Favre-Leuba has made a tourbillon watch for the first time in its 288-year history.
The Favre Leuba Chief Tourbillon was developed in collaboration with master watchmaker Jean-François Mojon, founder & owner of movement-maker Chronode, who has previously worked with MB&F, Cyrus, Czapek, Hermès, Harry Winston and Trilobe.
Leaping into the haute horlogerie world of tourbillons is a significant advancement for Fabre-Leuba, which was brought back to life last year under the stewardship of Patrik Hoffmann, a former CEO of Ulysse-Nardin.
The brand was reborn with an offer of maximum bang for your buck Swiss-made watches within three core collections: Chief, Sea Sky, Deep Blue.
Prices across 22 models in the 2024 catalogue ranged from CHF 2,200 to CHF 4,400.
The Chief Tourbillon brings a new complication and a new price point to the range.
The 25-piece limited edition, costing CHF 24,800, also has a new three-dimensional dial where light is reflected by tiny sunburst triangles rising above matte triangles below.
“The result is a dial that reacts dynamically to light, with precisely executed triangular motifs, depth-dependent finishes, and a radiance unique to each surface. This meticulous craftsmanship ensures that no two triangles catch the light in exactly the same way,” the company suggests.
The watch is powered by a new FL T01 movement, based on the hand-wound Chronode C502,which Mr Mojon reworked from the ground up, including a rotating tourbillon cage that doubles as a small seconds display, and decoration using elements of Favre-Leuba’s hour glass logo.
“The Chief collection is the cornerstone of Favre Leuba’s renaissance,” says Mr Hoffmann.
“Where the first Chief captivated with its cambered cushion case that gently softens at the four corners, the Chief Tourbillon opens a new chapter with the most intricate complication in our history. It demonstrates both our technical and aesthetic ambition, our exacting standards, and what we’re capable of delivering at an unmatched price point for this level of technical sophistication and finishing,” he adds.
Favre-Leuba has used the 41mm x 11.45mm cushion-shaped case in steel with an open case back for the Chief Tourbillon.
It is sold on an integrated brushed and polished steel bracelet and supplied with an additional black rubber strap.