We knew this one had to be coming. How could it not? After Laurent Ferrier introduced his inaugural stainless steel sports watch equipped with a tourbillon and finished with an integrated rubber strap last year at Baselworld, it seemed inevitable that a bracelet-equipped sibling couldn’t be too far behind. Lo and behold, here it is: Introducing the new Grand Sport Tourbillon fitted to the brand’s first steel bracelet and completed with a new blue degradé dial that bears the same Assegai-shaped white gold markers filled with orange Super-LumiNova. And just as before, the Grand Sport is, again, limited to 12 individually numbered pieces.
Specifications
Brand: Laurent Ferrier
Model: Grand Sport Tourbillon (ref. LCF041.2.AC.C1GO)
Dimensions: 44mm
Water Resistance: 100 meters
Case Material: stainless steel
Crystal/Lens: sapphire
Movement: Laurent Ferrier tourbillon
Frequency: 3Hz
Power Reserve: 80 hours
Strap/Bracelet: three-link stainless steel bracelet with folding clasp
Price & Availability: Limited to 12 individually numbered pieces, 172,000 CHF
If you’re new to Laurent Ferrier, I’ll catch you up real quick: The man himself spent nearly four decades of his career in product development at none other than Patek Philippe, so yes — it’s natural that his inaugural steel sports watch was destined to look a little bit like that “other” luxury steel sports watch from his alma mater. In Ferrier’s defense, though, the Grand Sport is arguably a much more refined product with a more interesting case design, whose long, flowing lines hide its 44mm footprint and create a much more organic interpretation of the now-classic porthole dial design we’ve seen on so many other alternatives. It’s an aesthetic that runs throughout Laurent Ferrier’s other collections, like the Galet, but this one in particular has a more pronounced retro-futuristic air about it — one that feels as though it actually belongs in a Jules Verne novel on the merits of its own design, rather than just its namesake.
Laurent Ferrier made his solo debut back in 2009 (doing so with his first tourbillon in the catalog, which would later go on to take home top honors at GPHG the following year), so the 2019 Grand Sport Tourbillon was meant as a tandem celebration of sorts for the brand’s first tourbillon, and for its first decade in business, while paying homage to his passion for the sport of motor racing. Obviously, 2019’s release proved to be quite a successful one because, despite what we were told about the watch’s production run more or less being a one-off, here we are again with 12 more pieces and a new three-link bracelet with a super-cool beveled center link that adds a little more texture and depth to an otherwise pretty traditional design. Now, don’t get me wrong — as the most noble of complications, the tourbillon is neat and all, but give me this exact watch (actually maybe in titanium if we’re playing with hypotheticals), but with Laurent Ferrier’s excellent “Traveller” movement, and I’ll happily sell off my collection and exit this silly hobby with my “one watch” for good.
In the meantime, we can only hope that this particular reference is again a harbinger of future Grand Sport references in the Laurent Ferrier stable, as it’s certainly providing plenty more interesting competition in the white-hot luxury sport watch category. Again, the price of the Grand Sport Tourbillon on bracelet is 172,000 CHF. Learn more at laurentferrier.ch.
