GRAND SPORT TOURBILLON PURSUIT

An exceptional piece of contemporary independent watchmaking, the Grand Sport Tourbillon Pursuit by Laurent Ferrier is a wristwatch which somehow manages to balance immaculate styling with uncompromising haute horlogerie and a distinctly sporty personality, which is borne from the real life experience of a class-winning Le Mans 24 Hour privateer endurance racer.

Inspired by the welcome spectacle and colour of the morning’s first light on the famous Mulsanne Straight, as the dawn sky transitions from the long night’s darkness to the peach blush which precedes the rising sun and the beginning of the new day, the Grand Sport Tourbillon Pursuit captures that precise euphoric moment to stunning effect with its opaline dial creating a gorgeous hazy colour effect, as it graduates from the dark shading around its periphery to the full splendour of its off-pink salmon tone towards the centre.

Manufactured in Grade 5 titanium, the case of the Grand Sport Tourbillon Pursuit is a masterclass in minimalist design and understated complexity so typical of the Laurent Ferrier brand identity. Subtle curves and lines flow seamlessly into one another, from the integrated link bracelet to the smooth contoured shape of the case, the off-square bezel and the beautiful rounded and fluted crown. Measuring 44mm across and 13.7mm tall, with contrasting circular brushed and polished surface finishings, and a gently domed sapphire crystal above that magnificent dial, it is a watch which has a distinguished and visually arresting presence on the wrist.

A generous application of Super-LumiNova on the signature assegai-style hour and minute hands and the drop-like indices add to the Grand Sport Tourbillon Pursuit’s sporty character. Slightly oversized to accommodate the luminous accents, and polished to perfection, the hands and indices are manufactured in 18ct white gold with a dark ruthenium treatment, which further enhances the lustre of the precious metal, and accentuates their detail against the eggshell-like textured opaline surface of the dial.

A recessed subdial at the six o’clock position contains the small seconds display, where a slender white gold pointer rotates above a snailed surface of concentric rings and a fine cross-hairs print. Underneath of course, the tourbillon revolves, and where almost every tourbillon watch today features some form of cutaway or aperture on the dial to display the intricacies of this classical technical tour de force, on the Grand Sport Tourbillon, what lies beneath the seconds dial is tastefully left to the imagination, and to the benefit of the overall display.

Underneath however, the sapphire caseback reveals the superb in-house manufactured LF619.01 manual winding calibre. Here the detail of the tourbillon can be appreciated beneath the mirror polished bridge which provides an unrestricted view of the tiny heart of the mechanism, as it rotates in a sixty-second cycle; its double hairsprings enhancing the accuracy. Boasting a power reserve of at least eighty hours, and beating at 21,600 vib/h (3Hz), the movement also features flawless anglage around its ruthenium plated bridges.

Unlike its predecessors which were available only as limited editions, the Grand Sport Tourbillon Pursuit is set to become a permanent member of the Laurent Ferrier portfolio, although with production capped to only fifteen pieces per annum, exclusivity of this Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race inspired masterpiece is still very much assured.