# Favre-Leuba



## alvaropinto (Apr 30, 2008)

Does anyone knows anything about the Favre-Leuba watches?
The only thing I know is that they used to be connected with Zenith.
Are these watches any good?
Thanks!


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## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

A brief history here:

http://shop.joseph-watches.com/jose...ie=brand info&-max=500&-recid=12592939&-find=

Vintage Favre-Leuba watches are very collectable. If you put 'Favre-Leuba' in the drop down SEARCH box in this forum you will find a lot of discussion about them.

Note: A lot of Favre-Leuba watches were exported to India. Many are offered for sale on ebay in Europe with 'refinished' dials. The refinishing means overpainting with a non-original colour (blue, red, green, purple etc) and - in my opinion - the result is a very unsatisfactory watch which does not look as it should.


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## Kingmatic (Jan 30, 2008)

Hi AlvaroPinto:

Are you interested in _vintage_ Favre-Leuba or in the current brand?. In the former case very collectibles as Marrick says (e.g. Twinmatic, Duomatic, Bathy, Bivouac, etc.... On the contrary , IMHO the new ones , fancy but nothing special.

I haven´t heard about a Zenith - F-L relationship.

Keep away from the F-L "vintage" re-painted Indian watches!!!

Salud;-)s


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## alvaropinto (Apr 30, 2008)

Ok., here's the reason why I asked.
I just got this watch from a ebay auction.
It was pretty cheap so... it has this military look wich I love!!
I think that might be a interesting timepiece...What you think folks?


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## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

:-!I like it! The Sandow is comparatively rare- so a nice find if you got it cheap. It probably was military - maybe for the Indian army. Favre-Leuba and the West End companies had offices in India and exported much of their production there.


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## Kingmatic (Jan 30, 2008)

Very, very nice and hard to find !!:-!
I´ve never seen the inscription Favre-Leuba *and Co*.

Would be possible to have a pic from the movement?:thanks


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## Hartmut Richter (Feb 13, 2006)

Kingmatic said:


> I haven´t heard about a Zenith - F-L relationship.


Neither have I. Are you (alvaropinto) confusing Favre-Leuba with Georges Favre-Jacot (founder of Zenith)?

Hartmut Richter


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## bassbuilderman (Jun 3, 2008)

Can anyone help with the Favre_leuba watch I've got. I can't find any reference or picture. Its a gents dress watch, simple but elegant and bought by my grandfather in the late 1970's (I think). Its plain black face with gold trim, alligator wrist strap, automatic. Any ideas?


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## JohnF (Feb 11, 2006)

Hi -

First of all, welcome to the forum and WUS! I hope we can help you with your vintage watch. 

Without pictures we've got literally nothing to go on. There are lots and lots of watches out there that could match yours, even from one and the same company, and the devil is, so to speak, in the details.

JohnF


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## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

Also, have a look at the case between the lugs. Favre-Leuba sometimes stamped the model name on the outside of the case there.


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## patryn33 (Feb 5, 2007)

Is it possible for a non date display watch to be equip with a Cal with a date feature?

found someone selling the below. The pics showed a sea king, without date. But it is equip with a Cal 255, like the one showed in ranfft. does such thing happened in the past? possible to change the dial so that it will display the date?

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&Favre-Leuba_255


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## Hartmut Richter (Feb 13, 2006)

Perfectly possible - just look at all those watches with Valjoux 7750 (a day-date chronograph) with just a date or not even that. Or remember the big "R" using the Zenith "El Primero" and leaving out the date feature - never really understood why. Reduction is always possible. It's usually done if you don't have a similar calibre without what you are trying to leave out in the first place.

Hartmut Richter


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## patryn33 (Feb 5, 2007)

Thanx... didn't know such practice is happening. if I do get the watch, should get it checked out.

after going thru ranfft it seem like a 251 cal. Oh, boy is hard comparing pic like that.
then again seller did claim it stop moving after 30+hrs. 
http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&Favre-Leuba_251


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## aditya (Nov 21, 2006)

Hartmut Richter said:


> Neither have I. Are you (alvaropinto) confusing Favre-Leuba with Georges Favre-Jacot (founder of Zenith)?
> 
> Hartmut Richter


Hello Hartmut,

Favre Leuba & Zenith did have some sort of relationship. I have seen some watches with *Favre Leuba Zenith* branding on the dial. Perhaps Favre Leuba used Zenith movements at some point in their history.

Kind regards

Aditya


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## bassbuilderman (Jun 3, 2008)

Sorry to take a while guys, but I don't have a digital camera. I've done my best for a description , as follows (to add to the original info at the thread starta)
black face rectangle gold case 25mm high and 20mm wide
no second hand, 
roman numerals at 3 6 9 12 in gold. 
gold hands 
crown/winder is gold with black dot 
On the back at the top "3595-51" 
on the back in the middle is "swiss made" 
on the back at the bottom is "1054"
strap is black and is printed with "alligator 20echt"
regards
BBM


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## alvaropinto (Apr 30, 2008)

Hartmut Richter said:


> Neither have I. Are you (alvaropinto) confusing Favre-Leuba with Georges Favre-Jacot (founder of Zenith)?
> 
> Hartmut Richter


Here's the answer to your question about the relationship with Zenith.;-)
All the best!
AP


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## Erpardo (Jul 15, 2008)

I hope you like this not so comun Favre Leuba. a rare Harpoon. I found this one in this conditions and need to rehabilitate, I have the original crown, and supouse to take of the white and red color in the hands, to let them steel and lume.







I pretend to sandbed the case, but preserving the back case like is (allmost pristine).







The day disc is going to be very hard to fins, so it will stay.







Please enjoy this one.


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## Eeeb (Jul 12, 2007)

Some Harpoons used 36000 bph movements... I just lost the bidding for one on the bay...


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## gtboy (Oct 7, 2011)

Hi, i'm from India. I need to ask something. I found this old watch from grandfather's old stuff. My gradfather died in 1971. I found this old pocket watch , whose hands are broken. the key is still working.

Details of the watch :
Silver watch 
Roman numbers
Writing on front of watch:
Favre - leuba & co.
Zenith
swiss made
The front display looks like this but it has Favre - leuba written :
Similar watch

Back of the watch there is a seal which looks something like this :
Seal

When i open the back cover, I see in a rectangular box written 0.925 , under that is another very small maybe .1 cm semi-circle type seal. under that is zenith,watch company swiss, seal.
under that is a number 3367384 and under that is 1758 ( i take that as the year)

on the side where there is the actual watch mechanism , i see zenith, swiss made . beside it is another number 2845388. on the ring i see again 1758 ( I believe its the year)

All the hands are broken but the key is still working. the watch is old ,unpolished.

what can you tell me about this watch , can it be fixed. Is it reusable ? what would be the price i would fetch for this thing. 
I'm sorry i dont have a good camera.


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## Mirius (Mar 18, 2011)

Maybe someone can help you, but I really think we need photos. You don't need a good camera, you just need to take some care in how they are taken. Good lighting (outdoors) and in focus (macro mode if you have it) because often bad photos which have a blurred watch often have a nicely sharp background, showing it was not the camera that was at fault, just that the taker was an inch too close to the watch.


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## Eeeb (Jul 12, 2007)

Pics would help alot!! The .925 probably is the sliver content (92.5%). 

Of course it can be fixed. It is just a matter of finding a good watchmaker and paying them the necessary rupees!

As to price, we don't do that. See the 'stickies' (posts at the top of the forum and in the subforum on articles for more info).

And welcome to Vintage where depreciation is a thing of the past. (I like that one! LOL)


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## Petey007 (Aug 6, 2013)

Kindly asking for help, I am considering purchasing a Favre Leuba Sea King, just a pure joy, frankly I am rather fascinated by the two-barrels, by the rich brand history and I rather like the design. Can I kindly ask more experienced watch fans for your opinion? The movement seems OK to me, according to the seller the watch keeps excellent time (losing som 2 mnts per week which I find too optimistic). Do you think that the blemish on the face is removable, I have no experience with that. Is there any wa how to date the watch? Many thanks in advance. Peter


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## Eeeb (Jul 12, 2007)

Dating... well, central seconds means post 1950. Beyond that more expertise than I have is required.

Depending on price, I'd buy it if I didn't already have one


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## pr1uk (Sep 25, 2012)

This is my favourite Favre Leuba Sandow










I have a couple more and always found the older ones to be a very reliable make


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## clockwatcher650 (Aug 19, 2014)

Hi All! Newbie here with my virgin post! I have no pretensions to the upper end of the watch spectrum, affordable but well-made being my principal criterion.

Marrick: I have recently bought a couple of Favre-Leubas, the first, a 34mm, Twin Power, Sea Chief with white dial and lumed numerals is, I believe, one of the infamous Indian repaints but very neatly done and very presentable (not to mention cheap) and the other an unrestored (as far as I can see) 30mm Sea Chief with black face and luminous numerals, mixed Roman and Arabic, with seconds scale in white. 

When I read your post about F-Ls sometimes having the model name stamped between the lugs, I had a look and, to my surprise, found the model name Sea King! I'm convinced that this is not a repaint; the lettering is on an arc and very crisp, but I'm wondering if one model is living in the case of another. I realize that there are marriages and Frankenwatches but it doesn't bother me and the watch works and keeps time but maybe you have an opinion?
JohnP


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