As anyone who has travelled to the northernmost part of the globe knows, blue and white are the only colours to be seen in the Far North: the blue of the Arctic Ocean and the white of the ice covering part of it. Today, these two hues clad a Classic Traveller by Laurent Ferrier for a wholly unique piece designed especially for Art in Time.
The dial features an unusual map projection centred on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. These islands were the destination of the voyages undertaken by Albert I of Monaco in 1906 and precisely one hundred years later by Albert II of Monaco in 2006; while the former set out to explore the islands, the latter made the journey to raise international awareness of the need for the archipelago’s preservation amid climate change. The only other touch of colour is a tiny dot in Monaco red on the southernmost corner of the map, denoting the Rock from which the two princes set sail.
The model chosen to retrace the story of these epic voyages is naturally a travel watch: the Classic Traveller. Laurent Ferrier designed its first Galet Traveller just over ten years ago, in 2013; the travel complication went on to become the mainstay of its Classic Traveller collection.
The Classic Traveller’s ease of use is a textbook example for the category. The central hour hand indicates local time, which the wearer naturally needs to know first and foremost, requiring adjustment as they progress through various time zones. The pushers are used to adjust the hand forwards or backwards in hourly increments as the journey requires.
Meanwhile the time band displayed in the window at 9 o’clock shows the wearer’s home time; this remains unchanged no matter where they are, and so can be left to be controlled directly via the crown. The date window at 3 o’clock displays the day of the month; appropriately enough, this stays in phase with the local time display: if the wearer crosses the international date line, it automatically updates accordingly.
The dial is made entirely from grand feu enamel; the artisanal, hand-worked technique is used to depict a contrasting polar projection, with continents in hand-frosted white gold falling away into oceans that become darker and darker as the coastline recedes, just as in real life. The scene is encircled by the traditional features of the Classic Traveller: a broad, circular brushed flange graduated with hand-polished hour markers, one end of each extending out over the dial. The 41-millimetre white gold case comes on a strap designed especially for the unique piece in blue calfskin with an Alcantara lining and blue topstitching.
Inside sits Laurent Ferrier’s iconic LF 230.02 calibre featuring an 18-carat gold micro-rotor, Côtes de Genève finishing, hand-polished bevelling, a double direct impulse escapement, a silicon anchor, a three-day power reserve – and as always, its own individual movement number: the Art in Time calibre bears the number 178. The case also features the words ‘Pièce Unique’ and ‘Art in Time’.
Like the seven other unique pieces produced for Art in Time since 2020, part of the proceeds from the sale will go to the Monaco Red Cross; every year, the charity provides direct aid for humanitarian initiatives benefiting children and cultural projects targeting students. As well as paying homage to Albert II of Monaco’s journey retracing that of his great-great-grandfather, there’s another nod to history here: proceeds from the very first Art in Time piece, made by Urwerk in 2020, also went to the Monaco Red Cross.
