Favre Leuba keeps going strong in their latest chapter, unveiling a trio of new Deep Raider Day Date models in more luxurious two-tone cases.
Reviving a heritage watch brand can be a tricky thing. Sometimes, it’s simply been done in the interest of the brand’s purchaser, essentially a vanity project for which to project themselves upon. However, the same cannot be said for what’s going on behind the doors at Favre Leuba. The second-oldest watch brand on record, Favre Leuba has seen its fair share of triumphs and tribulations over its near three-century run. Forced into dormancy, revived, and forced back into dormancy again, it seemed like the brand just couldn’t get its footing long enough to show the watch world what it was capable of. At least, that was the case until 2024.
A slow but highly compelling new chapter is beginning at Favre Leuba once more, and the team behind it wants to make it stick. Chief among the collections (other than the Chief collection, no pun intended) is the brand’s signature dive watch, the Deep Raider. Reinterpreting its golden-era designs for the modern wrist, lines like the Deep Raider Power Reserve and Day Date have already begun turning heads in a big way. Now, they return to the latter, dressing the diver up significantly with three new models in a two-tone finish.
Go Deeper
Should you have read our previous article on the Favre Leuba Deep Raider Day Dates released in mid-2026, then the wearability of this watch should hardly surprise you. Measuring up at 40mm in case diameter, 48.2mm lug-to-lug, and 12.5mm thick, it is a dive watch whose look and feel shouldn’t be entirely alien for the genre.
While the stainless steel case remains, these new two-tone models have been updated aesthetically with yellow-gold PVD. A popular design cue for retro-cool watches like these, they give the otherwise business-oriented Deep Raider Day Date a more dramatic exterior. Combined with the polished chamfers on the Deep Raider Day Date’s predominantly brushed case, the dressier aesthetic makes the watch as appropriate for the office as it is for the yacht, especially with its 300m water resistance.
The practical elements still remain, though, with a fluted yellow-gold PVD bezel accompanied by a scratch-resistant ceramic bezel insert. Similar to the case, crown, and bezel, the bracelet has also been given its own dash of gold decoration. Interestingly, the gold PVD strip running down the centre links of the watch only covers the upper, more visible side of the bracelet, whereas the inner bracelet still remains steel.
Flowing seamlessly down to a butterfly deployant clasp, the shape of the links guarantees an easy wearing experience. Still, should you not wish to wear a full two-tone watch all the time, Favre Leuba has equipped the bracelet with interchangeability for other 20mm straps of your choice. And before you ask, yes, it is compatible with any of the integrated rubber straps found on the Deep Raider Renaissance line.
Golden Sandwich
The design of the Deep Raider Day Date Two-Tone roster, aside from the obvious, does little to reinvent the winning formula presented within the original Deep Raider Renaissance models. In a way, that puts them closer to the start of the collection than the previously released all-steel Day Dates, as they use their own set of unique dégradé dials.
Instead of those, Favre Leuba opted to go back to the classic fumé tones that the Deep Raider relaunched with. Available in blue, green, or black, the sunray-brushed dials fade out to a smoky black on the outer rim. This not only gives the dial more visual intrigue but also allows the printed minute track to pop against the darker backdrop.
“The obvious” I was referring to earlier were the hands and hourglass logo, which have now also been treated with yellow-gold PVD in accordance with the case. Generously lumed, they similarly pop against their respective dial backgrounds and bring further warmth to the trio.
But though we’ve addressed it before, I can’t help but keep falling in love with that dial construction. Instead of applied indexes, the Deep Raider Day Date series follows in the footsteps of the Renaissance with a fully lumed sandwich dial. Set atop a layer of lume, the dial’s indexes are instead cut out to show the lume inside.
A feature most commonly seen in Panerai watches, it provides an unprecedented level of luminescence, whilst perhaps making the watch a touch thicker. Finally, the day/date complication itself is positioned in the classic three o’clock zone, outlined in white and interchangeable between English- and German-abbreviated days.
Sound Specs
Turning the watch around is yet another familiar sight for dive watch fans: an enclosed caseback, engraved with the Favre Leuba logo and wave detailing. Of course, this is done mostly to preserve the water resistance of the watch, but it also hides the reliable mechanics beating within. Favre Leuba uses what they call the cal. FLD05, an automatic movement based on the Sellita SW-220-1.
Beating at the luxury standard of 4Hz (28,800VpH) atop a 38-hour power reserve, it operates the day and date complications in addition to the timekeeping. Even if you’re not as seasoned a watch veteran, you should all be familiar with the reputation Sellita has within the watch world.
Ever since ETA made its departure from open manufacturing following its acquisition by the Swatch Group, Sellita has become the reliable go-to for many brands, both mainstream and independent. Thus, while Favre Leuba aren’t doing anything groundbreaking with this specific movement, it’s still built to be a perfect daily driver regardless.
Initial Thoughts
Two-tone watches are some of my favourite aesthetics in the watch industry. Answering the request of “make it fancy, but not too fancy” seems almost too comical a pursuit, but two-tone watches always somehow manage to combine a sporty, practical silhouette with elegance more commonly associated with dress pieces. And while results can vary within the gorilla-in-a-tuxedo territory, Favre Leuba can count themselves among the brands that have pulled it off.
It’s still identifiably a Deep Raider Day Date (for those who know), but one that feels well within its rights to have a more luxurious spin-off. It’s clear that both the Deep Raider and Chief collections have become quintessential to this new chapter at Favre Leuba. And with these new releases in the former, it’s indicative of the entire company’s desire to finally re-establish its long-awaited foothold in watchmaking.
References & Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Reference | 00.20312.110.02.210 (Blue) 00.20312.110.03.210 (Green) 00.20312.110.01.210 (Black) |
| Dimensions | 40mm case diameter x 48.2mm lug-to-lug x 12.5mm thickness |
| Case | Two-tone stainless steel & yellow gold PVD |
| Dial | Sunray-brushed blue or green fumé / black sandwich with gold accents |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Caseback | Closed, engraved |
| Movement | Automatic Cal. FLD05 with day/date complication |
| Power Reserve | 38h |
| Beat Rate | 4Hz / 28,800VpH |
| Water Resistance | 300m / 30bar |
| Strap/Bracelet | Interchangeable steel & yellow gold PVD bracelet with butterfly clasp |