I had decided at one point to stop three handed watches, I already have a few which get plenty of wrist time and didn’t really want or need another in my collection.
Last year I discovered the Laurent Ferrier Micro-Rotor and was stunned by how what seemed such a classical and simple three handed watch could be so visually enchanting with a somewhat sotto voce elegance which I could definitely imagine on my wrist whilst driving full speed in a convertible Janguar E Type on the winding roads of the French Riviera, accompanied by a sumptuous Sophia Loren / Penelope Cruz / Heidi Klum look alike while both of us are sipping Martinis.
BUT
And there was a but,
the Micro-Rotor was an automatic and in my warped mind a heresy. “Good I though” the money saved by not buying the Micro Rotor would be well spent on the aforementioned Sophia Loren/ Penelope Cruz/ Heidi Klum look alike but unfortunately my libido was beaten to a pulp by my desire for Laurent Ferrier (the watch not the man…)
I did manage to hold back for a very long time but the Micro-Roto had so many assets that resistance was futile. Sure it was an automatic, but not just any old automatic, it features a micro rotor placed underneath a gorgeous beveled bridge with an enhanced winding mechanism but most of all it features an inhouse escapement inspired by Abraham Louis Breguet’s natural escapement: a double direct impulse escapement with a silicon lever.
I finally took the jump and what a pleasant jump, a dive head first in a world of beauty and grace! I just loooove this watch which has been gracing my wrist for close to a month now.
I love the sleek elegant silhouette of the case, the fiercly masculine sunburst grey dial, the delightful shape of the hands and the flawless movement finish.