Making a graduation watch is a rite of passage for many watchmakers. Typically, apprentice watchmakers are given a Unitas calibre and then a short brief to make modifications or develop complications as they see fit or simply to follow the requirements and execute their vision of how a certain time indication should be. The SIHH 2018 Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar School Piece or Montre Ecole follows Master Watchmaker Ferrier’s personal horological journey.

SIHH 2018 Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar School Piece and Galet Micro-Rotor

Designed entirely in-house, the Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar School Piece is a homage to the Master Watchmaker’s own graduation watch. Ferrier, a former Creative Director of Patek Philippe, is best known for his classically elegant, deceptively simplistic timepieces. The Galet Annual Calendar School Piece joins a family known for hiding its high complications on the reverse-side of the movement. “School Piece” or Montre Ecole is a nod to Ferrier’s own journey from apprentice to watchmaker and when you think about how the coin of the watchmaking realm turns on provenance, it becomes a nice bookend timepiece in the Laurent Ferrier brand journey.

The SIHH 2018 Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar School Piece follows the typical design conventions of an Annual Calendar but it is the little details and hidden “secrets” which set it apart from conventional Annual Calendar timepieces. First, bevelled apertures for day and month indications sit in a selection of either silver tone or a slate grey dials. Second, the dials themselves feature three different types of straight and circular brushed finishing, progressing from the centre to the minute rail and then to the date numerals on the periphery, including concentric engine turned circles for the subsidiary seconds. Beyond the face of the Galet Annual Calendar Montre Ecole lies an in-house calibre which embodies all the values and spirit of Laurent Ferrier’s artisanal watchmaking workshop.

For SIHH 2018, the brand unveils its 5th exclusive caliber featuring a technically sophisticated but user-friendly Annual Calendar function developed with the aim of ensuring smooth operation: Where traditional annual calendars can only be set forward, a skipped date forces the user to potentially complete a cycle in order to get back to the correct date. On the 2018 Galet Annual Calendar School Piece, the date and month can be adjusted by intuitively turning the crown forward and backward, a rarity, allowing for faster adjustment than most.

In terms of heritage, Laurent Ferrier’s 5th in-house calibre also pays tribute to its first manual winding movement The tourbillon double hairspring. The new caliber features a long “blade” type click ratchet which became a distinctive signature. For the first time, Laurent Ferrier will introduce a “pale” 18K yellow gold version.

Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar School Piece Price and Specs

Movement Manual winding calibre LF126.01 with 80 hours power reserve
Case 40mm red gold, pale yellow gold or stainless steel with 30 metres water resistance
Strap Black alligator leather Alcantara lining
Price SGD 87,000

SIHH 2018 Laurent Ferrier Galet Micro-Rotor

Laurent Ferrier harbours a passion for the beauty of 19th century pocket watches, and this muse is best exemplified in the maison’s Galet Micro Rotor. First designed for another “Montre Ecole” limited edition 40mm three-piece bassiné case timepiece, the new SIHH 2018 novelty serves as an introduction to the breadth of Mr. Ferrier’s philosophy and watchmaking know-how. Like others in the brand’s foundational collections, there’s a strong vintage appeal but thanks to contemporary case design, it looks like a thoroughly modern if classic timepiece.

Beneath its simple appearance lies a world of harmonious, highly technical engineering. The SIHH 2018 Laurent Ferrier Galet Micro-Rotor uses  new double direct-impulse escapement fitted directly on the balance is equipped with a silicon lever, an exclusive development inspired by the “natural” escapement invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet. The silicon lever, coupled with modern construction techniques maximizes energy efficiency, which in turn ensures high amplitude for the balance and reduces the mechanical force required to wind the mainspring.

Movement Automatic Calibre FBN 229.01 with 72 hours power reserve
Case 40mm gold or stainless steel with 30 metres water resistance
Strap Black alligator leather Alcantara lining
Price TBA