Inside The Manufacture: A Look Through the Exhibition Caseback: Laurent Ferrier’s Finishing Techniques

Year after year and watch after watch, I’ve never ceased to be amazed by Laurent Ferrier’s creations. Last year, I was captivated by the brand’s first moon phase complication, the Classic Moon. This model is gorgeous, featuring a lunar complication rendered in aventurine glass by Murano artisans and engraved to replicate the shape of celestial bodies, complete with hand-applied paint and Super-LumiNova details. It’s these elements that immediately draw you in, but I’d argue the staying power goes beyond the dial.

Flip any Laurent Ferrier model over, and you’ll find the purity of design and beauty also lies within. The attention to detail and elegance go well past the elements put on display. What’s inside the timepiece is just as important as what’s on the outside. For the brand, each watch contains two universes that are equally valuable—one that’s visible to anyone who notices the timepiece on the wrist and one that’s exclusive to the wearer.

Laurent Ferrier is among today’s living watch industry legends. As a third-generation watchmaker, he’s always believed in perpetuating the traditions of Swiss horology, but it would take time before he’d solidify his name in horological history.

Ferrier studied at the École d’Horlogerie de Genève in the 1960s and, after completing his studies, joined Patek Philippe. He spent nearly four decades of his career dedicated to Patek, starting in the movement prototyping department. During that time, he contributed to projects such as the initial Nautilus and Aquanaut, eventually advancing to Director of Product Development. After a distinguished 37-year career, he left Patek, but instead of retiring, he launched his namesake brand at the age of 63.

“When I started my brand, I had in mind the quality that Patek upheld for its calibers,” explains Mr. Ferrier. “Every element of the movement to the case, dial, and hands—the full watch was executed at the highest level at Patek. So, for me, this was naturally going to be the philosophy of my brand.”

This impetus comes as no surprise. As far as finishing techniques go, Patek sets the bar—it’s something that’s established the family-owned company as one of the most revered brands in the industry. From the case and dial to the beating heart of the movement, nearly every aspect has been completed with a human touch and the irreplaceable skill of hand-finishing executed by dedicated, trained specialists with talents passed down through generations.

These decorations enrich both the functionality and aesthetics of a timepiece. Finishing smooths away traces of machining that may impede perfect movement, hones edges that will touch against each other, protects against oxidation, and transforms dull metal into a material with alluring beauty. This is what sets hand-built, in-house movements apart from mass-produced calibers.

“I wanted to push the boundaries even further,” Mr. Ferrier says. “Because we’d be producing much fewer pieces per year than at Patek, I knew we could achieve this.”

In addition to the knowledge gained throughout his tenure at Patek, Ferrier enlisted the help of his son, Christian, who spent years working in movement development and construction at Roger Dubuis before taking the role of Head of Brand Patrimony at his father’s company.

“When I began working with Christian to develop our first movements, it was crucial our finishing wasn’t just practical but visually pleasing,” shares Mr. Ferrier. “Of course, at first, you must perfect the architecture, but if you don’t see things through with that final step of great finishing, it doesn’t make sense. Finishing is the last stamp you’ll put on your creation before it’s complete.”

Today, each Laurent Ferrier movement is finished with more than 139 manual operations. There’s one component that’s always been a focus for the brand and created its so-called signature: the bridge.

“Developing the aesthetic of the bridge was one of the most important aspects to me,” Mr. Ferrier continues. “I wanted something soft and rounded, something attractive for the eyes. We don’t do the best or most difficult finishing just because we can—we do it because it’s interesting and serves a purpose.”

A form of beveling, also known by the French term anglage or chamfering, is a finishing technique that sets the standard for haute horlogerie movements. If you look at the flank of a bridge in one of Laurent Ferrier’s calibers, there’s a 45-degree angle that catches the light. This beveled detail is created through one of the most complex and time-consuming techniques. From a technical standpoint, anglage on the mainplates and bridges is believed to prevent material stress concentrations along their edges, and the first step is to remove scratches and burrs from the upper edge of a bridge.

Anglage is made more prominent by smoothing down with files and sometimes a micro rotor tool with an ebony tip along the edge to form a uniform width and two sharp parallel lines. The surface of the sloping angle is then hand-finished with files and wood pegs coated with abrasive paste, resulting in a polish that’s incomparable to what can be achieved by machine. In a Ferrier movement, you’ll also find interior polished angles with beveling. This time-consuming technique requires years of experience and a patient hand to make two polished chamfers match up precisely.

It’s also becoming an increasingly rare skill due to the global shortage of watchmakers and horological artisans. According to the Employers’ Convention of the Swiss Watch Industry, which oversees the training of watchmakers, Switzerland alone will need about 4,000 more watchmakers by 2026. When it comes to craftspeople who hold the caliber of training and experience to meet Laurent Ferrier’s standards, the brand has felt the impact of this deficit in the workforce.

“We’ve seen a decrease in trained decorators,” says Mr. Ferrier. “And many of those available need additional training to meet our quality, even those from big brands often lack the experience we require. They’ve been doing high finishes, yes, but not on every component of every movement within the catalog. This is what makes us different—we have the same high level of finishing on each component of each movement. But remember, this is both objective and subjective work,” Mr. Ferrier emphasizes.”Everyone has a unique process and style that brings that special human touch to finishing.”

Given that each Laurent Ferrier watch is exceedingly time-intensive to produce, made by some of the best watchmakers and craftspeople in the industry, and crafted with the highest quality materials, one begins to understand the value of these timekeepers and, in turn, their lofty price tags.

“The number of hours behind each watch, with an average of more than 200 components that are finished up, down, and sideways, certainly impacts the value,” explains Mr. Ferrier. “There are components no one will ever see, other than perhaps when the watch is in for service, but even these must receive the same attention as those seen through the caseback,” he continues. “I hope many years from now, when a watchmaker opens my timepieces, they’ll be pleased to see the movement and the decoration and say ‘this is nicely done.'”

​Hodinkee 

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