Raider Sea King and Sea Bird

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Raider Sea King and Sea Bird - Favre-Leuba
Favre-Leuba presents two new models to appeal to both sexes.

Those of a certain age will recall the Sea King as an anti-submarine aircraft that was produced by Sikorsky in the United States and, under licence, by Westland in the United Kingdom. Produced up until 1995, it is still used in active service in certain countries, most visibly on occasion as “Marine One” – the official transport helicopter of the President of the United States.

You might think that Favre-Leuba decided to copy this catchy name for its latest watch, but the brand actually presented its first Sea King model in 1956 – seven years before the helicopter that shares its name was launched, together with the Sea Chief and Sea Raider models, all of which used an 11 ½-line calibre 101 FL. Now grouped within the Raider Collection, the Sea King has a design that Favre-Leuba stresses is “retro-futuristic”, combining the brand’s extensive legacy with its outlook towards the future. As a result, the Raider Sea King has a monobloc brushed stainless-steel case reminiscent of the designs of the 1970s but with a distinctive modern grooved bezel and large rectangular hour markers on the dial, with bold luminescent hands.

Raider Sea King and Sea Bird

Three different dial colours are available: midnight black, deep oceanic blue and slate grey, which can be paired with an antelope leather strap or a stainless-steel bracelet. The 1956 advertisement that included the Sea King model dubbed Favre-Leuba “the Swiss watch for all climates” and the brand is keen to uphold this reputation today, offering a screw-in case back that guarantees water resistance to 100 metres. The movement inside the 41mm diameter case is a self-winding Swiss made calibre that operates at a frequency of 4 Hz and has a 38-hour power reserve. 

Raider Sea King and Sea Bird

The Raider Sea Bird shares the same aesthetics but comes in two smaller case sizes, 37mm and 34mm, which are equipped with a self-winding and quartz movement respectively. Clearly targeted at a feminine clientele, these models are available with dials in straight white, shimmering copper, midnight blue and chocolate brown.

Both the Sea King and Sea Bird models retail for 1,950 Swiss francs with the metal bracelet and the Sea King with a leather strap costs 1,750 Swiss francs. There is no leather strap available for the Sea Bird at launch.

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