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Quick Take
While this is a watch that you almost certainly didn't expect to see from Laurent Ferrier, the Tourbillon Grand Sport is all about celebrating a trio of anniversaries that are integral to the creation and perspective of the brand. So forget what you know about LF – this watch is LF through and through. The three crucial events this piece celebrates are the 1979 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in which Laurent Ferrier and brand co-founder François Servanin placed third overall; the 2009 founding of Laurent Ferrier as a brand; and the 2009 conception of the brand's first tourbillon, which has become its calling card. Yeah, there's a lot wrapped up in this one.
The watch itself is a 44mm stainless steel number with a new case shape that sits somewhere between tonneau and cushion, still with LF's signature curves and onion crown. In case you weren't sure about the "sport" in the name, it's mounted on a rubber strap and it has a dial punctuated by bright flashes of orange Super-LumiNova, so you can read it in any conditions. The dial is a smoked brown color that fades from almost silver at the center, to a dark warm brown at the edges. Turning the watch over, you'll find a caliber LF 619.01 finished in a striking ruthenium color (similar to a certain other Laurent Ferrier LE...) and with the brand's double spiral tourbillon mechanism down at the bottom. It's totally superlative and a nice balance between traditional watchmaking and modern aesthetics.
The Tourbillon Grand Sport is a limited edition of just 12 pieces and the brand is saying that they won't be making anything quite like this in the future, so it's truly limited.
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Initial Thoughts
All right, let's get this out of the way up front: Yes, the Tourbillon Grand Sport does have a bit of a Nautilus/Aquanaut look to it, but can you really be all that surprised that the man who spent more than 35 years in product develop at Patek Philippe would gravitate towards these kinds of shapes when making his first sport watch? If that bothers you, there's not really any way to argue, but I personally don't think that's a disqualifying factor for this watch.
The shape of the case, in fact, is what I find most striking about the Tourbillon Grand Sport. The shape is kind of beguiling. It's not round, it's not square, it's not a pure cushion – it's something all its own. LF is a brand that tends to get the details right and I like the way the sharp edges of the lugs contrast with the smooth curves of the bezel, especially up around the corners. The balance is on-point. Likewise, the gradient of the dial and the way the color plays off the rubber strap is extremely elegant. I might have opted for a less dominating color for the lume, given my druthers, but that's very much a personal choice. At 44mm this guy is large, and I'd also have loved to see it closer to 40mm, but it wears rather well and much more like a 42mm watch than a typical 44mm round watch.
My favorite thing though? The pure "eff you" quotient that you get by putting a superlatively finished, tourbillon-equipped movement like this in a sport watch. The obvious way to go would be the typical automatic micro-rotor caliber, but no, LF went all-out here in a way that I can fully get behind.
The Basics
Brand: Laurent Ferrier
Model: Tourbillon Grand Sport
Reference Number: LCF041
Diameter: 44mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Dial Color: Brown gradient with nickel opaline finish at the center
Indexes: Applied white gold daggers
Lume: Yes, orange Super-LumiNova on hands and hour markers
Water Resistance: 100 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Taupe rubber strap with stainless steel folding clasp
The Movement
Caliber: LF 619.01
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, double-spiral tourbillon
Diameter: 31.6mm
Thickness: 5.57mm
Power Reserve: 80 hours
Winding: Manually wound
Frequency: 3 Hz (21,600 vph)
Jewels: 23
Total Components: 188
Chronometer Certified at the Besançon Observatory
Additional Details: Special ruthenium treatment to plates and bridges
Pricing & Availability
Price: $185,000
Availability: From June 2019
Limited Edition: 12 numbered pieces
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