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Favre Leuba Raider Bivouac 9000: The Mechanical Altimeter Watch Built for Everest

The 48 mm hand-wound Raider Bivouac 9000 displays altitude up to 9,000 m using air pressure—not GPS. Here is how it works, what is documented about Everest, and its historical price context.
Estimate3–4 min Catalogued SpecialistWatchRanker Team
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The Favre Leuba Raider Bivouac 9000 is a hand-wound mechanical watch with an aneroid altimeter and air-pressure display. Its scale is marked up to 9,000 metres, and Favre Leuba says the watch reached the 8,848-metre summit of Everest in 2018. That range is a stated display capability—not independent proof of accuracy in every condition. The key practical detail is that the altimeter infers altitude from air pressure, so it must be set at a known elevation and can be affected by pressure changes.

What the Raider Bivouac 9000 is

Unveiled at Baselworld in 2017, the Raider Bivouac 9000 is the modern successor to Favre Leuba’s original Bivouac, introduced in 1962. It combines conventional timekeeping with a mechanical altimeter and barometric-pressure indication. The watch does not use GPS to calculate altitude.

Its defining specification is an altitude display extending to 9,000 m—higher than Everest’s 8,848 m summit elevation. Favre Leuba’s history says the watch reached the summit in 2018. The brand also describes it as the only mechanical altimeter watch to have successfully reached that altitude; that exclusivity is the brand’s claim.

How its mechanical altimeter works

Pressure is used to infer altitude

The watch uses an aneroid barometer: it responds to air pressure and translates pressure changes into an altitude indication. Because air pressure varies with both elevation and weather, the reading depends on the conditions around the watch. It is not a location-independent altitude fix like a GPS-derived reading.

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Set a known starting elevation

Before using the altimeter, set the watch to the known altitude of your current location, following the operating instructions. This gives the mechanism a reference point. If pressure changes after calibration, the indicated altitude can shift even if your actual elevation has not changed. The manual explains setup and operation; published materials do not establish independently tested accuracy across conditions.

Read the altitude and pressure displays

  • The red central hand tracks altitude changes against the bidirectional bezel, which is marked in 50 m steps. One full turn corresponds to 3,000 m.
  • The subdial hand advances in 1,000 m increments and provides the altitude scale up to 9,000 m.
  • The same subdial also displays air pressure in hPa.

Did it reach Everest?

Favre Leuba states that the Raider Bivouac 9000 reached Everest’s 8,848 m summit in 2018. Antiquorum’s 2019 auction catalogue separately identifies a specific Bivouac 9000 as climber Adrian Ballinger’s personal watch, says he wore it on his May 20, 2018 climb, and records a CHF 7,500 sale. The auction record supports the association between a particular watch and the climb; it is not laboratory verification of the altimeter’s accuracy at the summit.

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Specifications

Feature Raider Bivouac 9000
Movement Hand-wound FL311, based on the EMC 3903M calibre, with altimeter and power-reserve mechanisms
Power reserve Approximately 65 hours
Functions Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, power-reserve indication, altitude indication to 9,000 m, and air pressure in hPa
Case Titanium, 48 mm diameter
Bezel and crown Bidirectional rotating bezel; screw-in crown
Crystal Sapphire with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance 3 bar / 30 m
Strap Grey antelope leather with pin buckle
Reference 00.10105.06.45.45

Price: what is documented

A Japanese distributor, SwissPrimeBrands, listed reference 00.10105.06.45.45 at ¥918,000 including 8% consumption tax in a release dated July 11, 2018. This is historical Japan-market pricing, not a current price.

Two other CHF 7,500 figures have different meanings: a WatchWorld retailer listing labels that amount an official price for the grey watch, but current brand confirmation and stock are not established; Antiquorum reported CHF 7,500 as the 2019 auction result for Ballinger’s watch. An auction sale is not a retail price. A current manufacturer-recommended price and present availability have not been established.

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Who should consider this watch?

The Bivouac 9000 is best understood as a specialist mechanical instrument watch, not a substitute for a GPS altimeter when location-independent readings are needed. Its pressure-based mechanism, manual reference setting, large 48 mm titanium case, and 30 m water resistance are important practical considerations alongside its unusual 9,000 m scale. The stated range, Everest story, and intricate display are central to its appeal; they should not be confused with a published accuracy guarantee.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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