chintu
504
Is this the pinnacle of hand finishing & hand made watchmaking?
May 02, 2021,06:47 AM
The Greubel Forsey Handmade 1 takes 6000 hours to produce. And at 8 work-hours per day x 20 work-days per month this translates into 37,5 person months of work . Given that a single watchmaker would be responsible for this haut de gamme piece which is 95% handmade ( only the crystals , hairspring and gaskets and jewels are outsourced) the watch takes 3 years to complete.
To appreciate the enormity and complexity of the hand finishing, just one wheel with 5 spokes has 40 internal angles to finish by hand. Every bridge hand bevelled to perfection and the gears perfectly polished and angled; screws blued by hand and those non-blued, black polished. Frosting done to perfection.
The watch does not compromise on the technical excellence either.
Of course, only uber-rich collectors can only afford such a piece. But all the same, the Handmade 1 stands out as one amongst the watches that can occupy the final apex layer of watchmaking and be a reference point for how watches can be finished
pic courtesy : internet; with acknowledgements to copyright holders wherever applicable.