While they might not have the broad brand recognition of the Rolexes and Patek Philippes of the world, Laurent Ferrier are one of the brands that are constantly floating around the conversation for coolest watch brand. Their Grand Sport is a worthy grail watch with its integrated sports design and tourbillon movement. However, for 2024 Laurent Ferrier have moved away from sporty designs to release the Classic Moon, the brand’s first ever moonphase. There are two versions, and I got to see both at Watches & Wonders.
The first reference is in stainless steel with a blue dial while the second has a red gold case with a white dial. They both measure 40mm in diameter with gently curving lugs and fairly broad, sloping bezels. Classic Moon is a good name because they feel extremely classical, the round shapes give a distinct pocket watch vibe that feels quaintly vintage. The red gold in particular feels like it could be an unearthed antique with its polished finish giving it a burnished quality.
They both have a decent weight to them and at this size they’re on the larger side for dress watches. Although that’s not too much of an issue because the rounded edges make it very easy to slide under your cuff despite also having a thickness of 12.9mm. These days it feels like the industry is so obsessed with what’s new and modern that it’s quite refreshing to see a relatively understated and classical design be executed on so precisely.
That brings us to the dials, which are equally classical. They have the look of a vintage Patek Grand Complication, or perhaps more accurately a Rolex Triple Calendar. There’s a day-date window below 12 o’clock and a pointer date function around the periphery of the display. Again, it’s a lesson in precision and refinement without any extraneous details. The gold edition with white dial has a red date hand and petrol blue date scale while the steel and blue model has a pastel blue hand and scale. As a note, this calendar complication is an annual calendar, meaning you only need to adjust it once per year.
The moonphase that gives the Classic Moon its name is then located on a subdial at 6 o’clock. It consists of a disk of aventurine glass engraved with two moons and a selection of stars that are then painted by hand and coated with lume for a glow in the dark brilliance. The moons are then engraved again to created the cratered surface of our closest lunar neighbour. Superimposed over the moonphase is the small seconds indicator, the scale of which features N and S markers at the top and bottom to denote the correlation of Earth’s hemispheres to the moon.
Flipping either Classic Moon over reveals an exhibition caseback and the LF126.02 movement housed inside. It’s a manual movement with an 80-hour power reserve, giving you plenty of time to remember to wind it. Plus, there’s a power reserve indicator on the back so you can always check if it needs a top up. It’s finished beautifully as well with a combination of bevelled edges, Geneva stripes and perlage.
At time of writing, the prices are listed on Laurent Ferrier’s website as CHF 70,000 for steel and in gold it’s CHF 62,500 (approx. £61,000/£54,500). That seems a little odd to me as I can’t see a reason the steel should be more expensive than the gold and there is the figure of CHF 80,000 for the gold floating around online so perhaps there is an error somewhere. Regardless, any price in that ballpark seems appropriate for a seriously lovely classical dress watch.
Price and Specs:
More details at Laurent Ferrier.
