This week the Palexpo facility in Geneva, Switzerland will become the center of the watch world for the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, or SIHH, a luxury watch show rivaled only by BaselWorld in relevance and prestige. We’ve got a team on the ground, there to bring you the most exciting releases. Follow our coverage here, and also be sure to check out Instagram. We’ll be posting to our feed throughout the week.
Key Specs
Price: TBD
Availability: TBD
Movement: In-house LF107.01
Winding: Manual
Case Diameter: 22.2 x 30mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Water Resistance: 30 meters
Unique Features: Smoked sapphire crystal; curving lugs & strap ends; enamel grand feu dial

Upshot: Laurent Ferrier’s modern expressions are rooted in the watch industry’s early history, following traditions of horology that date back to the 1800s. The Bridge One timepiece marks the start of a new line from LF that draws inspiration from a famous bridge in Geneva, the Passerelle de I’lle, which Laurent Ferrier himself was able to see from the windows of his childhood home.

Among its distinctive features are the curving lugs, meant to provide comfort on the wrist, as well as the subtly smoked sapphire crystal, a matching sapphire display caseback, an enamel grand feu dial, and the option to purchase a slate gray dial with a small-seconds subdial at six o’clock.

Who It’s For: These watches are not for the entry-level collector or watch enthusiast, unless said collector/enthusiast has lots of money to burn and good connections within the horological community. LF makes very special luxury timepieces, which start north of $25,000. For this brand it’s not just a matter of choosing high-end materials, but rather it’s about taking the longer, more beautiful way to create the finished piece, and it’s done for the sake of beauty itself. Not only are these expensive, but they’re relatively rare, with only a few hundred pieces made each year, making them doubly hard to get ahold of.

First Impressions: We should mention right off the bat that this specific form factor won’t be for everyone. It’s a careful flouting of classic watch shapes; brave for a watchmaker operating since 2010, but in today’s watch market, it’s also refreshing to see LF playing with case shape rather than playing it safe and making one round watch after another.

Insight: The Bridge One is decidedly dressy and while one could make it work with casual wear, it’s most at home beneath the cuff of a very nice shirt. Two dials are available, including a grand feu enamel variant and a slate grey enamelled version. Grand feu dials in particular are incredibly difficult to create — combine one of these with a beautiful, dressy case, and a brand new, in-house caliber, and you’ve got a recipe for an heirloom piece.