Laurent is possibly first out of the gates this year with their pre-SIHH release. Two watches form this new release. Both very handsome watches, which we look forward to photographing and doing hands-on in SIHH. The new release is the Galet Annual Calendar School Piece Opaline Black & White.
Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar School Piece
The annual calendar is not to Laurent Ferrier. Not standalone or in combination to their school watch (French: Montre Ecole). The Galet Annual Calendar Montre Ecole Caliber no 126.01 won the award of GPHG in the Men’s Complication category. This distinction gave Laurent Ferrier the opportunity to offer a new line to this award-winner caliber.
For this edition, Laurent Ferrier was inspired by the Black and White contrast and purity of the Chess Board. Two opaline dials complement the current collection.
The Galet Annual Calendar School Piece Opaline Black & White is designed in-house. These timepieces was developed with the aim of ensuring extremely smooth handling, while also ensuring visual balance, readability and performance in all circumstances – all values dear to Laurent Ferrier. With its date and month fast-adjustment by simply turning the crown forward and backward, these timepieces offers a great experience to the wearer.
For its annual calendar complication, Laurent Ferrier decided to pay a tribute to its first manual winding movement: The tourbillon double hairspring. The new caliber features a long “blade” type click ratchet which became a distinctive signature. For the first time, Laurent Ferrier will introduce a “desert sand” 18K yellow gold version.
A Useful Complication: Annual Calendar
The LF126.01, handwound movement featuring an annual calendar. Seen here in the back of the earlier pale yellow version.
The Galet Annual Calendar School Piece Opalin Black & White displays the day of the week, the date and the month under consideration of months with 30 and 31 days, so the only adjustment required is once a year : on March the 1st
The date is clearly indicated by a central hand and the days of the week and the months in two beveled apertures. This display combines reading comfort and balanced beauty. The user-friendliness was at the heart of the caliber design. Indeed all the adjustments are extremely easy to make. The days of the week are updated by simply pushing the “easy to grip” button delicately integrated on the left side of the case.
All the other adjustments are made by pulling and turning the crown. No tool is required. The fast-adjustment of the date with the central hand can be made by turning the crown forward and backward, allowing the month to be automatically updated accordingly.
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The Galet Annual Calendar School Piece Opalin Black & White houses a manual winding mechanical movement equipped with a power-reserve area indication positioned on the movement side. The power reserve is guaranteed for 80 hours.
Perfect Readability:
The Galet Annual Calendar School Piece Opaline Black & White developed by Laurent Ferrier ensures smooth continuity in the watchmaking journey of the House.
This same spirit of functionality, as well as readability and aesthetic appeal are already present in the other models from the brand.
With the School Piece case, Laurent Ferrier’s objective was to develop a case with the same roundness, as when those pioneering watchmakers converted pocket watches into wristwatches. For this new caliber, Laurent Ferrier entirely adapted the 40mm School Piece case to ensure perfect harmony and balance between the movement and the timepiece.
The same straight, thin lugs offer another contrast of the modern and the traditional, the “pastille” end-piece decoration mirrored by the winding crown.
The gold Assegai hands and baton-type seconds hand retain their characteristic shape. For black dials a red hand or for white dials a burgundy hand created for the date, brings modernity and visibility to the timepiece.
The two beveled apertures for days and months ensure optimal readability. The date displayed all around the dial provides a view at one glance on all the relevant information.
The dial comes in opaline black or white with vintage-inspired numerals painted in light blue and 31 in red for the dark dials or dark blue and burgundy for white dials.
Laurent Ferrier thereby once again proves its ability to find the perfect balance between a strongly identifiable neoclassical design on the one hand, user-friendliness on the other.
Emphasis On The Finishing:
The sapphire crystal case-back of the Galet Annual Calendar School Piece Opaline Black & White provides a fine view of the finesse of the finishing. In addition to the Côtes de Genève motif with a ruthenium treatment adorning the bridges and the circular-graining of the mainplate, the sides and interior angles are manually chamfered and the screw heads are polished. We chose to use a long “blade” type click ratchet, polished and with a curved shape that reminds the Galet Classic Tourbillon Double hairspring.
The sub-dial at 6 o’clock has a circular satin brushed outer circle and a snailed finish in the center. A sunburst finish was chosen to decorate the power-reserve area indication.
The Galet Annual Calendar School Piece Opaline Black and White is fitted with honey alligator leather with Alcantara lining for white dials or matt grey Alligator leather with Alcantara lining for black dials.
Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar School Piece Opaline Black & White Specifications
Reference LCF025
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Movement: • Manual winding calibre LF126.01. • Swiss lever escapement. • Balance Screw. • Indications: Hours and Minutes in the centre. Small seconds at 6 o´clock. Power reserve area indicator on the back side. Annual calendar: – Calendar central hand. – Day-disc and Month-disc (Automatic correction for months with 30 or 31 days. One manual correction on March 1st) • Semi-instantaneous calendar. Days and month semi-instantaneous apertures. • Correctors: Crown for winding, time-setting, calendar central hand and months. Push button at 10 O´clock for days of the week. • Correction forward / backward of the calendar on intermediate position of the crown. • Movement diameter: 31.60 mm (14´´´). • Thickness: 5.80 mm. • Frequency: 3Hz (21´600 /H). • Power reserve: 80 hours. • Number of components: 235. • Number of jewels: 23.
AESTHETIC CHARACTERISTICS
Case: • 18K / 750 5N red gold, 18K / 750 yellow gold or stainless steel • Size: 40 mm diameter. • Thickness: 10.10 mm or 12.80 mm including the sapphire crystal. • Domed sapphire crystals, front and back. • Water resistant to 30 meters. • “Ball-shaped” crown in stainless steel.
Dial: • Opaline black or white
• Vintage-inspired numerals, 1-30 painted in light blue and 31 in red for the black dials or dark blue and burgundy for white dials. • Small second at 6 O´clock, with circular satin brushed outer circle and snailed finish in the center. • Bevelled day and month apertures.
Hands: • 18K / 750 210Pd white gold. • Hours and minutes: “Assegai-shaped”. Painted in white for the black dials or ruthenium treated for the white dials. • Seconds: baton-type with counterweight. Painted in white for the black dials or ruthenium treated for the white dials. • Date: Painted in red for the black dials and burgundy for the white dials.
Leather: • Honey alligator leather Alcantara lining for white dials or matt grey Alligator leather with Alcantara lining for black dials. • Pin buckle or a double blade folding clasp.
