Favre-Leuba: Classic yet contemporary

In January this year, Favre-Leuba appointed Vijesh Rajan as Business Head and the new spokesperson for the brand. Previously a part of the parent company of Favre-Leuba, he has also been a part of Titan’s journey in the watch industry for close to two decades. Having worked in several leadership positions, he has handled multiple facets of the watch industry across all key global markets. Rajan came on-board with a vision to position Favre-Leuba as an iconic brand in the Swiss watch industry, a status that befits its rich and glorious history and legacy.

Vijesh Rajan talks about the genesis of the brand and how it stays relevant through innovation and technology…

This year Favre-Leuba celebrates 282 years of ingenuity in watch engineering. Take us back to the origins of this legendary brand and tell us about its journey to where it stands today…

It all began in 1737, in the picturesque little city of Le Locle, which is tucked away in the Jura Mountains. Abraham Favre built the foundation for the brand by being officially registered as the second watchmaker in Switzerland. He and his family developed Favre-Leuba into a renowned watch manufacture that grew from strength to strength and traversed the globe from its humble beginnings in his small workshop.

Over the years, the brand has defined the watch industry as we know it today. It set new standards for and in this industry with numerous innovative and technically outstanding developments and the brands’ timepieces were known for their high functionality, accuracy and reliability, under all climatic conditions.

Among the many achievements, it successfully expanded into distant markets such as Brazil, Chile, India and the United States, very early on, thereby, making it a global brand by the early 1900s. Led by eight generations of the Favre family without interruption up until the 1980s, Favre-Leuba was acquired by the Tata Group on November 16, 2011.

Favre-Leuba has a rich heritage and has created some legendary watches. Even today, it is known for its innovative pieces and incontestable performance. How does it achieve this relevance?

The question the Favre-Leuba engineering team ask themselves when building a timepiece is ‘How does one create a classic watch that is special?’. Take for instance, the Sky Chief Date 40; it is a distinctive yet broadly appealing classic watch. It allows the stage to the wearer, keeping them and their style as the priority. Despite its strong character, it doesn’t overpower the individual; it aims to be your humble but dignified companion. When Favre-Leuba launched this classic watch, it presented a timepiece that can be worn just as comfortably to the office, or on a tennis court, and it can fit as easily to or beyond a cocktail party. That’s the extent of thought that we put into each of our creations and that is what makes them relevant even today.

Purchasing an exclusive Swiss watch is always a matter of great joy and pride, but this purchase comes with the concern that the timepiece maybe stolen or that the watch itself may not be an original. What does Favre-Leuba do to allay these concerns?

While most high-end watch brands find it extremely difficult to stop such acts, Favre-Leuba has taken steps to protect its watches. The identity of each watch is stored on an immutable ledger using blockchain technologies. As a result, if the watch is stolen, it can be easily traced; this also makes it difficult to trade our watches in the grey market. Our database, watches and warranty system are protected by the highest level of security and encryption available today. At the same time, we provide full transparency and traceability to our stakeholders, including Favre-Leuba’s authorized retailers and trusted customers.

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