Laurent Ferrier Galet Micro-Rotor “Montre Ecole” British Racing Green

As you all know by now, watchmaking is not Laurent Ferrier’s only passion. He loves cars too, a topic he discussed with MONOCHROME in this video here. His passion for automobiles prompted him to take part in the 1979 edition of Le Mans 24 Hours, in which he finished third. It hardly comes as a surprise then to see some of his watches infused with motorsport inspiration. Celebrating London Craft Week 2018, the brand introduces the Galet Micro-Rotor “Montre Ecole” with a great British Racing Green dial.

This year, Laurent Ferrier will participate in London Craft Week, a festival that brings together over 200 established and emerging makers, designers, brands and galleries from around the world, celebrating British and international creativity. To honour Britishness, the brand unveils today a new, very Brit-inspired piece, featuring an unprecedented colour for such a watch, yet a colour that all petrolheads will recognise: British Racing Green.

Laurent Ferrier’s love of cars dates back to his childhood. He had a poster in his bedroom featuring the Triumph Spitfire racing in Le Mans. Laurent Ferrier recalls: “To me, it was the most beautiful car ever. I wanted to drive it so badly! I was also completely devoted to its shapes and of course, the colour was striking.” The colour he refers to is the official colour used on all British cars (Aston-Martin, Jaguar, Lotus F1, Triumph, MG or Austin Healey, to name a few), which is now applied on the dial of the Laurent Ferrier Galet Micro-Rotor “Montre Ecole”.

Just like British racing cars of yesterday, the dial of this British Racing Green Galet Micro-Rotor “Montre Ecole” is lacquered. In order to complete the racing style and provide contrast, the small seconds sub-dial is silvered and the railroad minute track and the hour markers are a nod to speedometers. Apart from the striking green colour, the rest of the watch is identical to previous editions.

The base used here is the Galet Micro-Rotor “Montre Ecole”, a watch that Laurent created as a tribute to his watchmaking school years. This is why the case is perfectly round and the lugs feel like they were later added on – as if the watch was a converted pocket watch. The 40mm case is offered in polished stainless steel and combined with a dark brown Nappa leather strap – again, a nod to vintage cars. The hands and markers are crafted in white gold and feature the elegant Assegai shape, a signature design of Laurent Ferrier.

Animating the hour, minute and small seconds is the elaborate Calibre FBN 229.01. Featuring a solid gold micro-rotor for the automatic winding and a natural escapement in silicon with double impulse on the balance spring, it is not your standard 3-hand movement. Both complex and delicate, this calibre is painstakingly decorated, with polished anglages and black polished steel parts. On the contrary to the sand-blasted brass finishing found on the standard steel Montre Ecole, Laurent Ferrier uses a more traditional rhodium-plated movement with Geneva stripes on the bridges.

This special edition of the Laurent Ferrier Galet Micro-Rotor “Montre Ecole” British Racing Green will be priced at CHF 37,000. More details on laurentferrier.ch.