Hands-on – Favre-Leuba Raider Harpoon Gun Metal

Earlier this year we presented the Favre-Leuba Raider Harpoon (read our article here) with its quirky, yet handsome looks. We simply had to get our hands on this attention grabbing watch, and the summer gave us the perfect opportunity to wear it on a dive. Soon we found out that we were not the only ones who wanted to get hands-on with it…

The first impression strapping this rugged, massive dive watch around the wrist is very pleasant. With its cool design, bold colors and retro-futuristic dual crown case, the Favre Leuba Raider Harpoon stands out. Despite its 46 mm case, it is super comfortable (fine for all but the smallest wrists) thanks to the tapered lugs that fit snuggly around the wrist. The watch is presented in steel with a gunmetal finish that contributes to its sporty and adventurous look.

One of the first things to catch your eye is the unconventional time display. There is only a single hand which indicates both the minutes and hours simultaneously, the latter of which are shown on a rotating disc framing the dial. This is at first a bit puzzling, even while setting the time, but one gets used to it very quickly. Favre-Leuba advises this was designed to enhance readability when diving, with a focus on the most crucial hand, the minute hand. The small, central seconds indicator which allows you to check at a glance that your watch is still running – which is vital information for a dive watch.

The Favre Leuba Raider Harpoon and its unconventional time display. In the picture above, the watch shows 7h 36min.

This original mechanism has been designed in-house and it is based on a trustworthy workhorse, the Sellita SW200. Operating at 28’800 vibrations per hour, it has a power reserve of 38 hours. Reassuringly, although not particularly surprisingly, the movement’s timekeeping was accurate throughout our two weeks of wearing it.

The unidirectional rotating bezel to monitor diving times features a bicolor anodized aluminum graduation offering striking visual appeal. It is easy to grip with a tight, precise click. The two crowns – time setting at 4 o-clock and manual helium relief valve at 2 o’clock – are screw down and easy to operate. The screw down case back is aligned with the brand logo and markings always upright rather than positioned randomly. The water-resistance is rated at 500M / 1’640 feet.

Protected under a double AR coated sapphire crystal, the matt black is enhanced with square hour indexes. Like the hands and the hour disc, these feature luminescent markers allowing distinct displaying of time even in low light conditions, a crucial requirement for dive watches.

The Favre Leuba Raider Harpoon is mounted on an excellent rubber strap with pin buckle. It is slightly elastic which helps to secure it tightly around the wrist. It is also available on leather strap or on a metal bracelet with safety folding clasp with diving extension system.

If the design of the Favre Leuba Raider Harpoon is clearly inspired from the brand’s rich history, it is not a mere reproduction of past successes. This modern creation is enhanced with contemporary design and innovative features. Wearing the gun-metal finish version for a couple of weeks was a pleasure. It makes a cool, different daily wearer, a worthy companion for underwater adventure and a great conversation starter.

For more information, visit www.favre-leuba.com

Technical specifications – Favre-Leuba Raider Harpoon Gun Metal

• Case: 46 mm diameter x 16.5 mm thick – steel case with gun metal PVD coating – unidirectional rotating bezel – screw-in crown – sapphire crystal with antireflective coating – manual helium release valve – screwed and aligned case back – Water resistant to 50 ATM / 500m
• Movement: mechanical movement with automatic winding (Sellita SW200 base with Favre-Leuba module) – 38h power reserve – 28’800 vibrations/h – 26 jewels – Functions: hours, minutes and seconds
• Strap: rubber with pin buckle
• Price: CHF 4’750