Regulator clocks were traditionally used by watchmakers to set their watches and by scientists for taking essential measurements. They are distinguished by separate mechanics for the hours and minutes to increase legibility and precision.
While regulators, by their very inception, are utilitarian and functional, the new regulator introduced by Laurent Ferrier is anything but prosaic.
The Laurent Ferrier Galet Square Régulateur Black is distinguished from regular watches by the hallmark separation of the three most important indicators. The minute hand is large and centrally-positioned. Above the centre, at 12 o’clock is the much smaller hours display, while below, at 6 o’clock is the seconds subdial. The precision movement is the LF Caliber 228.01, with automatic winding courtesy of a pawl-fitted micro-rotor, delivering a 72-hour power reserve.
The 41mm red gold case has a distinctive praised square shape. It is water resistant to 30 m and is fitted with sapphire crystals for front and back, for a perfect view of the movement. The dial is extremely clean and refined using Opaline black nickel. The hour and seconds counters are recessed and contracted with a nickel black snailed finish. The small hours dial bears powdered silver-toned Roman numerals. The minutes are displayed on a “railway track” ring with four Arabic numerals at 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes. The hour hand is “leaf-shaped,” the minutes dial has an “assegai-shaped” hand, and there is a baton-shaped hand for the seconds. All three hands are in red gold (5N).
Alongside the Côtes-de-Genève motif on the bridges and the circular graining on the main plate, the wheel spokes are bevelled, the screw heads are chamfered and polished, and the interior angles are hand-crafted.
The Galet Square Régulateur Black will be available with Laurent Ferrier agents from August.
