Laurent Ferrier
Available Now: Laurent Ferrier Steel Galet Micro-Rotor Salmon Dial for Revolution (1-of-1)
Laurent Ferrier
Available Now: Laurent Ferrier Steel Galet Micro-Rotor Salmon Dial for Revolution (1-of-1)
Read more about the 2020 Laurent Ferrier Classic Origin for Revolution & The Rake, here.
In 2019, during my initial discussion with Laurent Ferrier I explained that I was highly enamored with scientific sector dial chronometers. These are the watches that began in the 1920s as a way of more clearly delineating time and were used on both wristwatches and pocket watches. They featured a circular track where the hour indexes would radiate outward.
But to me the most beautiful execution of this is the watch created by Aurel Bacs, the world’s greatest vintage watch auctioneer and expert. Around the time the Micro-Rotor watch emerged, Bacs came up with the idea of creating a pièce unique for himself with a sector dial. Using his extensive knowledge, he created what must objectively be called the most beautiful Laurent Ferrier watch of all time. It was so stunning that when he showed it to several of his team members at Phillips, including renowned experts and collectors Alex Ghotbi and Paul Boutros, they too wanted to order one. And finally, the watch was anointed as an icon when it was also ordered by none other than the incredible Auro Montanari, or John Goldberger, historian, author and collector ne plus ultra.
The dial is silver outside, the central area receives circular brushing under the indexes and is opaline under the minute track’s chemin de fer. Seconds are at six o’clock with a full seconds track and four enlarged markers at the compass points. The hands are Ferrier’s signature Assegai models that have been flame-blued and, to me, contrast perfectly with the cream of the dial. The watch was beautifully executed and, in the end, once we launched, the 12-piece allocation sold out in under two hours. We were, of course, incredibly grateful for the wonderful response from our readers and customers. But that’s not all there is to the story.
At that time, there was a decision to be made, between using Ferrier’s new Classic Origin’s LF116.01 manual wind movement. or his famous micro rotor movement Calibre FBN229.01. In the end we decided to produce two prototypes. a steel watch with a silver sector dial with small seconds in the Classic Origin manual wind configuration.
And a second prototype with a salmon sector dial in a simple two hand configuration, but with the automatic micro rotor movement. Ferrier and I both absolutely adored this second salmon dial watch. We decided that we couldn’t launch it in series because its design iconography resembled that of the Phillips watch too closely. While the prototype for the Classic Origin manual wind watch is now in my personal collection, we decided together with Laurent Ferrier to offer this ultra-cool prototype Laurent Ferrier Steel Galet Micro-Rotor Salmon Dial for Revolution (1-of-1), to celebrate the opening of the Revolution Watch Bar, in Singapore.
One of Breguet’s signature inventions, the natural escapement uses two escape wheels turning in opposite directions to all but reduce the sliding friction found in most escapements. In Breguet’s design, the first escape wheel is driven by the mainspring, while the second escape wheel is driven by the first escape wheel. This way the release of the escape wheels, which alternates, is in each direction to reduce sliding friction. A lever in the center rocks back and forth and is what provides the impulse to the balance wheel.
Recessed within the depths of the Micro-Rotor’s movement is Ferrier’s take on the legendary Natural Escapement. This exclusive double direct-impulse escapement in silicon, directly on the balance, has been inspired by the father of modern horology, Abraham-Louis Breguet. This modern construction, associated with the use of cutting-edge materials, maximizes the restitution of energy. Thanks to the excellent efficiency of this escapement, the moment of couple (= torque) required to wind the mainspring is reduced and hence optimizes the movement winding. Inspired by the concept of the detent escapement, this escapement has the advantage of giving two impulses per oscillation (1 oscillation = 2 vibrations). This means that Laurent Ferrier’s movement frequency of 3Hz (21,600 vph) impulses the balance 21,600 times per hour.
To use a metaphor, we can explain the double direct impulse by comparing with a swing: with a detent escapement you push the swing once and you wait until it bounces back to give it the next impulse; with the double direct impulse escapement you push the swing and another person opposite pushes it back on his side.
Says Laurent Ferrier, “I think it is wonderful that we were able to implement the famous natural escapement. I must say we were very impressed with the results of this escapement. Like the tourbillon, it is challenging to install and regulate, but once this is correctly done, it has proven to be incredibly stable. It was also important to me that we expressed the same movement design language in the micro-rotor and so you see that on the angle of the upper bridge we created a sharp internal angle just to show collectors who appreciate these details that this movement is hand finished to the same standard as our tourbillon.”
This amazing movement combined with a stunning one-of-a-kind dial to me makes this pièce unique Laurent Ferrier Galet Micro-Rotor an amazing addition to any discerning watch lover’s collection.