Manufacturer: Laurent Ferrier Year: 2017 Movement No: 021 Case No: 10/15 Model Name: Galet Traveller for Hodinkee Material: Titanium Calibre: Automatic, cal. LF 230.02, 41 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: Titanium pin buckle Dimensions: 41mm Diameter Signed: Dial, movement and buckle signed Accessories: Accompanied by fitted box, guarantee, cleaning cloth, loupe, and product literature Literature: Laurent Ferrier and the Galet Traveler are prominently illustrated in Watchmakers, The Masters of Art Horology by Maxima Gallery pp 136-159.
Catalogue Essay
At an age when most men take advantage of their retirement, Laurent Ferrier set on a long and winding road to create his own brand.
A trained watchmaker, Laurent Ferrier spent close to 37 years in product development at Patek Philippe, taking only a short yet exciting break in order to pursue his passion for automobile racing, a stint punctuated by a podium finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979 right behind none other than Paul Newman!
Ferrier presented his first watch in 2010, the Galet Classique, a superbly classical yet suave timepiece with a phenomenally gorgeous and painstakingly hand decorated tourbillon movement. His vision of pure elegant designs and superbly finished movements has made the brand a favorite amongst aficionados.
The present Galet Traveller is part of an extremely limited run of only fifteen watches made in collaboration with Hodinkee, the renowned online watch magazine, of which the present watch is number 10. The Galet Traveller is a superb modern take on the Patek Philippe dual time reference 2597 from the 1960s with two buttons on the case side that once pressed will move the hour hand backward or forward by one hour to set time in a new time zone, home time being elegantly displayed via an aperture at 9 o’clock.
The present watch features a cavalcade of details exclusive to this model and not found in other Galet Traveller models: a polished titanium case, the removal of the subseconds dial and date window, a superb deep blue enamel dial center and a ruthenium plated movement.
The Galet Traveller features a double direct-impulse natural escapement (an escapement devised by Breguet in the late 18th century and which very few watchmakers have managed to recreate) using two nickel phosphorous escape wheels and a silicon lever as ensuring better distribution of energy.
It is the first time that a Laurent Ferrier Galet Traveller for Hodinkee is offered on the international auction market and the overall exclusivity of this timepiece, its dashing good looks and its cutting edge movement make it a must have in the collection of the savvy collector.
Please note that Laurent Ferrier offers a full complementary servicing of this Galet Traveller to the new owner.
Introducing its first watch to critical acclaim in 2010, Laurent Ferrier was founded by long-time Swiss watchmaker of the same name. Following a 37-year career at Patek Philippe, Ferrier founded the brand in 2008, creating timeless wristwatches inspired by the finest wrist and pocket watches from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Revered by collectors around the world for their genuine innovations and understated elegance, the brand specializes in exquisitely hand-finished movements featuring state-of-the-art watchmaking technology. Galet, or "pebble" in French, describes the signature feature of the brand's cases used across its collection — with soft curves, domed crystals and rounded edges reminding one of a smooth pebble.
Key models include the Galet Classic Tourbillon Double Spiral and the Galet Micro-Rotor, with stunning movement architectures designed after prestigious observatory chronometer movements of the twentieth century.