especially with the dial’s metallic sheen, but is also a subtle reminder of the passage of time, reminiscent of twilight.”
Positioned at 3 o’clock is the new day-date complication for this modern revival. However, this is not just another traditional day-date display. Favre Leuba has given the watch a bilingual day indication, allowing it to display either German or English, both of which can be adjusted directly through the crown. What is impressive about this complication is that once the preferred language is selected, it remains in that language as the days roll over. It does not simply alternate between German and English as the day progresses, creating a seamless ownership experience grounded in mechanical precision and everyday usability.
Practical Mechanics For An Everyday Diver
Powering the Deep Raider Day Date is the self-winding FLD05 calibre, which is based on the reliable Sellita SW-220-1 automatic movement. It is a practical choice for a timepiece such as this, giving the Favre Leuba Deep Raider Day Date a proven mechanical base while adding the extra everyday functionality of both a day and date display.
Favre Leuba has also made the calendar adjustments quite straightforward, with the crown allowing the date to be changed by rotating it clockwise, while the day display is adjusted counterclockwise. Operating at 4Hz / 28,800vph, the movement delivers a power reserve of approximately 38 hours. This is perfectly serviceable for daily wear, especially if the watch is worn regularly, but it is perhaps the one area where the Deep Raider Day Date feels a little more traditional than modern.
Initial Thoughts
Favre Leuba is continuing strongly with its current brand revival, and this latest Deep Raider Day Date is a perfect evolution of the modern Deep Raider collection. The timepiece does not simply rely on the past for nostalgic design, but instead paves the way forward with modern design cues and aesthetics.
The 40mm stainless steel case, ceramic bezel insert, 300 metres of water resistance and interchangeable bracelet system all make it feel like a proper modern tool watch, while the day-date complication adds a layer of practicality that suits the collection well. I also love the integration of the bilingual day display in either German or English, and how well it has been executed to remain in the chosen language.
What stands out most, though, is how much personality Favre Leuba has injected into this version. The four gradient dial colours give the Deep Raider Day Date a more contemporary and expressive character compared to the standard Deep Raider editions, without taking away from its legibility or dive-watch purpose. This is certainly a confident addition to the Deep Raider family and a strong indication that the brand’s revival is moving in the right direction.
Reference & Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Reference | 00.20311.110.10.200 (Burgundy Dial) 00.20311.110.03.200 (Green) 00.20311.110.02.200 (Blue) 00.20311.110.09.200 (Salmon) |
| Dimensions | 40mm x 12.5mm thick, lug-to-lug: 48.2mm |
| Case | 316L Stainless steel with polished and brushed surfaces. Unidirectional rotating bezel with black ceramic insert. |
| Dial | Ombre dial in four colours: salmon, blue, green & burgunday. Day & date complcation with day displayed in German or English. |
| Crystal | Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating |
| Caseback | Closed, Engraved |
| Movement | FLD05 automatic movement |
| Power Reserve | 38h |
| Beat Rate | 4Hz / 28,800VpH |
| Water Resistance | 300m / 30bar |
| Strap/Bracelet | Three-link stainless steel bracelet with polished and brushed surfaces. Easily interchangeable with any rubber strap of the Deep Raider Renaissance series. |