Laurent Ferrier - The Geneva Watch Auction: X Geneva Saturday, November 9, 2019 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Laurent Ferrier
    Year: Circa 2012
    Movement No: Movement stamped Prototype
    Model Name: Galet Micro-Rotor "Prototype"
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal FBN229.01, 35 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Alligator
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Laurent Ferrier pin buckle
    Dimensions: 41mm Diameter
    Signed: Dial, movement and buckle signed
    Literature: Laurent Ferrier and the Galet Micro-Rotor are prominently illustrated in Watchmakers, The Masters of Art Horology by Maxima Gallery pp 136-159.

  • Catalogue Essay

    A timeless design, a modern take on a Breguet escapement and superlative movement finish are just a few elements that set Laurent Ferrier’s Micro Rotor caliber apart from its peers.
    The present watch is a Prototype of the Galet Micro-Rotor, a new watch with a brand new caliber Ferrier had developed.

    Originally presented in 2013, following the success of his groundbreaking Galet Tourbillon, the Galet Micro-Rotor featured a revolutionary automatic winding movement. The escapement was based on Abraham-Louis Breguet’s natural escapement that was rarely seen in wristwatch form. The movement has two escape wheels that give two impulses to the balance per oscillation. The use of cutting edge materials like silicon for the escapement give a completely contemporary approach to the movement.

    It is also important to underline that the double impulse escapement doesn’t require any lubrication.

    Other interesting features of the caliber are a micro-rotor pawl-fitted automatic winding system fixed between the mainplate and the micro-rotor bridge and a silent-block shock-absorbing system protecting the micro-rotor.

    Laurent Ferrier watches are known for the astounding finish of the movements, with beautiful interior and exterior angles painstakingly executed, Geneva waves and a tapered micro-rotor bridge requiring extreme dexterity to attain the shape. It is incredible that Laurent Ferrier went to the same extremes to finish the movement of this prototype to the same exacting standards as his production pieces.

    The movement is stamped with the number of the caliber and “Prototype,” the number of jewels and positions of adjustment are not indicated contrary to production pieces.

    The dashing good looks of the present timepiece are complemented by the dark chocolate brown dial which is also unique and was never used in any other Laurent Ferrier timepiece.

    An elegant and sophisticated watch with a beautifully finished movement with a novel escapement, the present Galet Micro-Rotor Prototype offers the opportunity to the savvy collector to own a unique timepiece that he or she will never see on the wrist of another.

  • Artist Biography

    Laurent Ferrier

    Swiss • 2008

    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.

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A unique and attractive stainless steel prototype wristwatch with chocolate brown dial

Circa 2012
41mm Diameter
Dial, movement and buckle signed

Estimate
CHF20,000 - 40,000 
€18,800-37,500
$20,800-41,600

Sold for CHF43,750

Contact Specialist
Alexandre Ghotbi
Head of Watches, Continental Europe and the Middle East
+ 41 79 637 1724
aghotbi@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: X

Geneva Auction 9-10 November 2019