Galet Annual Calendar in steel (Photo: Laurent Ferrier)
Meet Laurent Ferrier, the Geneva-based watchmaker whose unexpected triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Race paved the road to starting his own watch brand.
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Lauren Ferrier is a third generation of a family of watchmakers (Photo: Laurent Ferrier)
Above Lauren Ferrier is a third generation of a family of watchmakers (Photo: Laurent Ferrier)

Who is Laurent Ferrier?

Seventy-one-year-old Ferrier is the third generation of a family of Geneva watchmakers who cut his teeth developing movement prototypes. A motorsports enthusiast, he took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s oldest endurance car race, in 1979 and emerged third, beating some of the most seasoned professional drivers. This win fuelled a high that led to him and his race partner to take on the challenge to create their own watch, a promise they held on to for 30 years.

Check out: Awesome race-inspired timepieces at Time Kulture this week

Tatler Asia
Galet Annual Calendar in steel (Photo: Laurent Ferrier)
Above Galet Annual Calendar in steel (Photo: Laurent Ferrier)

What is Laurent Ferrier?

One of the most exciting new independent watch brands, Laurent Ferrier is dedicated to classic Swiss watchmaking of the highest order. Established in 2010, its first watch, the Galet Classic with a proprietary tourbillon movement with double balance spring, won the Best Man’s Watch at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG), the first time that the first watch of a new brand has achieved this feat at the Oscars of watchmaking.

Living up to its reputation as an exclusive brand, the Laurent Ferrier workshop is responsible for every aspect of its creations from the gently curved pebble-shaped cases and superlative finishes to the exclusive movements, overseen by Ferrier’s son, Christian.

Among its most notable innovations is the introduction of silicon into the construction of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s echappement naturel that makes two direct impulses on the balance. The silicon resolves the issue of friction that plagued the original design in 1789.

Also read: 5 rules to observe before starting a luxury watch collection

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Galet Annual Calendar in yellow gold (Photo: Laurent Ferrier)
Above Galet Annual Calendar in yellow gold (Photo: Laurent Ferrier)
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Galet Annual Calendar in red gold (Photo: Laurent Ferrier)
Above Galet Annual Calendar in red gold (Photo: Laurent Ferrier)

Galet Annual Calendar School Piece

Laurent Ferrier, which is distributed exclusively by DKSH Malaysia, has chosen to make its first appearance here with its SIHH 2018 novelty, an annual calendar powered by its fifth in-house calibre. In a nod to its first calibre, the manual-winding tourbillon double balance spring, the movement features the signature long “blade” type click ratchet.

The highly legible date track on the outer part of the dial is complemented by a red hand that indicates the relevant dates. The day and month windows sit side by side below ‘12’.

The date hand is adjusted with the crown, an action that also automatically corrects the month. A barely conspicuous button on the left side of the case is responsible for adjusting the day. A seconds counter with snail-finished centre and satin-brushed outer circle is located at ‘6’.

The annual calendar, which requires only one adjustment per year on March 1, is available in steel, red gold and yellow gold with in silver or slate grey dial.

ICYMI: The difference between an annual and a perpetual calendar

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