The Favre Leuba Harpoon Revival

Following a global relaunch in 2024 under the leadership of CEO Patrik P. Hoffmann, Favre Leuba’s modern revival focuses on precision-driven timepieces that honour the brand’s extensive archives while meeting contemporary mechanical expectations. Marking the brand’s debut at Watches & Wonders this year, Favre Leuba releases the Harpoon Revival, a faithful 60^th-anniversary tribute to the 1966 original, contrasting with the over-engineered contemporary Raider Harpoon dive watch released a few years ago.

The brand’s current catalogue is built on three distinct pillars: Chief, Sea Sky, Deep Raider, and the newly reintroduced Harpoon Revival. Unlike the extreme specs of the 46mm, dual crown, 500m water-resistant Harpoons produced during CEO Thomas Morf’s reign, the new Harpoon Revival reflects Hoffmann’s new direction for the brand since he took the reins.

Designed as a robust, waterproof, automatic daily beater with time-and-date functions, the 1966 Harpoon featured a minimalist dial with horizontal bar markers at 12, 6 and 9 o’clock, luminous plots on the peripheral minutes track and on the hour and minute hands and a framed date window at 3 o’clock. Emphasising shock and magnetic resistance as well as legibility, the Harpoon was designed for everyday wear and tear with a focus on the essentials.

The grey dial, consistent with the 1966 Harpoon, is decorated with a contemporary sunray-brushed finish and features the signature horizontal hour markers. The rhodium-plated rectangular indices with tapered ends are polished to catch the light, matching the framed date window at 4 o’clock and the hour and minute hands with their green emission Super-LumiNova inserts. Unlike the original 1966 model, there are no luminescent plots on the minutes flange, which now features simple baton markers. The name of the watch is inscribed at 6 o’clock, in keeping with the stylised typography of the 1966 model.

Maintaining the compact dimensions of the original 1966 edition, the Harpoon Revival has a 37mm diameter, a slim height of 10mm, and a closed steel caseback that reproduces the hourglass emblem in a medallion with period-correct typography. Crafted in steel like its ancestor, the 50m water-resistant case is polished but does not feature the 3-link steel bracelet of the original; instead, it is paired with a more formal black leather strap and steel pin buckle. The strap is fitted with a tool-free interchangeable system for greater versatility.

While the exterior captures the style of the original, the watch is powered by a contemporary La Joux-Perret G100 automatic movement with a robust 68-hour power reserve for hours, minutes, seconds and date. The Harpoon Revival retails for CHF 1,800. More information at favreleuba.com.