The Rise of Laurent Ferrier
Like another independent watchmaking phenom before him–Franck Muller–Laurent Ferrier worked at Patek Philippe for years before creating his own watch company. His eponymous brand released their first watch in 2010, which won the Grand Prix de d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) award for best men’s watch that year. Laurent Ferrier now stands among many coveted independent luxury watch brands with meticulous finishing and entry prices above $30,000. They seem to have found their place with designs bolder than ultra-traditional brands like R.W. Smith, but much more conservative than avant-garde contemporaries like MB&F. Here’s an overview of this increasingly popular haute horology brand.
History
As a third-generation watchmaker, Laurent Ferrier was interested in complicated watches from a young age. He also has a history as a semi-professional racecar driver, and his racing passion was much more than an afterthought. In fact, he won his category at the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1978. Some watch brands celebrate LeMans winners…this brand is made by a LeMans winner!
In his late 20’s, Ferrier returned his focus to watchmaking and had an impressive career at Patek Philippe for over three decades. By 2009, his friend François Servanin, a fellow watch enthusiast and driver from Ferrier’s racing days, had become a very successful entrepreneur. The duo got together, discussed their dream of a new watch brand, and Ferrier left Patek. Servanin bankrolled the fledgling Laurent Ferrier company and remains the majority shareholder. Servanin now serves as president to the 30-employee company, and should Mr. Ferrier retire, his collaborator and son Christian appears well-positioned to help maintain the legacy.
Laurent Ferrier Characteristics
Case Shapes | Smooth, modern versions of classic case shapes (round, cushion, and tank) |
Case Material | Titanium, stainless steel, red gold, or white gold |
Case Width | Grand Sport: 44mm Bridge One (rectangular): 30mm All other models: 40mm-41.5mm |
Caseback | Domed sapphire |
Movements | Known for micro-rotor automatic movements (some manuals available) Often ruthenium-treated for a dark appearance |
Complications | Time, date, second time zone, tourbillon, or annual calendar |
Finishing Quality | On par with anything under $50,000 |
MSRP (Feb. 2024) | CHF 31,000-225,000 (~$35,000-$256,000) |
Market Price (Feb. 2024) | $27,000-$240,000 |
Bracelet/Straps | Grand Sport: Integrated metal bracelet or rubber strap All other models: Leather or alligator strap |
Dials | Classic design elements (sector dial, Breguet numerals, etc.) Variety of tasteful and sometimes unusual color options Seconds subdial at 6 o’clock |
Hands | Lance hands |
Design Language
Laurent Ferrier’s aesthetic can be described as a modern reinterpretation of classic designs, using familiar vintage elements like cushion cases and sector dials along with modern touches like ruthenium-treated movements and unusual (but tasteful) color options. These are certainly quiet luxury watches. Lance hands and onion crowns are both signature elements of the design language. And for the first five years of production, circular titanium cases were their norm.
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Models
There are six different families of Laurent Ferrier watches in total, four of which are still in the current catalog. Note that Laurent Ferrier no longer uses the term “Galet,” which means “pebble.” “Galet” models are now called “Classic” models, while “Galet Square” models are simply “Square” now.
Classic
The name of the “Classic” line speaks for itself. The watch is pure, straightforward class, reminiscent of a Patek Philippe Calatrava. The Classic Micro-Rotor helped put LF on the map, and the Classic Origin, released in 2020 to celebrate the brand’s 10th anniversary, is a manual-wind take on it. The Classic Traveller model is also an appealing option for a GMT watch.
The ultimate Laurent Ferrier Classic watch, though, is the brand’s very first watch: The Classic Tourbillon Double Spiral. The tourbillon, only visible through the exhibition caseback, is notable for its double balance spring. The oppositionally-placed balance springs theoretically offset each other’s errors, helping the tourbillon “cancel out” the effects of gravity more efficiently. The double spiral tourbillon remains the signature complication of the brand.
Laurent Ferrier Galet Square
The Laurent Ferrier Galet Square Micro-Rotor, arguably their most appealing and recognizable watch, won the GPHG award for “Horological Revelation” upon its release in 2015. The case shape of the Square is very similar to that of a Panerai Radiomir.
Laurent Ferrier Bridge One
In 2019, Laurent Ferrier released the Bridge One, with their most distinctive case shape yet. Its rectangular profile with slightly flared lugs is reminiscent of watches popular in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The familiar onion crown fits well with that era’s aesthetic. A new manual-wind caliber (LF107.01) was created just for the Bridge One. The Bridge One, which was the only Laurent Ferrier model ever made without a seconds subdial, was discontinued after less than five years of production.
École
The École is reminiscent of dress watches from the 1940’s and 1950’s, with its straight but angled lugs. Although this lineup is now discontinued, the École Annual Calendar notably won the GPHG award for the “men’s complication” category in 2018.
Grand Sport Tourbillon
The Grand Sport, released in 2023, is LF’s largest watch, their first bracelet watch, and also arguably their flagship. It is only available with a manual-wind tourbillon movement, and only 36 have been made so far (12 in steel, 24 in rose gold). With a 44mm diameter, this is by far their “loudest” watch. Not a bad way to spend $200,000.
Laurent Ferrier Sport Auto
The Sport Auto, released in 2022, is a more attainable way to get a LF watch ever made on a bracelet. Its appealing shape has strong 1970’s vibes and it would be a strong competitor to the H. Moser & Cie Streamliner. The “40” written in the subdial of the green version represents the number of the Porsche that Ferrier and Servanin drove at Le Mans together in 1979 (they placed third). The Sport Auto is only available as a time-and-date model with a micro-rotor movement.
Do Laurent Ferrier Watches Hold Value?
While you can expect a pre-owned Laurent Ferrier to sell for about 20% less than its new list price, the watch will likely hold its value well from there. Fortunately for collectors, despite Laurent Ferrier’s low volume and high quality, there isn’t an outrageous demand-supply imbalance. Dozens of LF watches are available for sale on the secondhand market at any given time. While it seems counterintuitive to call a brand that makes $30,000+ watches “accessible,” Laurent Ferrier watches are actually much more readily attainable than some other independent watchmakers of a similar quality.
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How Many Laurent Ferrier Watches Are Made Each Year?
At first, Laurent Ferrier produced about 150 watches per year; now their annual output is estimated to be around 300. Less than one watch per day! To put that in perspective, Rolex makes an estimated 3,200 watches per day on average.
Sales Model
Although Laurent Ferrier’s watches are full of time-honored classic design elements, the brand has fully embraced the modern online direct sales channel. LF has also collaborated with watch blogs like Revolution and Hodinkee to release limited-edition versions exclusively available on those websites. But for most of their watches, you can simply inquire from the brand’s website.
There are even some limited-edition online-only “Série Atelier” models with relatively bold colors. Laurent Ferrier hasn’t abandoned the traditional brick-and-mortar sales route, though. As of early 2024, there are 41 authorized dealers worldwide. 15 are in North America, 12 are in Europe, and 14 are in Asia. Given the low annual output of watches, and that many of them go directly to online customers, each dealer likely only receives a handful of watches per year.
For high-end independent watch brands like F.P. Journe, demand often grows slowly for a number of years before it explodes. Time will tell if Laurent Ferrier will see a similar demand explosion, or if they’ll remain a relatively under-the-radar marque. Either way, there are plenty of options for collectors to explore from this impressive independent luxury watch brand.