Visions of Green, With the New Laurent Ferrier Classic Traveller Magnetic Green (Live Pics & Price)

The Laurent Ferrier “Série Atelier” collection began in 2020 with the Classic Origin Green. It was continued in 2021 with a blue and orange version of the École Annual Calendar. Unlike most LF watches, the models from this series are produced in very limited quantities and sold exclusively on the brand’s website, making them not only highly attractive, slightly bolder watches, but also collectable items. The series continues this year with the third edition, with a new, lightly coloured, summery/casual and discreetly original green take on the brand’s traveller’s watch. Here’s the Laurent Ferrier Classic Traveller Magnetic Green. 

As with the two previous watches from the “Série Atelier” this new Laurent Ferrier model takes on an existing watch. Following a take on the deceptively simple Classic Origin – the most focussed watch of the brand, a highly elegant time-only model – and then a summery, colourful take on the Annual Calendar, it’s time for the Traveller to resurface. Also known as the Galet Traveller, we’re here looking at a rather sleek watch to cross timezones. No need for complex sub-dials, cluttered scales and rotating 24h bezels… The LF Traveller gives you a clean, legible indication of home time (when abroad) or reference time (when home) in a window echoing that of the date. And adjustment is done in a straightforward, intuitive way, with (+) and (-) push-buttons. Simple, but very efficient indeed.

Like the two previous watches from the “Série Atelier” this new Classic Traveller combines high-end watchmaking credentials with a very relaxed luxury and a casual attitude that has defined the brand in its recent creations. Early LF watches were surely extremely beautiful and elegant, but also a bit too formal, a bit too strict maybe. Now, by playing with light-toned colours and less precious materials, these watches become easier, more discreet, but no less exquisite in finishing and manufacturing.

Thus, the Laurent Ferrier Classic Traveller Magnetic Green takes on the signature Galet case, with its soft, rounded shapes and not a single sharp angle to be seen anywhere – something that makes wearing an LF watch not only highly comfortable but also creates a rather sensual tactile experience. The 41mm case is here made of polished grade 5 titanium, adding lightness and resistance. The height, of 10mm without crystals and 12.64mm with them, remains manageable and so does the 49mm lug-to-lug measurement. It seems a bit large on paper, but the watch wears a bit more compact than you’d expect. The minimalist, classic look of the case is complemented by the signature ball-shaped crown (once again, with no sharp surfaces to be touched). The two curved sapphire crystals, including the one found on the caseback, only contribute to the comfort and softness of this watch.

The main specificity and the most striking element of the Classic Traveller “Série Atelier” is its new dial. And once again, it brings a light touch of colour and originality, a far more casual sense of luxury but still with an elegance and a restriction that has always been the apanage of the brand. Yes, the dial is green but it’s a pale, subtle minty tone that is not shouting. It’s soft and calm, yet original enough to stand out from the crowd. Yes, this Magnetic Green take on the Classic Traveller got me hooked… There’s something truly serein and quiet in this dial.

In typical Laurent Ferrier tradition, this light green base is sunray-brushed with a circular satin finish around the edge, and combined with elongated, slender drop-shaped makers and Assegai-shaped hands, both executed in polished white gold. The 6 o’clock position is equipped with a snailed small seconds and two symmetrical windows can be found on this dial, one of the date, one to indicate home time. Complementing the dial is an equally relaxed forest-green Nubuck leather strap, again very soft to the touch and to the skin thanks to its Alcantara lining.

Regarding the traveller’s function, instead of a traditional second hour hand in the centre, or an off-centre dedicated sub-dial, Laurent Ferrier opted for a remote time display on a disc, visible through an aperture. The hour hand located in the centre represents local time. It is also the one that is changed when travelling across time zones, by means of the corrector push-buttons at 8 and 10 o’clock, which cause the hand to jump from hour to hour depending on the distance travelled, forwards or backwards. The time displayed in the window at 9 o’clock is the distant time or Home Time. It remains constant regardless of travel and is therefore controlled directly by the crown.

Under the sapphire caseback is the most distinctive, more recognisable movement by Laurent Ferrier, the micro-rotor with natural escapement, designed in collaboration with La Fabrique du Temps. First of all, it features an off-centre, compact oscillating weight that is fitted with an 18k gold mass and a pawl-equipped unidirectional winding. Then, there’s the complex escapement. This escapement with a double direct impulse to the balance wheel is a rare system inspired by A.L. Breguet. This system features two escapement wheels, operating alternately and transmitting their energy directly to the balance wheel. This is called direct impulse to the balance wheel because it is not the anchor that gives the impulse to the balance wheel as in the classic Swiss anchor escapements, but the escape wheel, which is much more efficient in terms of performance. As the escapement wheel can only rotate in one direction, a second escapement wheel completes the set to send the impulses to the balance wheel alternately. They interact with an anchor in silicon, an ultra-light, self-lubricating material.

The decoration of this calibre LF230.02 is also, as always with the brand, pretty impressive. The rhodium-plated parts are either circular-grained (mainplate) or finely brushed, and there are loads of hand-bevelled bridges, mirror-polished steel elements, sharp anglages or a guilloché rotor.

Availability & Price

The Laurent Ferrier Classic Traveller Magnetic Green is, like all watches from the “Série Atelier”, a highly limited edition that will be sold exclusively on the brand’s website. As such, only 15 examples will be crafted, and orders can be made from www.laurentferrier.ch. The watch is priced at CHF 62,000 before taxes.