Laurent Ferrier Tourbillon Grand Sport Review

amanico · 2019-06-09T01:01:09Z

Explore the Laurent Ferrier Tourbillon Grand Sport, a luxury sport watch challenging traditional design. Read amanico's review and collector insights.

amanico

WPS member · Independents forum

38 replies13693 views11 photos

Amanico's review of the Laurent Ferrier Tourbillon Grand Sport provides a crucial early look at a watch that challenged the brand's established aesthetic. This article explores how Laurent Ferrier ventured into the luxury sport watch segment, a departure from its traditional classic designs. Readers gain insight into the initial reception and design nuances of this significant release, offering a valuable historical perspective on its place within the brand's evolution.

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Announced a few weeks ago, I was impatient to discover this new opus from Laurent Ferrier. Could you imagine that one day, Laurent Ferrier could release such a watch?

Why not, after all?

At first sight, this Tourbillon Grand sport disorients the Laurent Ferrier Aficionado who is more used to classic designs with round, cushion or rectangular shapes.

Here we dive right into the Seventies, with a case which makes you think to some Genta Creations, such as the Patek Nautilus, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and Jorg Hysek's opus, the Vacheron 222, all watches which started the trend of luxury and sporty time keepers.

The Laurent Ferrier Tourbillon Grand Sport can be seen as a dign heir of this lineage.

The Tourbillon Grand Sport is, first of all, a blend of different shapes for the case and bezel, which is much more complex than its famous predecessors. Indeed, the case is slightly tonneau shaped, while the bezel has a clear cushion silhouette, with thinner angles than sides. This blend of proportions and shapes give an interesting and original allure to the watch.

The integrated lugs are also typical from these watches of the Seventies. Some will like, others won't.

A nod to classicism: The crown, which is very classic in such a... How to call it? Slightly funky environment? An intriguing mismatch, or another addition of styles? I will let the reader make it own opinion on that detail.

The case is 44 mm big. Yes, it is a big watch, but if you can try it, you will feel that it is, in the reality, a tad smaller, wearing like a 41 / 42 mm watch.

The dial is another important part of the watch. The indices and hands are made of gold, filled with some colored luminova. The color of the lumina is somewhere between dark yellow and orange. Why the choice of this color? Certainly another link to the Seventies, rather than a faux patina which would not make sense in such a creation. Well played, I must say.

You will notice the double crosshairs on the main dial and th sub dial, enhancing the fact that this watch is a chronometer, submitted to the Besançon Observatory.

A striking detail is the color of the dial, which is very special, a kind of smoked taupe. This is indeed something you won't see elsewhere, except, maybe in some heavily patinated Royal Oak 5402.

I really like this color.

Now some words on the movement. I will say it straight, it is superb, but does it have its place in a sports watch?

The level of decoration and finishings is excellent, which is something you could or should expect from a Laurent Ferrier creation: Superb bevels, a sublime tourbillon bridge and treatment for the jewels and screws, contrasting with the eye catching ruthenium bridges which make this movement look like a concept watch, and an exquisite one.

This high end movement justifies the price of such a watch, in my opinion, even if, at this level, the concurrence is strong ( see Girard Perregaux Tourbillon With Gold Bridges, for example ).

This movement is manual winding, beats at 21, 600 vibrations per hour, it is made of 188 parts and 23 jewels, and offers a power reserve of 80 hours.

It is quite generously sized, with a diameter of 31, 60 mm but not too thick ( 5, 57 mm ).

The strap, made of rubber, is matching with the dial, and contribute to the comfort, once on the wrist.

Another wrist shot.

As to give conclusion to this on the wrist review, I would say that it is an awesome creation but I would have preferred a simpler version, without tourbillon, or with a GMT complication, and a more affordable one.

Now, on the other side, why not pushing the limits, the borders of a sports watch in such an elitist way? Having a nice swim in a lake or in the sea with this watch on the wrist, would certainly be such a chic experience, with no fear as it is water resistant to 100 meters.

I have no doubt that this micro edition of 12 pieces will find its adepts.

Looking forward to reading your comments and thoughts,

Best.

Nicolas

About the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Ref. 5402

The Royal Oak reference 5402 is recognized as the original iteration of the model, introduced in 1972. This reference established the design language that would define the Royal Oak collection, characterized by its integrated bracelet and octagonal bezel secured by visible screws. It was initially presented as a luxury sport watch, distinguishing itself through its material and finishing in a period dominated by more traditional dress watch aesthetics. The 5402 was produced in various series, with the A-series being the earliest and most sought after by collectors.

The watch features a 39mm stainless steel case, often referred to as the "Jumbo" size, which was considered substantial for its era. It houses the self-winding Caliber 2121, a thin movement derived from Jaeger-LeCoultre's Caliber 920, known for its full-rotor design. The movement provides a power reserve of approximately 40 hours. The crystal protecting the dial is acrylic, and the watch offers a water resistance of 50 meters, suitable for general wear.

For collectors, the reference 5402 holds significance as the foundational model of a major watch series. Its various production series (A, B, C, D) present nuances in dial text and case back engravings that are closely examined. The integrated steel bracelet is an integral part of its design, contributing to its distinct profile. The blue dial, often with a "tapisserie" pattern, is a hallmark of this early reference, though other dial variations exist.

Specifications

Caliber: 2121

Case: Stainless steel

Diameter: 39 mm

Dial: Blue

Water Resist.: 50m

Crystal: Acrylic

Key Points from the Discussion

The Tourbillon Grand Sport is not a consensual watch and may require time to be fully appreciated, but its unique construction makes the tourbillon robust despite being a sports watch.
Despite the 70s-inspired 'sports' aesthetic, the watch clearly retains Laurent Ferrier's design specifics, particularly in its stunning movement, though the 'futuristic' bridge design contrasts with the retro case.
The watch's 'funky' 70s design is more appealing in person, requiring hands-on experience to fully appreciate its blend of shapes and proportions, distinguishing it from other luxury sport watch icons.
Initially, the watch's design elements like lume color and crown were perplexing, but its overall coherence and potential as a versatile, everyday single watch became apparent over time.
The Tourbillon Grand Sport successfully maintains Laurent Ferrier's aesthetic identity despite its new context, featuring elements like the Galet Square shape and distinct brand details, rather than merely mimicking other luxury sport watches.
While appreciating the movement and dial, some contributors express doubts about the case design, citing concerns about its proportions on the wrist and overall size.

The Discussion

foversta

Jun 9, 2019

Thanks the the review

I will write one later. The biggest achievement about this piece is that it looks very Laurent Ferrier despite the new context. I read a lot of comments about it, the Nautilus inspiration and so on. I don't agree. It features the Galet Square shape. And it contains a lot of details from Laurent Ferrier's aesthetic approach. An intriguing piece which could become (or not) the first of a catalogue line. Fx

hashluck

Jun 9, 2019

I agree with everything foversta says (which may be a verst :) [nt]

amanico

Jun 9, 2019

Thanks for your feedback, Hashluck. [nt]

amanico

Jun 9, 2019

A complex case shape you have to digest a bit. Thanks for your feedback, Fx. [nt]

tick28800

Jun 9, 2019

It reminds me other ones?

Yes it does, but as foversta said above you can clearly tell thi is a LF watch. They did a good job translating their specifics to the '70 look. About the movement: ok this is a "sports" watch but I don't see someone really using this to go swimming or playing tennig (there's RM for that ), so I would lie to have a watch with a prominent LF movement and this one is stunning. I just find strange they opted for a "futuristic" design that contrasts with the '70s look. Before reading I looked at the

amanico

Jun 9, 2019

Thanks for reading and commenting, tick28800. I hope we'll see something more affordable in the years to come. [nt]