Laurent Ferrier

"Simplicity, precision and purity". Laurent Ferrier likes to be concise when talking about his own creations. This Geneva native spent 37 years working for one of the world's leading watch manufacturers. The search for balance and harmony has guided his work, but his hobbies were no less mechanical: from the age of 22, Laurent Ferrier was involved in the world of automobiles, racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, among other great European circuits.

The man was 63 when he created his brand. His story, however, goes back much further. Co-founder François Servanin and Laurent Ferrier met at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1979, they teamed up at the wheel of a Porsche 935 Turbo to take 3rd place overall. To express his gratitude to his teammate, Laurent gifted François a beautiful watch. The latter then had the idea of one day creating his own watch brand with Laurent. The idea came to life in 2009. It took just one year for their first creation to win the coveted title of Best Men's Watch at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, the GPHG, in 2010. Two more awards followed, in 2015 and 2018.

The recipe for success? Firstly, a shape - Classic, round with soft, curved lines - inspired by 19th-century pocket watches. A highly distinctive case thanks to this curvature, its lugs and its ball-shaped crown. The Classic will then be complemented by another cushion-shaped case, the Square.

Next, a movement. In this first caliber, the tourbillon is king, but in the purest Geneva tradition for escapements, it remains on the back. Decisively modern, it features a double balance-spring. Two movements feature a micro-rotor, while the others are hand-wound. The dial is resolutely minimalistic, with two "sagaie" hands as an aesthetic signature. These hands are stamped using a traditional 19th-century technique that produces a unique curvature. In-house complications are regularly developed, such as the Traveller or the Annual Calendar, an ingenious, simple and intuitive dual time zone system.