Geneva Watch Days 2023: Laurent Ferrier unveils new Serie Atelier watch, the Sport Auto 40

The world of motorsports and watches are inextricably linked, and now that bond has given birth to another timepiece, although this one has a serious personal touch. On 9 June 1979, François Servanin and Laurent Ferrier, motorsport enthusiasts and founders of the brand Laurent Ferrier, participated in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. Their car of choice was the Porsche 935 Turbo, introduced in 1976, the racing version of the Porsche 911 Turbo. Even though Servanin and Ferrier were amateur drivers, they placed third in the overall rankings. The team also won second place in Group V, and François Servanin was named the best French driver of the competition. Now, inspired by the car that brought them accolades, Laurent Ferrier the watch brand has unveiled the Sport Auto 40, the fifth timepiece in its Série Atelier line.

Laurent Ferrier Sport Auto 40

For starters, the dial of the Sport Auto 40 is inspired by the colours of the Porsche 935 Turbo No. 40. The form of the watch follows the Sport Auto line, with a rounded tonneau-shaped case middle, a contrasting softer-looking bezel with rounded edges, a domed sapphire crystal, and an integrated bracelet – in it is ensconced a viridian green dial with an opaline finish, and orange Super-LumiNova filed white gold indexes and hands. Fuchsia lines intersect the dial and outline the date aperture, while minute markers in a lighter green further punctuate the striking dial. The date aperture rests at 3 o'clock – white discs with anthracite digits. Harking back to the winning automobile is also the ‘40’ embossed on the small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.

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The Série Atelier watches are Laurent Ferrier’s more collector-focussed, limited edition timepieces that debuted in 2020. In the past, the line has seen the Classic Micro-Rotor Magnetic Green, the dual-timezone Classic Traveller Magnetic Green, the Ecole Annual Calendar Navy, and most recently, the Classic Origin Green. Now the Sport Auto 40 joins this group as a limited edition of 40 pieces.

The 41.5 mm watch is crafted in grade 5 titanium and with different finishes. The bezel has a circular satin-brushed finish, the sides have a mirror-polished finish, and the case middle, has a vertical satin-brushed one. The integrated three-link bracelet also features vertical satin-brushed surfaces and mirror-polished angled sides. The watch is water resistant to 120 metres.

The movement - Calibre LF270.01 - boasts 139 manual finishes

The detailed finishing of the timepiece is reflected in the movement as well, which boasts 139 manual finishing operations. The watch is powered by the LF270.01 calibre, the brand's second self-winding movement with a calendar. Developed entirely in-house, the watch has an off-centre 950 platinum micro-rotor and a power reserve of 72 hours. The movement features horizontal satin-brushed and ruthenium-treated bridges, with the angles of the rotor bridge softened and then finished with gentian wood and diamantine; the surface is mirror polished. The movement also features numerous satin-brushed and circular-grained finishes, all carried out by hand.

Images: Courtesy brand

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