Two well-known watch companies – Laurent Ferrier and Urwerk – have to come together to create a one-off timepiece to be sold at Only Watch 2017, with all proceeds going to aid in fighting Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
The case design was created from sketches by Laurent Ferrier who said this about the watch, “It’s a cleanly cut watch. My friends know my love of cars, a predilection expressed in this watch. This new creation is like streamlined coachwork, fluid and without any affront to the eye.”
This case is an alloy made from ARPAL+, which is a special material made by Cendres+Métaux in Biel, specifically designed for this unique timepiece. Originally developed for the electronics industry, ARPAL+ consists of 75% precious metals and resists wear and scratches better than white gold or steel. Its color never fades, nor does it oxidize.
Polished to a mirrored finish, the entire case is very flashy. Inside, though, is an Urwerk movement that is much more restrained. The four satellites are in matte pearly gray with diamond-polished outlines while the hours and minutes markers are painted in white SuperLuminova.
Time is displayed by four satellites, each with three hours numerals, which successively sweep past the track of minutes. This original and intuitive way of telling the time is aided by a cover in polyetheretherketone, a thermoplastic known as PEEK, which hides the satellites that are not engaged in indicating the time. The satellites turn on a hidden carrousel, at the heart of the passage of the wandering hours.
“Throughout the undertaking we complemented one another perfectly, sending the ball back and forth. For example, the cabochon winding crown recalls the stripes of our satellite hours. There are many subtle ways in which we refer to each other’s stylistic codes. While URWERK has opted for discretion, Laurent Ferrier has raised the tone. The result is perfect equilibrium,” commented Martin Frei.
The automatic movement (caliber UR5.03) is governed by a double turbine and runs at a modern rate of 4Hz. There are 52 jewels and the watch can run autonomously for up to 48-hours.
The decoration of the movement includes a circular-grained baseplate, sandblasted satellites, brushed carrousel, and chamfered screw slots.
The Arpal One measures 40.9 mm x 60.8 mm x 20.7 mm and is water-resistant to 30 meters. Comes with a sand-colored leather strap that is hand-stitched with matching thread.
We expect this unique collaboration to fetch one of the top prices at Only Watch 2017, which takes place in November.
