Favre-Leuba Sea Sky Ref. 33043

Pre-Owned Favre Leuba 43mm Sea Sky, Black Dial, Stainless Steel Bracelet,  Ref. 33043

Do the words, new old stock chronograph excite you?  How about NOS from the second oldest Swiss watch brand powered by the legendary Valjoux 72?  Perhaps you should sit down if you are not already seated.

Typical of the 1970s and of a dive watch, the Sea Sky is an oversized watch at 43mm.  Because this is NOS, the polished sides are immaculate, the edges are sharp and the brushed surface unmarred.  As expected for a watch designed for harsh conditions, the crown is screwed in and the dial is vibrant, with a reverse Panda effect of the white sub-dials against the blue-gray metallic dial (the dial needs to be seen in person.)  Although this is NOS, because it is a watch from the 70’s the tritium lume has aged to a beautiful dark khaki.  No false patina from a homage watch, this is the real thing.  The outer dial has a vivid yellow tachymeter scale, and the chronograph hand is in bright reddish orange, making this a very legible dial.  The bi-directional bezel in blue bakelite looks as fresh as it probably did in 1970.  The winding crown is marked with the Favre Leuba logo.  Not to be overlooked, the Favre Leuba Sea Sky is powered by the legendary manual wind caliber Valjoux 72, considered one of the most reliable chronograph watch movements ever produced.  The column wheel movement features a 30-minute counter, a 12-hour unit, and the small seconds. Although NOS, because of its age, our watchmaker recently serviced the movement.  We were lucky enough to secure a small stash of these watches all in the same unused condition. Each came with the same generic steel bracelet that was likely installed by the wholesaler who imported these watches originally; they all came to us with original hangtag and correct Favre Leuba box.

There is little not to like with this watch.  It is a vintage watch that appears new, a bold, vibrant case that still manages to be understated by today’s standards.  And lastly, a robust, sought after Valjoux movement from Switzerland’s second oldest watchmaker.