Exploring the Playful Side of Laurent Ferrier with Hervé Di Rosa

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Laurent Ferrier has always been committed to creating timepieces that are both modern and timeless, combining horological technicality, functionality, and aesthetic purity. Today, to celebrate the longevity of the flagship piece of the collection, Laurent wished to infuse his iconic Classic Micro-Rotor with natural escapement with a touch of playfulness and a more artistic dimension by collaborating with the artist Hervé Di Rosa.

HERVÉ DI ROSA

A key figure in the French and international art scene, Hervé Di Rosa has been developing a body of work rooted in free figuration for over 40 years, rejecting any diktats of high arts. His references are more in line with comics, science fiction, rock, or punk. He has developed what he calls “modest arts,” to which he has dedicated a museum, the MIAM (International Museum of Modest Arts) that he himself created in Sète. He is interested in everyday objects, comic figurines, or tourist souvenirs. To be included in the museum, the object must have been made out of necessity and is often useless. Sometimes almost taking on the role of an ethnologist, he seeks to understand how an artistic technique can be transformed, influenced by encounters with new civilizations.

Laurent Ferrier and Hervé Di Rosa

Always attentive to the multiplicity of forms of creation, he has been quickly attracted by travel, which he undertakes always with artistic projects in mind. His world tour began in 1990. He has made over 19 stops with the aim of discovering vernacular artistic techniques and the people who perpetuate them. He has gone to discover and create in Bulgaria, Ghana, Benin, Ethiopia, Réunion, Mauritius, Corsica, Vietnam, South Africa, Cuba, Mexico, Cameroon, Miami, Tunisia, Israel, Spain, and Portugal.

“I wanted my painting to be transformed by others, with their techniques and my images.”
– Hervé Di Rosa

Today, at 64 years old, after his official installation at the Academy of Fine Arts, painting section, on June the 12^th of 2024, a retrospective is dedicated to him in Paris at the Centre Pompidou, titled “Hervé Di Rosa – The Worlds-Passer,” until August 26th.

To celebrate this occasion, the globetrotter has this time travelled a shorter distance, to neighbouring Switzerland, in Geneva, to highlight traditional Haute Horlogerie techniques and artisanal crafts.

A friend of the brand for many years, this collaboration between LAURENT FERRIER and artist Hervé Di Rosa has become evident over the years. Like any collaboration, the challenge lies in cohabiting two distinct visions in a single creation: the whimsy of imagination and the creativity of the artist versus the classic and traditional minimalism of the watchmaker. However, these two actors are driven by the same inner fire, the know-how, and love for pieces meticulously crafted with mastery of age-old techniques.

A LIVELY DIAL

In search of the mysteries of creation and the immaterial realms of thought, the nomadic artist Hervé Di Rosa has created genuine universes. The character depicted here is from the “Diromythology.” He is the master of time and reproduces himself throughout eternity. This 12-armed character named “Ah! Ah! Ah!” resembles a giant star or a green spider. He is the god and guardian not only of time but also of the modesty of the arts, both menacing and protective.

“Time is the only true power. The only divine thing a man can have besides life is time passing on his wrist.”
– Hervé Di Rosa

Inspired by a previously created bas-relief by the artist and his collaborators in Foumban, Cameroon, this hand-engraved dial made by the engraver Jeanne Valentine Ulrich from the Cadraniers de Genève and made from 18-carat white gold, clearly continues the artist’s work. The tones here are far from the frenzy and multiple colours used by Hervé Di Rosa in his paintings. Anthracite tones with matte and shiny finishes, all in nuances, are present. Stripped of its many companions visible on the bas-relief, “Ah! Ah! Ah!” appears on this dial, reflecting the minimalist standards of LAURENT FERRIER. This sobriety makes the character and what he represents, Time, more impactful, more powerful. It is topped with the iconic white gold assegai-shaped hands.

Inspired from this bas-relief created in 2014 on Iroko wood in Foumban, Cameroon.

Hervé Di Rosa and Laurent Ferrier spent time together exchanging and confronting their visions to bring to life this unique project in the brand’s history. A beautiful and authentic complicity was born from this collaboration. Even before meeting, Laurent and Hervé already shared the same philosophy:

“There is one important thing in life, it is encounters. We are nothing alone.”
– Hervé Di Rosa

“In the universe, we all depend on circumstances that we do not control, such as encounters. You have to be in the right place at the right time.”
– Laurent Ferrier

AN ICONIC CASE

The LAURENT FERRIER signature is found in the curves of the Classic case. Inspired by characteristic pocket watches of the 19th century, it is a round case. Here in stainless steel, it offers a diameter of 40mm and displays the clean aesthetic codes unique to the brand.

This case features a “ball” shaped winding crown for an easy and pleasant manipulation. The meticulous design, down to the hooked back topped with a sapphire glass, allows admiring the movement without any visual disturbance. This calibre is cleverly made accessible to the watchmaker thanks to the Olivette located at the bottom of the case back. Water resistance is guaranteed up to 30 meters deep.

AN INGENIOUS CALIBRE

This unique timepiece harmoniously combines the age-old principles of traditional watchmaking with the latest technical advancements. This FBN 229.01 automatic winding calibre is equipped with a natural escapement micro-rotor. This double direct impulse escapement on the balance wheel, as rare as it is complex to produce, was inspired by the father of modern watchmaking, Abraham-Louis Breguet. It is no longer the anchor that gives the impulse to the balance as in classic Swiss anchor escapements, but the escape wheel, much more efficient in terms of yield. As it can only turn in one direction, a second escape wheel completes the set to give impulses to the balance alternately. They interact with a silicon anchor, an ultra-light and self-lubricated material. The efficiency gain thus achieved is directly reflected in its autonomy. The Classic Micro-rotor thus offers a significant power reserve of over 72 hours. This exclusive LAURENT FERRIER movement was designed, assembled, and adjusted in the LF workshops.

ART DOWN TO THE FINISHES

The sapphire glass back offers an unobstructed view of exceptional finishes, of which LAURENT FERRIER is one of the most emblematic practitioners. Finely circular-grained main plate, hand-bevelled and rhodium treated Côtes de Genève bridges, mirror-polished and skeletonized anchor bridge to reveal exceptional hand-made internal angles, mirror-polished and hand-bevelled rotor bridge, bevelled and guilloché micro-rotor, all details that bring relief, brilliance, and a faithful rendering to the most demanding traditional horological timepieces.

The Classic Micro-Rotor Di Rosa is a very exclusive edition available in only 5 pieces.