What makes Greubel Forsey tourbillons so different?

From the workbench

Double Tourbillon 30° (1) © Greubel & Forsey

Quadruple Tourbillon à Différentiel (2) © Greubel & Forsey

Tourbillon 24 Secondes Incliné (3) © Greubel & Forsey

Everything, one could answer. For an objective comparison, we will focus on seven areas that distinguish a Greubel Forsey tourbillon from another.

Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey

• It is specifically intended for a wristwatch.
• It is the product of fundamental research.
• It served as a technology demonstrator.
• Its parts are made on-site.
• It transforms invention into Art.
• It embodies the shared vision of two inventor-watchmakers.
• It is one in a series of fundamental inventions.

Designed for the wrist

Whether the Double Tourbillon 30°, the Quadruple Tourbillon à Différentiel Sphérique or the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Incliné, Greubel Forsey tourbillons are conceived for the wrist. Each of these mechanisms was invented to compensate the effects of gravity on a watch worn on the wrist, that is in every position and not just in the vertical position of a pocket watch, as at the time of Breguet, the inspired inventor of the original tourbillon. In this way, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey have made a decisive contribution to the evolution of the tourbillon and of Technical Haute Horlogerie.

The product of fundamental research

Drawing on 40 years’ combined experience, these inventor-watchmakers have developed a way of working that sweeps aside established knowledge to develop innovative tourbillons whose structure embraces beauty, precision and modernity. Refusing superfluous decors and ornamentation, even the reinventing of classic mechanisms, Greubel Forsey knew its path lay with out-and-out technical innovation, preparing itself for a long period of research with no idea what the outcome might be. For eight long years, Greubel Forsey researched and developed solutions for the wrist tourbillon, such as new profiles for inclined gearings and even conical gearings. As for materials, Greubel Forsey looked to micro-aeronautics for aluminium and aluminium alloys with a density almost three times less than steel.

A long experimental process

Every Greubel Forsey invention is the product of EWT® (Experimental Watch Technology®), a methodology, a scientific platform and a test bench all-in-one. As in the aviation industry, prototypes have a role as technology demonstrators. Importantly, EWT® means Greubel Forsey can work simultaneously on several experimental watches, each of which must pass through numerous stages in development. Each new project benefits from progress made in inventions further along the pipeline. It is during this slow process that Greubel Forsey makes the final choice of materials according to the stress on each component, and makes full use of simulations to perfect each mechanism.

Parts made under close surveillance

The Greubel Forsey Atelier has the machinery and the skills to make all the components on-site. This is a key advantage during the prototype stage as flexibility is crucial when fine-tuning each part. Close-hand collaboration between design and production teams has resulted in a fundamental invention each year for the past four years.

Hand-finishing

At Greubel Forsey, each tourbillon transforms the most advanced technology into art. And when digital design and sophisticated machines have played their part, the craftsman’s hand takes over. The contrast between pillars and bridges in mirror-polished steel and the frosted jade-gold finish of plates and bridges is a unique sight in itself. From snail-finish barrels, the eccentric circular-graining of the main plate and blued-steel screws for the harmony of the whole, the finishing of each part highlights the beauty and magic of the tourbillons invented by Greubel Forsey.

Two Inventor-Watchmakers

Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, one French the other English, come from families of watchmakers and engineers. Robert studied his specialisation of complications at the École d’Horlogerie in Dreux while Stephen gained extensive experience in antique clock restoration. At the end of the 1980s Robert was a prototypist with IWC where he worked on the Grande Complication. Stephen, meanwhile, was at the head of the watch restoration department at Asprey’s in London. They met in 1992 at Renaud & Papi SA, where Robert would become joint managing director and partner. In 1999 they left Renaud & Papi SA to develop their shared vision of Technical Haute Horlogerie. In 2001 they set up CompliTime SA, specialising in complicated movements for prestigious names, all the while preparing to launch their own brand.

An innovation each year

(1) 2004 Double Tourbillon 30°
Unveiled at BaselWorld 2004, Greubel Forsey’s first invention was a Double Tourbillon whose second cage is inclined at 30° inside the first cage. Its advantages are to be more effective in a wristwatch’s multiple positions, a smaller size and the clear visibility of the mechanism as it rotates.

(2) 2005 Quadruple Tourbillon à Différentiel Sphérique
Each of the four tourbillons in the Quadruple Tourbillon à Différentiel Sphérique contributes to achieving a highly precise average rate. Because they are not synchronous, their relative positions further reduce the risk of an "unfavourable" position. The differential provides the final correction by averaging all the averages. Currently at the experimental stage, it will be launched in 2008.

(3) 2006 Tourbillon 24 Secondes Incliné
For its third invention, Greubel Forsey has opted for a single inclined cage rotating at high velocity - a complete rotation in just 24 seconds - to improve the efficiency of a single tourbillon. The objective remains the same: to limit the amount of time the regulating organ remains in the critical position. The solution is new. ■

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