Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth

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Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth - Favre-Leuba
An innovative diver's watch, with depth gauge and mechanical depth memory.

At Favre-Leuba, the mechanical functions of each watch are developed in pursuit of an ambitious goal: conquering the extremes of nature. These time pieces scale the world’s highest peaks and dive to the ocean’s deepest depths, never content unless they are aiming to achieve the impossible. In 1968, Favre-Leuba’s Bathy was the first wristwatch with a membrane and a central hand that made it possible to measure depth more accurately. The original Bathy was a milestone in mechanical instrument watches and is a much sought-after collector’s piece today. 

The year 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the Bathy and Favre-Leuba unveils the new Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth. Its retrofuturistic design is a deliberate nod to the original 1968 Bathy. From a technical standpoint, however, the Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth is an entirely new creation. Its functionality and materials have not merely been improved upon – they have set a new standard. The case design is a homage to its popular predecessor and is complemented by bold, functional colors and striking, easy-to-read hands.

Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth

The Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth is inspired by the principle of form following function, with a clear and timeless design that perfectly combines the traditional with the contemporary. The case is crafted from titanium and, with its 48 mm diameter, guarantees perfect readability. 

The depth gauge combines ideas taken from the 1968 Bathy with the results of constant modernization and technical development. What is truly fascinating about the depth gauge is the way it works, as it turns one of the established rules of watchmaking completely on its head. Never let water get inside of a watch ? Quite the opposite. The new Bathy features apertures in the case back that actually invite water inside. These openings are part of the depth gauge, which is hermetically separated from the movement.

The concept is based on the compression of a specially designed membrane that is integrated into the case back. Water enters a separate chamber in the case back through the apertures, causing the membrane to compress as the pressure increases. A mechanical contact sensor inside the watch reacts to this compression and conveys the information via the hand of the depth gauge, which shows the dive depth on a nonlinear display via a central hand on the dial. 

Dive depths up to 120 m can be measured extremely precisely. The scale for the first 30 m is finer, with two red marks at 5 and 10, where decompression stops may be necessary.

 The Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth also features a mechanical depth memory (MemoDepth), which stores the maximum depth reached during a dive. The depth gauge at 3 o’clock displays the value until it is reset via the screw-in pusher at 4 o’clock – a feature that typically appears on professional dive watches.

Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth

The Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth is water-resistant up to 200 m. Its optimal range of measurement is 120 m, more than double that of the original Bathy from 1968 (50 m). A built-in mechanical limiter ensures that neither the pressure membrane nor the depth gauge are damaged if the wearer dives deeper than the optimal range. 

One extremely important safety aspect comes into play on every dive: Every professional dive watch is fitted with either an internal ring or external unidirectional bezel. The diver aligns the triangular marker at 60 with the minute hand right before beginning the dive. The time that has elapsed since the beginning of the dive is then shown on the bezel in minutes. The external dive bezel of the Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth operates in the same way, turning only counterclockwise and allowing the wearer to track their remaining dive time. 

The Favre-Leuba Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth is powered by the FL 321 hand-wound movement. It is based on the EMC 3903M caliber, which has been completely reengineered by Favre-Leuba. It features a 65-hour power reserve and a power-reserve indicator displayed at 12 o’clock.

Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth

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