Many a collector’s journey has begun with either shortlist built with the stellar reputation of the finest watchmakers in the land: Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet; Or they can begin with the best marketed brands: Rolex, Omega or Longines. Alternatively, they can simply be lured by the most complicated…
Great achievements are often driven by a passion. When you talk with Laurent Ferrier, it’s immediately evident that he is a man of passions… Yes, passions with an ‘s’, because as you’ll see in this video although Laurent’s career as a watchmaker started with his passion for watches, the story of Laurent Ferrier as a watch brand has been shaped by his second passion, cars. Today, Monochrome is pleased to show you the human and personal story of a man, of his brand, of his love for watches, as well as the past, present and future of one of the nicest manufactures of traditional timepieces; Laurent Ferrier.
The SIHH 2017 ended already a few weeks ago, and our own Xavier an Brice already shared their favorites of this year’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie. In the mean time I’ve been busy, among others with a trip to the far north of Finland with Porsche and Porsche Design. While drifting on ice with a host of 911’s, I got to experience how perfectly both brands match, and I got a lot of hands-on time with the 1919 Chronograph that Porsche Design introduced at Baselworld last year. Later more about that, but now it’s time to list my top 10 watches from the SIHH.
In my previous review of Laurent Ferrier’s Galet Classic Square Tourbillon here, I observe the brand to be one that strongly emphasizes on certain values such as simplicity and elegance and these were all reflected in many of its designs. In fact, having previously worked at Patek Philippe for four decades, Laurent Ferrier believed in the…
First one to pull the trigger was Xavier, with his Top 10 watches of the SIHH 2017. It was not fair to leave that task to him only, so I had to do the job too. Still, picking up my 10 favorite pieces of the Geneva-based fair was not easy. Not that there was not enough material this year – we’ve seen many interesting propositions, both dream-watches or more commercial offers – but it’s always difficult to set barriers. Whatever, here they are, my 10 favorite watches of the SIHH 2017 (plus a few special mentions, some watches or policies dear to my heat…)
While most of you might know about Laurent Ferrier’s past at a certain Geneva-Based Manufacture (with PP as initials…), few might be aware of the full past of this man as a proper and highly-qualified watchmaker. And watch lovers know that the most valuable resources in the world of haute horlogerie are the watchmakers themselves. Thus, as a tribute to his Watchmaking School Years and his beloved “Montre Ecole” (the School Piece), Laurent Ferrier today introduces a special version of the Galet Micro Rotor with a new case and a new dial, inspired by his very first piece when he was still learning how to make real watches.
We continue our live blogging, live from SIHH 2017. Laurent Ferrier, as you might know, is a favorite of ours, with their superb, understated, slightly vintage-inspired watches and the highly decorated and technical movements that goes along. This year, they have a tourbillon to show, but on the contrary of previous creations, this tourbillon double-spiral is now visible from the dial (and that is not Laurent Ferrier’s habits).
Yesterday, Brice wrote a piece about his own dream, a timepiece that is an answer to the question “What if… you could create your own dream watch?“. I must admit that his vision of a Panda Datograph in Steel was properly stunning. With that same question in mind, I imagined something different. Similar to yesterday’s dream watch, today’s “dream watch” will also be of significant quality (meaning price is not an object) and one that doesn’t exist. There’s one piece by Laurent Ferrier that I’m sure I’ll never be able to own. Sad, but true. And this brings us to the creation of this dream piece, a Laurent Ferrier Galet Square in Steel with that oh-so-lovely “Only Watch” sector dial (sort of).
After showing you our selection for the best sports and dive watches, after the 5 best chronographs, the best dress watches or the best of the ultra-complicated watches, it is now time to end these guides with what certainly is our most preferred category, the one that properly creates sparkles in the eyes of our team: the best of “indie watchmaking” of 2016. Just before Christmas, we bring you the ultra-bold, the ultra-complex, the ultra-everything. No compromises, no justification of price, no industrial matters. Here, it’s all about dream, passion, creativity and innovation. Here are our 5 best watches from independent watchmakers introduced in 2016.
Our latest review of some of our favorites: Watches & Whisky with Aultmore + Laurent Ferrier