Laurent Ferrier's Sport Traveller: two time zones, one push
A titanium sports watch with a new in-house calibre that jumps local time by the hour. And, unusually for the brand, a Swiss lever escapement.
Laurent Ferrier is known for quiet, classical watches. The Sport Traveller, shown at Watches and Wonders in April, puts the brand's travel complication into its sports line, with a new movement built for it.
The watch
The case is grade 5 titanium, 42 mm across and 13.3 mm thick, with an integrated three-link titanium bracelet and 100 metres of water resistance. The dial is a slate grey opaline, nearly all tone-on-tone. Home time shows at 3 o'clock, the date at 9 and small seconds at 6. The hour markers and Ferrier's signature Assegai-shaped hands are in white gold, filled with green Super-LumiNova.
How the travel function works
Two pushers on the left side of the case, at 8 and 10 o'clock, move the local hour hand forward or back one hour at a time. The movement never stops while you do it, so the watch keeps time as you change zones. The home time at 3 o'clock stays put, and the date follows local time.
The movement
The new LF275.01 is an automatic with an off-centre micro-rotor in platinum, a heavy metal that winds well even though the rotor is small. It beats at 4 Hz, holds 72 hours of power and is made of 240 parts with 35 jewels.
The interesting choice is the escapement. Laurent Ferrier is known for the natural escapement, a design with no lever pallets, which its earlier travel calibre used. The LF275.01 uses a conventional Swiss lever escapement instead. Hodinkee and Monochrome both read it the same way: a lever escapement is tougher and simpler to service, which suits a watch meant to be worn every day.
From the bench
Many collectors will see the lever escapement as a step back. A watchmaker may see it differently. A natural escapement is lovely, but few people can adjust or service one. A Swiss lever is something any trained watchmaker knows well. For a sports watch that will take knocks and travel, that's a sensible choice.
The Sport Traveller Slate Grey costs CHF 61,000 before tax.
Specifications
| Case | |
|---|---|
| Material | Grade 5 titanium |
| Diameter | 42 mm |
| Water resistance | 100 m (10 ATM, crown screwed) |
| Crystal | Domed sapphire; sapphire case back |
| Crown | Ball-shaped screw crown |
| Correctors | Two pushers (+/−) to adjust local time hour by hour |
| Dial | |
| Dial | Slate grey opaline |
| Indications | Weekday, home hour; apertures at 3 and 9 o'clock |
| Indices | Drop-shaped, 18K white gold 210Pd, green Super-LumiNova |
| Hands | Assegai-shaped 18K white gold with green Super-LumiNova; baton small seconds |
| Movement | |
| Calibre | LF275.01 |
| Type | Self-winding micro-rotor, Swiss lever escapement |
| Functions | Date, home hour, dual time |
| Diameter / thickness | 31.60 mm (14''') / 5.80 mm |
| Frequency | 28,800 vph (4 Hz) |
| Jewels | 35 |
| Power reserve | 72 hours |
| Components | 240 |
| Bracelet | |
| Bracelet | Integrated titanium |
| Price | |
| Price | CHF 61,000 |
Specifications per brand: Laurent Ferrier product page.
Sources
- Laurent Ferrier: Sport Traveller Slate Grey
- Monochrome: First Look: The New Laurent Ferrier Sport Traveller
- Hodinkee: The Laurent Ferrier Sport Traveller in Slate Grey
- SJX Watches: Laurent Ferrier's Sport Traveller is Ready for Takeoff