Date: August 7, 1964
Location: The vertical north face of Pointe Whymper in the Grande Jorasses, a particularly steep mountain in the Mont Blanc range within the Alps.
Geneva-based guide Michel Vaucher and celebrated Italian mountaineer Walter Bonatti are ascending the precarious peak. Temperatures are dropping. Clouds are approaching. Every so often, impossibly large rocks become loose and plummet past the two men. At this point, there are only two options. Either pitch a protective camp or retreat and hope to beat the impending blizzard.
Thanks to the original Bivouac from Favre-Leuba, which was worn by both men on this never-before-attempted trip, the climbers were able to use the integrated altimeter and barometer to make the choice of building camp and waiting out the ferocious weather. A vintage Favre-Leuba Bivouac model
Only two days later, they?re able to continue their journey, scaling the 4,184-meter summit and claiming victory over the elements in part due to the Favre-Leuba on their wrists.
The History
The story of Favre-Leuba is a well-known secret throughout the watch industry. Abraham Favre laid the foundation for the brand in the spring of 1737 in the town of Le Locle in Neuchâtel, providing it with the second oldest historical base in the watch industry after Blancpain (established inside Villeret in 1735). Abraham Favre ran the business until he passed away in 1790 when it was taken over by his son, also named Abraham. With the help of his sons, he ran th...