Favre-Leuba, Duomatic
Favre-Leuba, Duomatic
Favre-Leuba is among the oldest names in Swiss watchmaking. Established in Le Locle in 1737 by Abraham Favre, it is the second-oldest watch brand in the world after Blancpain; the Favre-Leuba name itself dates from 1815, when Henry-Augustus Favre partnered with Auguste Leuba. The firm built a particularly strong presence in India from 1865 onward, and the original company was sold in 1985 amid the quartz crisis.
The brand's reputation rests on its 1960s instrument watches like the altimeter-equipped Bivouac and the Bathy depth-gauge diver. The Duomatic sat well below these, in the automatic range alongside models like the Sea Chief and Daymatic: sensibly sized, everyday day-date watches built on bought-in ébauches rather than Favre-Leuba's own calibres.
That places this example fairly precisely. The caibre A. Schild 2066 is a 21,600vph automatic with quickset day and date. The Duomatic was as launched in 1969 and used until around 1978, so ref. 5702-51 is a early-to-mid 1970s piece. The name "Duo" referred to their bidirectional automatic winding system, meaning the internal rotor wound the watch's mainspring regardless of which direction your wrist moved.
Tech Specs.
Reference: FL 5702-51
Year: c. mid 1970s
Movement: Cal AS 2066. Automatic wind.
Service History: unknown
Dial: Champagne colour, day/date
Case: Stainless steel/gold plate with screw-in case back (signed)
Measurements: 35mm (case diameter), 40mm lug-to-lug, 12mm thickness
Water Resistant: No
Crystal: Acrylic
Crown: signed Favre-Leuba
Strap/Bracelet: new black leather strap
Lug Width: 17mm
Box & Papers: No
Warranty: 3 months
Watches modelled on a 7” (18cms) wrist
Condition
Another fine example from Favre-Leuba's output from its 1970s heyday. This watch is in great working order and is keeping great time, though its service history is unknown. Its been paired with a new black leather strap which really sets off the gold-plated case. There are other nice little touches like the white date numerals on a black background and the minute markers around the dial, which is in great condition for its age. The crystal, case and dial are in near perfect condition while the caseback has a few scratches on it from previous owners. The watch also comes with a Favre-Leuba box, which might be original.