A dual-time display is an extremely useful complication when travelling. This new watch was developed with the aim of ensuring extremely smooth handling, while also ensuring visual balance, readability and performance in all circumstances – all values dear to Laurent Ferrier.
Positioned on the left side of the case, two oblong push-buttons, at 8 and 10 o’clock, are pressed to modify local time indicated by a central hand. When moving from one time zone to another, the central hour hand indicating local time may be moved forwards or backwards, in one-hour increments, by successive presses. Pressing the upper push-button advances the hand by one hour, while pressing the lower push-button moves it backwards, all without affect the minute’s hand. On a flight from Geneva to New York, the traveller will thus simply need to press the lower push-button six times to ensure the watch is set to exact local time upon landing.
In addition to this fast local-time adjustment, the date, appearing in a window at 3 o’clock, is automatically modified when the hand passes midnight, thus spontaneously adapting to transitions between the various time zones. The window at 9 o’clock maintains the reference or home time. Thanks to its 24-hour display, it is easy to check whether it is day or night in one’s place of residence even from the other side of the world.
The pure aesthetic codes of the Maison have been been maintained, but in this 41 mm diameter size, the model is more present on the wrist than its predecessors. Fitted with a ball-shaped winding-crown ensuring pleasing handling, the back is equipped with a snap-on back ensuring that the movement remains easily accessible to watchmakers via the olivette.
The Galet Traveller Boréal houses self-winding Calibre LF 230.01, from the line of Micro-Rotor movements with natural escapement. It incorporates the dual time-zone adjustment mechanism as well as the date. LF Calibre 230.01 features a pawl-fitted micro-rotor unidirectional winding system, backed by a double direct-impulse natural escapement. The major distinctive feature of this natural escapement lies in the fact that two impulses are directly imparted to the balance with each oscillation. Its excellent efficiency guarantees a high amplitude for the balance operating at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour.
The sapphire crystal case-back of the Galet Traveller Boréal provides a view of the decoration and finishing of the movement. In addition to the Côtes de Genève motif adorning the bridges and the circular-graining of the mainplate, the sides are manually chamfered and the screw heads are polished.
