Struggling to Understand - the Favre Leuba Zombie

Now before we go any further, I will admit a few failings that I have as a member of Watch Town's Fourth and Fifth Estates. When I first launched The Blog Formerly Known As Tempus Fugit, I had a desperate need to be liked by brand owners, to fawn and praise, often without any real belief in what they were churning out. 

I was there to cover Favre Leuba 2.0 when Thomas Morf puffed up the brand with what turned out to be some unrealistic expectations as to what Favre Leuba could (or in the end would) be.

So now the curtain has raised, not insignificant amounts of money have been channeled to PR firms and media outlets to promote "Favre Leuba III - The Revenge of the Value Proposition!" Oh, and apparently it is also now, among other things, a heritage brand... and in all honesty, gentle reader? I am now left in a quandery as to just what Favre Leuba is now.

Courtesy of Favre Leuba

In fairness, the new pieces look nice enough. They utilize movements from La Joux-Perret. While they make a very respectable movement, I don't know if that alone correlates to the somewhat ambitious prices that are being proposed.

So who has their hands on the tiller of the good ship Favre Leuba? One Patrik Hoffmann. I have read an interview published in Monochrome, and well... let's just leave it at that. 

In a secondary splashy video interview with Revolution, it would seem that the basis of Favre Leuba is a "value proposition"  (I thought that Hodinkee had copyrighted that phrase), which I heard so frequently I ran out of fingers to count on. I found this descriptor somewhat curious as (if the Monochrome interview is to be taken as gospel) a tourbillon is planned for next year... "A value proposition Tourbillon..."

The price points (if I am being brutally honest) are not what I would call value proposition based. I suspect the folks at The Solist and Joma Shop have already raised their collective antenna. 

So ultimately the market will inform us as to what it will bear. But the sad truth is that Watch Town is currently over populated. There are already a shit-ton of brands, and those with the history (Longines) will likely come out ahead. 

But let's see how this develops. 

The Daynight Guardian

From Deep Blue -

Courtesy of Deep Blue

Here are the pertinents, straight from the source -


46mm case, 13mm thick, 24mm Lugs,52mm L to L
Lightweight Poly Carbon Case
SEIKO NH 35 AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT
200 Meters - 660 Feet water resistant
T25 Tritium Capacity
UNIDIRECTIONAL ROTATING BEZEL w/WHITE NUMBERS
Tritium Markers on the Dial and hands (total 16 tubes)

10 Years of Deep Blue

Ten years is a long time, and Deep Blue today announced a new model to help celebrate.  The Deep Blue Master 2000 Diver

Courtesy of Deep Blue

It is limited to 1000 pieces and available in a variety of colors and finishes. 

Courtesy of Deep Blue

Courtesy of Deep Blue

Courtesy of Deep Blue

 

 

 

Courtesy of Deep Blue

Here are the pertinents -

Deep Blue "Master 2000 Diver" Limited edition

Master 2000 Specifications

MASTER 2000 AUTOMATIC DIVER-  ETA 2824-2 SWISS MADE MOVEMENT

LIMITED EDITION 1000PCS WORLDWIDE

45mm case, 16mm thick, 22mm Lugs , 316L Stainless Steel

Swiss  Automatic Movement ETA 2824-2 Movement 24 Jewels, 28,880 VPH

Anti-Magnetic to 70,000 a/m

Sapphire Crystal 4mm thick with Inside AR coated

2000 Meters - 6600 Feet Water resistant

Ceramic Luminous Bezel (scratch Resistant ) with BGW9 BLUE/Org  Superluminova, 120 Click  Uni –Directional

Superluminova -Luminous Hour Markers, and Hands

Helium Release Valve –Recessed

Screw down crown and Screw down  caseback

Push Button Deploy Clasp, Full links, Half Links, Screws in Bracelet, Divers Wetsuit Extension

Don't be Afraid of the Dark - Deep Blue

When you're diving into the "briny deep", or the "Deep Blue" you need good lume!

Courtesy of Deep Blue

Not to worry, with their DIVER PRO 1000M AUTOMATIC - SILVER Deep Blue has got you covered!

Courtesy of Deep Blue

Deep Star 1000 Automatic

From Deep Blue 

Courtesy of Deep Blue

Measuring 45 mm in diameter and 55 mm from lug to lug.  The Deep Star 1000 is warranted water resistant to a depth of 1000 meters or 3300 feet.

Courtesy of Deep Blue

Deep Blue lists the movement as Caliber 9015 Automatic. It has 24 jewels and provides hours, minutes, seconds and the date (between 4 o'clock and 5 o'clock).

Unidirectional ceramic bezel, and recessed HRV (helium release valve) directly opposite screw down crown at the 9 o'clock position of the case's side.

The bracelet is mesh and of stainless steel. The suggested retail is $999.00

SEA RAM AUTOMATIC

From Deep Blue -

Courtesy of Deep Blue

The Depthmeter Ana/Digi Depth Gauge Watch

From Deep Blue -

Courtesy of Deep Blue

 Deep Blue Depth Meter Analog and Digital Watch

Alpha Marine

From Deep Blue -

Courtesy of Deep Blue

Swiss Made Alpha Marine 500 Tritium

Alpha Marine 500 Tritium

From Deep Blue

Courtesy of Deep Blue

Available in a multitude of color options, and offering strong legibility due to its use of Tritium tubes.

Feeling Blue...

With Deep Blue's new Ocean Diver 500!

Courtesy of Deep Blue

This is the "day time"…

The Millemetri - Love Overdue

So this is, I guess, a bit of a "love letter".  As many of you know I used to work on the "other" side of the counter back in San Francisco, and in my brief tenure at Tourneau (the first version) in San Francisco, we did NOT have Panerai.  But we did have Anonimo, and I am proud to say that I sold a few of those to people coming in looking for a Panerai.  What was particularly satisfying in those encounters was when I would ask why a customer wanted a Panerai, and they would say something like "Made by hand in Italy..."
To which I would patiently point out that, in fact, they were NOT made in Italy any longer but Switzerland - but... if the customer was interested, we did have a great new collection that was (at least the cases were) made in Italy, and in fact made by some of the folks who made the Pre-Richemont Panerais.

Courtesy of Anonimo Firenze

And top dog was the Anonimo Millemetri.  And I have to say that the Millemetri is a watch that has stood the test of time.  Substantial, masculine and true to itself.  But I also think that this particular Anonimo never got the full credit it was due.  But thankfully, it is still here with us thanks to the team at Anonimo Firenze.  Some things never go out of style - and the Millemetri is one of those things.

Enjoy your watches!