Founded in 2009, Laurent Ferrier is named after its founder, who embarked on this watchmaking adventure with his friend François Servanin. The two share a great passion for motor racing, so much so that in 1979 they took third place in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans (together with teammate François Trisconi) in a Porsche 935 Turbo, crossing the finish line behind a certain Paul Newman. The new Sport Auto takes its design inspiration from the Grand Sport Tourbillon: however, the case is made of grade 5 titanium instead of steel, and measures 41.5 mm, as opposed to 44 mm for the 'inspirer' model. Note the different polished and satin finishes on the bezel and case, as well as the integrated bracelet on three rows of links. The new calibre adopted, designed, developed and assembled by Laurent Ferrier, is the LF270.01 calibre (32.5 mm in diameter, 4.85 mm thick, 215 components, 31 jewels, 28,800 vibrations per hour, 72-hour power reserve), a self-winding mechanical movement with platinum micro-rotor and ruthenium-treated bridges. Very well executed are the finishes of the movement itself, visible from the back side. The dial, protected by a domed sapphire crystal and playing on different shades of blue, has 18-carat white gold Assegai hands and arrow hour markers with green luminescent treatment, and offers additional displays for the small seconds (at 6 o'clock) and the date window (at 3 o'clock). The onion crown is screwed down and water resistance is guaranteed up to 12 atmospheres. The Sport Auto therefore seems to have all the credentials to compete with similar three-handed models with a sporty design from more prestigious haute horlogerie manufacturers. Do you agree?
Price: 46,000 Swiss francs (excluding tax).
