Greubel Forsey: the pursuit of excellence

“A new interpretation of our first invention, the Double Tourbillon 30°, this timepiece has four barrels coupled to a spherical differential. This provides the 120-hour power reserve which can be read from a dial at 3 o’clock. Sub-seconds are positioned at 9 o’clock. The entire movement is designed so that no single element overshadows another. Each one can be admired for its beauty and technicity.”
For this, its sixth time at Baselworld, Greubel Forsey also unveiled two other new models. “This proves we’re not on standby,” Stephen Forsey continued, “even if we do remain cautious in 2009. Having said that, it’s all going well so far. There are very few Greubel Forsey watches in circulation in our distribution network, hence very little inventory at the point of sale. When one of our watches arrives at a store, more often than not it’s already sold. Ultimately, we’re limited by our rate of production. The models we propose are as far removed from a mass-production mentality as is possible. We prefer to concentrate on research and innovation without seeking to produce one new model after another. This allows us to keep control of quantities.”

Knowing that a third of Greubel Forsey’s staff, i.e. some fifteen people, are employed in hand-finishing the movement parts, and that it takes one of the company’s watchmakers a full six weeks to assemble the 531 components that make up the movement for the Quadruple Tourbillon à Différentiel Sphérique, its second new model, the care and attention that goes into each Greubel Forsey watch becomes apparent. As does the research that precedes it. For this latest timepiece, it took five years to develop the four tourbillons which are coupled to two separate regulating organs. Each regulating organ is composed of an oscillator inside the cage of a one-minute tourbillon, inclined at 30° and itself housed inside the cage of a four-minute tourbillon. Both regulating organs are coupled to the spherical differential which ensures transmission to the display system. The asynchronous position of the four tourbillons ensures optimal performance of the balance.

The third new model is Invention Piece 3. Directly derived from research for the Double Tourbillon 30°, this timepiece consists of a tourbillon, inclined at an angle of 25° and making one rapid rotation in 24 seconds. The dial is unique in that the indicators are set on the plates themselves. For Greubel Forsey, which is building a new atelier in La Chaux-de-Fonds for all its staff, who are currently spread between seven sites, exceptional watchmaking is above all a question of technical and precious watchmaking.