2016 marks Laurent Ferrier’s sixth anniversary, and the year opened auspiciously with a booth in the Watchmakers’ Square of the SIHH, a sure sign of recognition for the independent brand. We will also be seeing him at Baselworld in March. 2015 also ended on a high note, as his Galet Square won the Prix de la Révélation Horlogère at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
The Galet Classic Square Double Hairspring Tourbillon unveiled a few days ago at the SIHH continues to develop Laurent Ferrier’s iconic collection. It combines two watchmaking techniques already seen in previous models: the double hairspring tourbillon, which featured in the very first Galet in 2010, and the natural escapement micro-rotor, which was present in the 2015 Galet, the very same that was rewarded at the GPHG last year.
When Laurent Ferrier picks up his watch to show us, the look in his eyes speaks volumes about the pride he takes in his work. “After many years spent working for big manufactures I take enormous pleasure in being able to create watches from A to Z, exactly as I want them,” he confides. Mr Ferrier that a watch should be balanced and gentle on the eye, just as the winding mechanism should be smooth to operate and pleasant to the ear. “We incorporated a long-bladed pawl spring which produces a pleasant sound when the watch is wound, as well as feeling nice under the fingers,” explains Laurent Ferrier, illustrating his words by turning the characteristic rounded crown.
The watch design is indisputably well-balanced, with its non-rhodiumised 18k white gold case measuring 41.5 mm x 41.5 mm surrounding a white grand feu enamel dial decorated with elegant elongated black Roman numerals and equally slender spear-shaped hands. The small seconds is let into the dial at 6 o’clock, with its gold outlining and discreet red indices serving to enhance the sense of depth that compounds the refined elegance of the dial. The watch as a whole is reminiscent of 19th and 20th-century pocket watches, an association that Laurent Ferrier openly acknowledges, noting that the movement is also inspired by his appreciation of these old timepieces. Might he be tempted to include a pocket watch in his collection, as a number of brands have recently done? He doesn’t rule it out. “Maybe...”
Laurent Ferrier’s timepieces eschew ostentation, concealing their tourbillons on the back. The tourbillon of the Galet Classic Square Double Hairspring Tourbillon, as its name suggests, has two inverted balance springs in the centre of the balance wheel, which increase the reliability of the regulating system by neutralising the lateral displacement of the balance axis. The hand-wound LF 619.01 movement oscillates at 21,600 vph, giving the watch an 80-hour power reserve. The movement is decorated in the purest horological tradition, with Geneva-striped bridges, a circular-grained mainplate and chamfered and hand-polished edges and angles.
On the wrist, the alligator strap of the Galet Classic Square Tourbillon feels incredibly soft, thanks to its Alcantara lining.
