Businessweek
In Laurent Ferrier’s World, a $185,000 Watch Can Still Be Understated
For when you want a six-figure watch but don’t want people to know.
Photo illustration: 731; Watch: Laurent Ferrier; Hat: Getty Images
As far as hobbies go, watch collecting is one of minutiae: Case materials, dial colors, and the type of branding can all influence the value and desirability of a timepiece. And that’s before you even get into the guts.
For Swiss watchmaker Laurent Ferrier, there’s no such thing as a minor detail. When he introduced his first piece in 2010, it included a tourbillon—a challenging, expensive complication that helps protect timekeeping accuracy. Normally, brands showcase them on the front of the watch face, but Ferrier hid his behind the dial. The point was reliability and precision, he says, “not to show off.”