Independents

alex
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A closer look at one of my favorite Basel novelties: Laurent Ferrier's Gallet

I had heard of Laurent Ferrier some while back and Googled him. Amongst the 163000 homonyms I found, there were an author, a filmmaker a few engineers but no watchmaker! But as fate, luck or the Universe has it I ran into someone I knew, who knew someone, who knew…well you get the picture and one fine day I ended up in Laurent Ferrier’s workshops in Geneva.

Laurent Ferrier could have been a one brand man, he spent his entire career at Patek Philippe (with a short break where he took up car racing and participated in the legendary Le Mans 24 hours race where he hit the podium a few times) starting in the prototype department, heading the product development department and finally as head of the technical department where he worked hand in hand with the then Patek CEO Philippe Stern.

Nevertheless, in mid 2008 and after 37 years he decided to leave a rather comfortable position to create his own watches together with his son Christian (also a watchmaker).

Laurent Ferrier had a vision of the watch he wanted and he teamed with other Patek veterans to create the movement. In the summer of 2008 he contacted “La Fabrique du Temps” created by Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini (the NB of BNB fame who had left the latter to concentrate on a more traditional approach to watchmaking) one of the better known movement developers in the industry. Incidentally Laurent’s son, Christian, was also working at La Fabrique du Temps and as a prototypist/developer worked full time with his father in developing this movement. Credit is actually given where due as the calibre is named FNB 916.01, FNB as in Ferrrier, Navas, and Barbasini. The 916 is because Laurent Ferrier is born on a 19^th and his son Christian on a 16^th!

When asked why a tourbillon, Laurent Ferrier responds “It is a complication which we mastered and we knew we could make something extremely fine and which would be functional. We didn’t want to create a conversation piece which would never work but a watch that would represent Genevan watchmaking at its best”.

Watchmaking at its best also meant accuracy. Now the subject of the accuracy of the tourbillon over a regular escapement has been beaten like a dead horse, however, according to Laurent Ferrier the Straumann double hairspring is a true plus in terms of accuracy. The two springs are placed upon the balance one atop the other but move outwards in opposing symmetrical paths thus the centre of gravity of the springs remains constantly at the center of the arbor.

To prove this point Christian Ferrier fetched the timing machine results for the first two production pieces which showed an average 2 seconds advance per day with a maximum difference between positions of +4 seconds a day. According to Ferrier there is still room for improvement of accuracy!

The case is 41mm in diameter (12.5mm thick) but for those who prefer smaller dimensions it sits perfectly on the wrist due to the case shape and inward curving lugs. The back is snap on as Laurent Ferrier didn’t want any “ugly screws” showing but the case still remains water resistant to 30m.

The dial is a reflection of the whole watch, simple, sleek elegant and no nonsense, yet filled with subtle details. The Gallet Tourbillon comes in two choices of dials, white enamel and black onyx. The “Tourbillion Double Spiral” writing just above the sub seconds seems bold but in fact it is very discreet especially on the black dial, nevertheless I would have preferred no other writing other than the brand name on the dial. The white enamel dial is perfectly made with absolutely no visible “bubbles” which often appear on this type of dial (with a rejection rate of 90%). The difficulty is rendered even more absolute here as the enamel dial is in two parts fitted together as the subseconds are recessed.

The elongated Roman numerals are the finishing touch.

The movement…..ah the movement. A sight for sore eyes and damage to the wallet. The movement has been fully developed and constructed for Laurent Ferrier who as stated above wanted to give tribute to the observatory tourbillons of the 50s which explains not only the look of the tourbillon bridge but also the more traditional approach to certain components such as the ratchet click or the replacement of the pull out spring. The calibre has a 31.60mm diameter and 5.57mm thickness.

Looking at the calibre is mesmerizing, with each tick of the free sprung balance I could hear Jimmy Lee Cricket whispering in my ear “order one you fool…order one”. No matter at what angle you look at you can admire the painstaking work that has gone in the finish with the polish, the bevelling, the interior angles…

winding mechanism:

underdial:

ratchet click:

escapement components:

The Gallet Tourbillon is currently available in white or 2N yellow gold (a very light "champagne" colored yellow gold) with a choice of white enamel or black onyx dials

For those who know me, know that my tastes in the past years have been going more and more towards bold designs and audacious watchmaking and it is really difficult to surprise me with something classical, which is why I was left scratching my own head wondering why I so achingly wanted to own Laurent Ferrier’s Gallet Tourbillon. I think that Laurent Ferrier really hit a chord with his watch, it is classical without being brand or boring, it looks obvious that the watch has been created with love and respect for what traditional watchmaking, traditional not as in immobile but as in an accumulation of centuries long know how. The watch is a reflection of its creator and as such it has soul and an object with soul is definitely something I would want own.

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