Laurent Ferrier

This extremely rare watch is a special limited edition of 12 Classic Origin watches with a stainless steel case and two-tone ‘sector’ dial, released in 2020 for Revolution and The Rake magazines. In early 2020, the Laurent Ferrier brand launched a new entry-level Classic Origin model to mark the 10th anniversary of its first watch, offered in a 40mm round titanium case with the newly developed hand-wound caliber LF116.01. Looking back, one is reminded of the first model in the brand collection launched by Laurent Ferrier, the Galet Classic Tourbillon Double Spiral watch. With this model, the brand clearly demonstrated that it wanted to operate in the narrow and extremely demanding market of collector’s watches. The brand has maintained this specialization to this day, with an annual production of less than 200 pieces. However, the introduction of the Classic Origin watch, which is a value-for-money offering in the collection, shows that the brand wants to appeal to a wider audience that would not consider buying watches with tourbillons and other complications due to their higher prices. The soft shapes and finishing of the Galet stainless-steel case are matched by a graceful yet rather large and easy-to-use turban-shaped crown. The elongated hands of the modified ‘spade & whip’ style, which are given soft streamlined shapes, are made from blued steel – Laurent Ferrier calls this design ‘Assegai’. It gives the watch a special charm and recognition. In this edition, the watch is offered with the original second set of blued steel hands with lumi. Perhaps the most striking design feature of the Classic Origin Edition Limitée pour Revolution & The Rake is the so-called ‘scientific’ dial. It is often referred to as a ‘sector dial’, but Revolution & The Rake has chosen the term ‘scientific’ for this watch. Watches with such a dial, both wristwatches and pocket watches, appeared in the 1920s as one of the ways to display the time more clearly. Their distinctive feature is that the chapter ring has a circular line from which the ‘stick’ hour markings deviate outwards. Some of these hour markings could be supplemented or replaced by Arabic numerals, which was done with the numbers 9, 12 and 3 on this watch. To increase clarity, the ‘scientific’ dial is divided into zones that differ in color and finish. In this watch, the central zone has a light cream color, while the silvery background of the chapter ring is brushed. The small seconds are located on a recessed sub-dial at 6 o’clock with a grooved background and four enlarged markings in the cardinal points. The watch originally came with a beige Alcantara strap with Laurent Ferrier pin buckle and a Milanese stainless steel bracelet made in Japan, with straight end links. These options are included with this watch.

The Laurent Ferrier Classic Origin Edition Limitée pour Revolution & The Rake is an attractive purchase for collector and connoisseurs looking for an extremely rare, understated and stylish dress wristwatch from a modern haute horlogerie watch brand that is one of the most notable players in the modern collector’ market. The combination of typical Laurent Ferrier design features such as the smoothly rounded, pebble-shaped case, the sleek ‘Assegai’ hands in the unique branded design, the hand-wound caliber in a beautiful, traditional design with Haute Horlogerie finishing and the special features of this limited edition, in particular the rare version of the caliber and the two-tone, ‘scientific’ dial, make this watch even more attractive.