The Favre-Leuba comes from one of the oldest watch brands in the world and displays the time unconventionally.

Abraham Favre founded the company back in 1737. At just 16 years old, Abraham Favre (1702-1790) began his watchmaking apprenticeship with Deniel Gagnebin in 1718.

In 1937, Abraham Favre established independent watchmaking at Le Locle, Switzerland. From that time, Favre-Leuba began as an independent watchmaking brand. Abraham Favre focused on enhancing the technology of his watches, their performance at various temperatures, and the materials used in watchmaking to create more reliable and accurate movements.

In the early 1800s, Favre-Leuba began expanding worldwide for business. Creating the brand name Favre-Leuba in 1815. From Germany to Russia, through Cuba to New York, from Brazil to Chile – to establish the finely-made pocket watches of their workshop in remote markets.

In 1865, Fritz Favre traveled to India and released his own products there, making the country a very important market for the brand. And note that, this was the first Swiss company from the watch industry to have established itself in that[art of the world. For the next more than a hundred years, Favre-Leuba was one the most famous and reliable watch brands in the Indian subcontinent.

In 1896, the brand relocated its headquarters from Le Locle to Geneva. This move marked the beginning of its continued global success and growth throughout the early 20th century.

In the early 1900s, wristwatches began to replace pocket watches, which had been the standard up until this point in time.

Favre-Leuba also began to create watches which included the first monopusher chronograph in 1925 and the Datora in 1946 which featured a hound-wound movement and a calendar.

In 1962, the hand winding wristwatch, Bivouac, which was the first ever mechanical  watch with altimeter and aneroid barometer was launched. Also in 1964 they began to make drive watches, “Deep Blue” series.

The challenges, brought on by the quartz crisis after the first quartz movement, was introduced in 1969 greatly increased the pressures on the 200-year-old brand. The introduction of affordable quartz movements in 1969 threw the Swiss watch industry into crisis. In 1985, Japanese brands basically plunged the Swiss watch industry, thanks to their quartz movements.

Due to this, the Favre family had to sell the company in the 1980s. After several ownership changes, Favre-Leuba was acquired by the Tata Group in 2011, who then moved the company’s headquarters to Zug, Switzerland.

One of their series, “Sea King”, is affordable and well-known among people in the Indian sub-continent. For its affordable price range, this series is successful in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. “Sea king” and other dress watch series of Favre-Leuba is available in online market places for vintage watch collectors. People love to collect those vintage watches for Favre leuba’s brand history.

This watch brand has overcome many hurdles throughout its 287 years and has achieved many milestones within the watch industry. But right now, its great history is not well-known to new generation watch lovers. In my opinion, if this brand reduces its price range to Luxury brands and starts making affordable watches like its early days, then it can be famous among the new generation as well. Then it can give tough competition to Tissot, Oris, Hamilton etc. mid range watch companies. Because Favre-Leuba currently makes watch at price range like Omega, Zenith, Tag Heuer but these brands hold their value over time. On the other hand, Favre-Leuba became a lost name through times during the time of quartz crisis.

I hope this brand shines not only in the Indian subcontinent like past days but also throughout the world.

Reference:
https://www.rescapement.com/blog/favre-leuba-a-brief-introduction
https://www.favreleuba.com/global/history.php
https://www.ethoswatches.com/the-watch-guide/favre-leuba-history-legacy/
https://www.firstclasswatches.co.uk/blog/2020/06/the-history-of-favre-leuba-watches/