1970s Favre-Leuba Memo Raider

Why This Watch Matters

Funk that can only be from the 70s, this Favre-Leuba raids your memos right to your wrist.

The Full Story

Favre-Leuba was founded by Abraham Favre in 1737, which makes it one of the world's oldest recorded watch companies. The brand has been through a few iterations, including one instance in which the name was used to distribute many brands to the Indian market. When manufacturing its own timepieces, Favre-Leuba was extremely well-respected and innovative.

The alarm wristwatch was made popular by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Memovox model and Vulcain’s Cricket model. In an era before the smartwatch, mechanical alarm wristwatches could be used to both wake you up and keep you on time for appointments throughout the day. This was high-tech stuff!

While Favre-Leuba gained popularity and notoriety for its divers throughout the 1960s and 70s, the brand seemed to focus on creating a catalog of other wristwatches for specific uses such as the Bivouac for mountaineering and this watch, the Memo Raider. Designed with a characteristically 1970s case shape and bracelet, this watch is really impressive in the metal. The dial presents as a deep blue that is striking on the wrist and the overall feel is just really well made. Watches like the Memo Raider from brands like Favre-Lueba will always have a place in the vintage market and in the Hodinkee Shop.

The Fine Print

What We Love And What You Should Know

Things We Love:

- Unusual and funky case shape
- NSA-made bracelet
- Deep blue dial

Things To Know:

- Light scratches on caseback
- Shorter bracelet length

This Favre-Leuba is in overall excellent condition. The case shows normal superficial scratches and hairlines but has kept its 1970s curves. There are a few scratches on the case. The caseback engravings are strong.

The blue dial is stunning, without any major blemish or imperfection. The lume on the dial has taken on a creamy patina and shows some very light degradation. The handset is in excellent condition with a matching patina to the lume and a bright blue color for the central alarm hand. 

The Favre-Leuba signed NSA bracelet does not show any noticeable stretch between the links and the spring-loaded expansion clasp works well. The length of the bracelet measures approximately at 6 inches. The dial, case, crowns, movement, and bracelet are all signed by Favre-Leuba. This watch was photographed on a 175mm/6.9inch wrist.