Watchmaking milestones do not often come from brands with nearly three centuries of history, but Favre Leuba has marked one with the launch of the Chief Skeleton. For the first time since its founding in 1737, the Swiss brand has introduced a fully skeletonized timepiece, a follow-up to the Chief Tourbillon unveiled earlier this year.
Patrik Hoffmann, Chairman of Favre Leuba, said, “2025 is about maintaining the momentum and continuing to build on Favre Leuba’s pioneering legacy. We introduce some of the most technically intricate and visually striking timepieces in our history. After our first-ever tourbillon presented earlier this year, we show a natural progression today with the Chief Skeleton, our first skeletonized model, inspired by the original Chief case design of the 1970s. These creations honor our heritage while marking significant milestones in our long history as one of the oldest watchmakers.”
The Chief Skeleton retains the cushion-shaped case of the Chief Collection while exposing a custom skeletonized movement developed in collaboration with AMT. Every bridge, gear, and aperture has been carefully finished to create both architectural balance and visual clarity.
The 40mm case is available in two versions: a brushed and polished steel case with a gold-finished movement, and a DLC-coated black steel case with an anthracite-finished movement. A curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating ensures clear views of the openworked movement, while the case design creates a dynamic play of light and shadow.
Inside, the skeletonized movement highlights a semi-exposed mainspring barrel at 12 o’clock and a balance wheel at 6 o’clock supported by a horizontally brushed bridge unique to Favre Leuba. Gold or anthracite finishes are paired with snailing, satin, and sandblasted textures that emphasize depth and mechanical detail. Operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, the movement provides a 41-hour power reserve. A skeletonized rotor, engraved with the Favre Leuba wordmark, is finished in either gold-tone or black chrome to match the case.
The Chief Skeleton is offered in multiple configurations. The steel and gold version features green, blue, or black minute tracks with matching FKM rubber straps, while the black DLC and anthracite model includes options of green, blue, black, or ice blue. Both variants are fitted with an integrated quick-change system, allowing easy strap or bracelet swaps.
Additional specifications include a thickness of 11.76mm, lug-to-lug of 47.59mm, and lug width of 22mm. The watch is water-resistant to 10 ATM and features a sapphire crystal caseback. Applied rhodium-plated indexes and hands are filled with Super-LumiNova C1 X1, ensuring visibility in low light.
The Chief Skeleton is priced at US$ 4,500 for the steel and gold variant and US$ 4,600 for the DLC and anthracite model.
For Favre Leuba, a company with 288 years of continuous history, the Chief Skeleton is a statement of intent. It carries forward the bold design language of the 1970s Chief case while introducing a modern skeletonized movement that expands the scope of the brand’s watchmaking. With this release, the watchmaker shows how heritage can evolve into new forms without losing its original character.
