Favre-Leuba reaches for the heights

Reputedly the second-oldest Swiss watch brand, Favre-Leuba has plumbed the depths and climbed the heights, both figuratively and practically. Now, re-emerging with new vigour, the marque plans to scale the heights once again. We sat down with Philippe Roten, CEO of the brand, for an insight…

Can you briefly tell us about the conception of the brand and its history till date?
We are a Swiss brand that was established in 1737 and are very strong in the Indian market; at one point of time we have sold around 600,000 pieces there. We were pioneers in entering the international market; in the 1800s and 1900s, we were already retailing in the Asian markets and the Middle East. We entered India in 1890 and already had two offices – Calcutta and Mumbai – by the 1930s and were distributing to the Asian and Middle East markets from there. By the 1940s and the 1950s, Zenith, Girard-Perregaux, and Jaeger-LeCoultre were being distributed by Favre-Leuba in these markets. You can still find a few vintage watches that carry the legend ‘Favre-Leuba – Zenith on them.

During these times, the brand really pushed the boundaries; the 1960s was the golden era for the brand, as they came up with great innovations, such as the Bivouac and the Bathy. The Bivouac is a mechanical watch for mountaineers that has an altimeter and a barometer, while the Bathy is a watch that can record your dive depth. All of these are the legacies of the brand.

In the 1980s when the Quartz Crisis hit the Swiss watch industry, Favre-Leuba was also affected and the eighth generation of the family had to sell out to LVMH. The brand then changed hands multiple times until 2011, when it was acquired by the Titan Group. Titan Group relaunched the brand in 2016, with the two pillars of the brand, the Raider – the professional line – and the Chief, which is the classic line.

What do you mean when you describe the Raider as the professional line?
We have our mountaineering watches, diving watches, and chronographs in the professional line, i.e., the Bathy, the Bivouac, the Harpoon, and the Deep Blue. All of these are more than watches, they can measure heights and depths.

Which markets are you available now and where do you plan to expand?
At the moment, we are in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Switzerland, and the Middle East, where we have 11 distribution points through Rivoli in the UAE, and one with Alshaya group in Kuwait; in India, we are present in 19 retail points. There is scope to grow in the region, as there already is an emotional connect for the brand. The generations from the 1960s and 70s know about the brand, as their father or grandfathers owned a Favre-Leuba watch and they would now like to associate with the brand. We can leverage that and ensure that we make the brand more accessible to them.

Our first priority is to strengthen the existing markets, because it is not possible for a small brand to be everywhere. The second step would be to increase our distribution points in the Middle East and Europe. E-commerce is also a big advantage as we can just establish an online boutique, and not have an actual point of sale. This is something we will definitely do soon; we will take our first step in e-commerce and build up from there.

As our first focus is strengthening our core markets, we will – over the next 12 months ­– focus on India. This will be year of transition for us; we will not launch a lot of novelties, but rather focus on dials, straps, and some elements of the watches. We will be fine-tuning our products as well as our distribution network.

Who do you see as Favre-Leuba clients?
Our clientele is not the novice watch collector but someone who is already a Swiss watches aficionado, and likes a niche, vintage style. When you ask the younger people in India, they don’t know the watch, whereas the 50-plus age group has a very strong image of the brand. There is a gap between the future buyers and the old clients. We have to get closer to the younger generation – our future clients. At the moment, we are very sporty, very niche, more of an instrument than a watch. We have to become more commercial in the future, closer to the new consumers, and we have to combine the savour-faire of the Swiss watch industry and the technical prowess of our mother company. For us, not only India but Europe also will be our targeted markets in the near future. As a Swiss brand, the Swiss market is one of our pillar markets.

Times have changed and as a brand, it is imperative for us to stay true to our brand DNA, and yet adapt to changing times and tastes.

What is the price range for Favre-Leuba watches?
It is from CHF1,800 to CHF9,000; for now, we will be focusing on the CHF2,500-4,000 range.