Retro Revival, 6 Watches That Bring Back Designs Of The Past

When going over all the news launched during a year, or maybe even two years, it’s obvious that historically inspired designs are still going strong. It’s been a trend for years to bring back designs, concepts or even entire brands from the past, and it will likely continue into the foreseeable future. Some launches stand out for various reasons, because they are either very relevant, very accurately done, or take a bit of unexpected but compelling creative leeway. With that said, let’s take a look at some of the coolest revival projects, for lack of a better an all-encompassing word! And spoiler alert: one is not to be worn on the wrist…

Favre Leuba sea sky revival

Perhaps the most obvious choice when talking about revival watches and the resurrected Favre Leuba brand would be the cool Deep Raider dive watch, modelled after the Deep Blue from the 1970s. Instead, I’ve opted for the Sea Sky Revival, which gives us a ton of faithful pilot’s chronograph charm. At 40mm across, it’s a very wearable watch, with a rock-solid feel. Key elements are a tricompax dial in black or brown, contrasting subdials, a telemetre scale, a unidirectional rotating bezel with a ceramic insert, and an automatic La Joux-Perret L112. It’s worn on a supple leather strap with a pin buckle, and retails for CHF 3,950.

For more information, please visit FavreLeuba.com.

Quick Facts – 40mm x 15.23mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – unidirectional rotating bezel with ceramic insert – sapphire crystal front & back – 100m water-resistant – black or brown dial – contrasting subdials – hands & markers with vintage coloured SLN – applied logo at noon – La Joux-Perret L112, automatic – column-wheel chronograph – 28,800vph – 60h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph – leather strap with pin buckle – CHF 3,950

Volan Type One

Despite not having a history to look back on as a brand, Volan Watches recently revived a much-loved concept from the 1950s and 1960s: the key-ring watch! Founded by Dutch watch enthusiast Diederik van Golen, the Volan Type 1 key ring watch brings back a cool gadget-like timing device in rather faithful style. Available as a treaded black rubber tyre watch, or a teak-clad yachting version, it measures 58mm in diameter, has an automatic movement from Sellita, and a leather strap and metal ring to put it on the key of your beloved car or boat. Priced at EUR 785 excl. VAT it’s a great and fun watch that won’t bankrupt you!

For more information, please visit Volan-Watches.com.

Quick Facts – 58mm x 13mm – stainless steel central case, wooden or rubber exterior casing – crown at 6′ – sapphire crystal front & back – 50m water-resistant – black or white dial – printed numerals & tracks – faceted hands with red minute hand – Sellita SW200, automatic – 28,800vph – 38h power reserve – black or brown leather strap with key ring – 100 numbered pieces per model, 300 pieces in first batch – deliveries set for December 2025 – EUR 785 (excl. VAT)

Eska Heritage Chronograph

Eska is one of those historic names with a rather strong group of fans, so it was great to see it make a return just a couple of years ago. Rekindling vintage dive watch designs at first, it has since also introduced the rather handsome Heritage Chronograph. Available with a black dial or a cream-coloured one, it’s a compelling little charmer. At 38mm across, it respects vintage dimensions and comes with a reliable La Joux-Perret L113 manually wound column-wheel chronograph. It can be worn on a leather strap or a steel Beads-of-Rice bracelet, and retails for EUR 2,075, which makes it a solid deal.

For more information, please visit Eska-Watches.fr.

Quick Facts – 38mm x 13.95mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – knurled crown, pump-style pushers – 50m water-resistant – black or cream dial – printed vintage font numerals – Old Radium Super-LumiNova – La Joux-Perret L113, manually wound – column-wheel chronograph – 28,800vph – 60h power reserve – leather strap or beads-of-rice bracelet with quick-release pushpins – EUR 2,075 excl. VAT

Seiko 5 Sports SRPL091 & SRPL093

With over a century of watchmaking under its belt, Seiko has an extremely rich archive to take inspiration from. The Seiko 5 Sports SRPL91 and SRPL93 that the Japanese powerhouse introduced not too long ago brought back a classic from the 1960s, famously worn by NASA Chief Flight Director Eugene “Gene” Francis Kranz. The faithfully recreated watch comes with a bidirectional rotatable case atop a steel helmet-shaped case and a time-and-day-date display on a black or silver dial. Power comes from the 4R36 automatic, delivering 41h of power reserve. Limited to 9,999 pieces per colourway, it retails for a very sensible EUR 460.

For more information, please visit SeikoWatches.com.

Quick Facts – 38.2mm x 12.3mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – bidirectional bezel with 60-minute scale – Hardlex crystal, solid caseback – 100m water-resistant – silver (SRPL91) or black (SRPL93) dial – applied markers & hands with LumiBrite – day-date window – Calibre 4R36, in-house automatic – 21,600vph – 41h power reserve – multi-link steel bracelet with folding clasp – limited to 9,999 pieces each – EUR 460

Benrus DTu-2A/P Field Watch

Another historic name making waves in the field of tool watches is Benrus. Founded in New York in 1921, it was relaunched in 2017 and has since been faithfully and sometimes creatively bringing back historic pieces. One such watch is the DTU-2A/P, a once military-issued field watch with a very purposeful design. The compact 34mm case, identical to the original from the early 1960s, comes on a leather Bund-style strap, with a removable patch so you can wear it on your skin. It also comes with a green NATO-style strap, and beating away inside is an ETA 2761 automatic. It is priced at CHF 892 excluding VAT.

For more information, please visit Benrus.com.

Quick Facts – 34mm x 10.95mm – sandblasted stainless steel case – domed sapphire crystal – solid caseback – 100m water-resistant – grained black dial – printed 12 & 24 scales in white – minute/hour track, printed – central hours, minutes & seconds hands with SLN – ETA 2761, automatic – 38h power reserve – brown leather Bund strap with removable patch – additional green NATO-style textile strap – CHF 892 excl. VAT

Mido OCean star worldtimer

Reviving a 1970s design, the new Ocean Star Worldtimer blends dive-watch toughness with easy travel functionality. Instead of a full world time complication, a rotating city bezel keeps track of an extra time zone in a simple, practical way. The 40.5mm steel case offers 200m water resistance, a box sapphire crystal, a screw-down crown, and a starfish caseback. The silver dial stands out with bold black-and-red chequered accents, vintage Mido branding, and a day-date display at 3 o’clock. Inside ticks the Mido Calibre 80, featuring an 80-hour power reserve and a Nivachron spring for anti-magnetic properties. A black Bund-style strap with removable plaque adds retro explorer flair. At CHF 850 / EUR 990, it’s a fun, robust, and affordable way to wear a slice of 1970s Mido heritage.

For more information, please visit MidoWatches.com.

Quick Facts – 40.5mm x ~47mm – stainless steel case – box sapphire crystal – screw-down crown and caseback – 200m water resistance – unidirectional rotating bezel with engraved cities (black aluminium insert) – silver velour dial with black/red chequered accents – Super-LumiNova hands and markers – day-date at 3 o’clock – automatic Mido Calibre 80 (ETA C07.621 base, Nivachron spring, 21,600 vph, 80h power reserve) – black Bund-style strap with removable under-layer – CHF 850 excl. tax / EUR 990 incl. tax