W&W 2020: Laurent Ferrier Grand Sport Tourbillon

Laurent Ferrier has released a new limited edition of the Grand Sport Tourbillon. The first model appeared last year, featuring a brown dial and matching rubber strap. Now, the 44 mm stainless-steel timepiece features a cushion-shaped bezel, although the dial and subdials within are round. Furthermore, the watch’s stainless-steel 3-link bracelet with a folding clasp integrates into the case – a first for the brand. Notably, the tourbillon is only visible through the caseback.

The centre of the Grand Sport Tourbillon‘s gradient dial is blue opaline in the middle, turning to black by the edges. A snailed small seconds subdial lies at 6 o’clock. The dark dial contrasts with the timepiece’s Assegai-shaped hands and 18-carat white gold indexes, which feature orange Super-LumiNova. Additionally, the arcing, tinted sapphire crystal protecting the dial creates a rounded appearance when viewed from the side.

Powering the Grand Sport Tourbillon is Laurent Ferrier’s in-house manual-winding tourbillon movement with a double balance spring. It provides an 80-hour power reserve and beats with a frequency of 3 Hz. Furthermore, the movement features a long-blade-type ratchet pawl system, inspired by 19th-century chronometry. This system produces an audible ‘click’ sound as the watch is wound. Unusually, the rotating cage of the tourbillon is only visible through the case back. Finally, the movement is chronometer certified by the Besançon Observatory.

Finally, 12 pieces of the Grand Sport Tourbillon are available. The watch is water-resistant to 100m and costs 172,000 CHF.

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