Watchmaker, racing driver, entrepreneur, designer: Meet Laurent Ferrier
Late in life, Laurent Ferrier has developed one of the most lionised top-tier watch brands in Switzerland, handcrafting tiny volumes of watches that are as quietly, sensuously beautiful as they are horologically advanced. Telegraph Time gives the low-down on a softly-spoken auteur.
Horological upbringing
Ferrier was born into a family of watchmakers in 1946 in Neuchatel, a town at the heart of the watch industry. The family lived above a repair workshop where his father worked on high complication watches – something, Ferrier says, that instilled in him early an appreciation of “the feel and sensation these things should have”.
It’s this rich perception that has remained at the heart of his designs – his flagship model is called the “Galet”, French for pebble, referencing the smooth, sensuous feel of the watch.
Patek lifer, racing driver
Ferrier spent 37 years working for Patek Philippe, starting out in movement prototyping and rising to become head of product development. This didn’t stop him pursuing a side career as a racing driver, including a third-place finish at 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979.
“Watch collectors are often great car enthusiasts, and since I was a child I loved racing,” he says. “The two worlds look alike, the exterior of a car, the engine, the quality of work, finishings and performance.”
Indie auteur
He was three years from retirement, in 2008, when he left Patek Philippe to follow his dream and start his eponymous brand, teaming up with his son Christian, also a watchmaker then working with the movement maker La Fabrique du Temps, which would be instrumental in the development of Laurent Ferrier’s remarkable movements.
“My initial thought was to make pieces that watchmakers would want to wear,” he says. “Watches are for me a form of elegance, harmony, craftsmanship and refinement. The objective was to develop balanced watches with pure lines, and softness in look and feel.”
Mechanics of beauty
Ferrier watches are as known for their highly original in-house movements, combining depth and traditional hand finishing with technical ingenuity, as for the sensuous beauty of the design. Ferrier launched his brand in 2010 with an innovative double tourbillon, visible only through the back of the watch, and promptly took top prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
The new masterpiece
Ferrier’s latest watch is a regulator (left) – a style based on the highly accurate workshop clocks once used to regulate watches, with hours, minutes and seconds hands on separate dials. “I had in mind to create a watch that would speak to watchmakers, something they would love to wear themselves.”
Unique collaboration
The OnlyWatch auction (Nov 11), which raises money for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, sees brands donating unique watches. And one of this year’s hottest lots is a collaboration between Urwerk and Ferrier (pictured top), finally with a design inspired by his love for fast cars.
“As a designer, it’s always a great challenge to get out of the comfort zone. This was a privilege to show I was able to realise something different,” he says.
Laurent Ferrier watches available at William & Son; 020 7493 8385; williamandson.com
The OnlyWatch auction takes place at Christie’s Geneva on November 11. For the full line-up, visit onlywatch.com
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