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Simply signing their name! Greubel Forsey introduces three new models at SIHH2016.

You have to admire Greubel Forsey.  Each and every year they produce at least one new movement and watch; sometimes two or more; and this year proved no exception.  This year the watches were more basic in terms of movement design, but were still, nonetheless, superlatively finished and exemplary examples of the watchmaker’s art. 

Signature

The watch that seemed to be the one that everyone was talking about was the Greubel Forsey Signature 1.  To a large extent it was a “love or hate” from the chatter around the halls at Palexpo.  Most of the internet based media seemed to love it; most of the printed media had a more jaundiced opinion (I am sure everyone will tell me that is gross over simplification).  Although described as a simple “time-only” watch, it is anything but.  As a basic description, sure the watch is a simple time-only; just three hands displaying hours, minutes, and seconds.  I also heard other grumpy types citing other firms that make the smaller dialed watch with the balance showing at a fraction of the price.  But that’s missing the point.  That is not what this watch is about.  The Signature 1 was the first in the series for Greubel Forsey where they will work with a senior watchmaker to produce a limited number of watches to a specific design.  In this instance the senior watchmaker was one of their own: Didier Cretin.

Greubel Forsey is, to my mind, the best watchmaker out there.  Now admittedly you can question, if you wish, whether such obsessive attention to finishing and detail is necessary for chronometric performance: some of it is not.  However, finishing preserves the life of the watch: well finished watches have the ability to be maintained over the years with less wear and tear; the watch runs more efficiently with the same reduction in wear and tear; and visually, there is always some element that captures the eye.  Aesthetically and mechanically: finishing counts!  But finishing with Greubel Forsey goes beyond obtaining the correct polishing machine and giving the metal edge a burnish!  A while back I reviewed the finishing techniques at Greubel Forsey www.watchprosite.com .  The chamfering into the corners, the polished edges to the plates, and the hand finishing on even the brushed surfaces are meticulous.  There are no equals.  And in that I am going to include the “greats” such as Dufour and Voutillanen. 

[To get an idea of the finish: look at the main bridge for the balance wheel and the exactness of the black polishing; likewise, look at the edge of the hours/minutes dial next to the second hand dial and the reflection in the diamond polish.  Now that’s finishing!]

In the basement of the farm, Greubel Forsey have a number of old machines; rescued from old factories so that they can create and work on prototypes.  On top of that, the EWT (Experimental Watch Technology)process that they put any escapement idea, movement, or complete watch through  takes years.  www.watchprosite.com Hence, to find some people suggesting that this watch is a reaction to current economic times in the Swiss watch industry is wrong.  The Signature has been six years in the planning and execution.  It may have arrived as a production piece at an opportune time; but that is different from the planning and trials that the watch was subjected to over the longer term.

For my money, if I had the money, the Greubel Forsey Signature 1 was the watch of SIHH.  There is more to the simple time only watch than meets the eye.  First, I loved the pared down movement.  From both sides of the watch the movement is clearly visible: from the main spring down to the escapement and then to the hands.  Note how the seconds dial is smaller than the cog wheels lying beneath it.  You can see both the second hand and the movement for the seconds. 

The finishing on the movement, back and front, is without blemish.  All chamfering is exact: the points on the plates are exactly defined and the corners are pin point sharp.  The balance wheel is proprietary and inhouse.  Greubel Forsey had searched around for a third party supplier, but unhappy with the results, they decided to develop one themselves.   Here, the work undertaken as part of the testing for Naissance d’une Montres ( www.watchprosite.com ) proved more than just useful.  Sharp eyed Purists will note the similarities in the balance wheel design.  The balance wheel for the Signature was a form that Didier Cretin decided on having had the complete research from Naissance made available to him.  At 12.4 mm in diameter, the balance wheel is mesmeric and metronomic in form.  Coupled with the highly black polished bridge (reminiscent of the bridge from Invention Piece 1) that it sits on, the escapement is a joy to behold. 

The overall design of the watch is a minimalist form.  And that is something that I find very appealing.  Instead of getting caught up on intricate bridge work, or engraved decoration, the plates and bridges, with the exception of one, are frosted finish with beveled and polished edges.  The one exception lies with the top plate of the dial side which has, for the first time on a Greubel Forsey watch, Geneva stripes. 

Finally, the watch is now scalable on the wrist.  Don’t get me wrong: I truly love the more advanced Greubel Forsey watches.  The escapements and other parts to the movement are a joy to behold but they are large on the wrist and perhaps, depending on the size of your wrist, not for everyday wear.  Although Steve Forsey doesn’t seem to have much problem on a daily basis!  But the difference is lies in the diameter of the case: at about 41mm and the depth of the case: about 11mm.  The watch fits below the cuff of a shirt and to my mind looks like ideal on the wrist.  In total Greubel Forsey are to make 66 Signature watches: 11 in platinum, 11 in white gold, 11 in rose gold, and 33 in steel.  The 33 in steel are the everyday watch: all the finishing within a Greubel Forsey watch but with the steel case.  Marcus of London often has one-off pieces with DLC steel cases (see below).  Of the 33 steel cased Signature watches, 11 will have a blue frosted finish.  I am sure they will be stand out watches.

I will admit that I admire Greubel Forsey for their uncompromising attention to quality and watch development.  This is a company that pursues Chronometry competitions (as well as other prizes); develops and extensively tests new escapements, movements, and complete watches; and helps maintain and promote watchmaking craft.  There is no co-branding, no claims to have re-invented the escapement, and no claims of a limited production that numbers in the hundreds or thousands.  Just superlatively finished watches and in this instance a watch that can be worn and enjoyed day in and day out. 

At the Double!

While the Signature grabbed all the news, particularly with the journalists (who either loved or hated it), there was also a visually striking watch in their Double Balancier.  Although this is not a new movement in the strictest Greubel Forsey sense of the term: let’s face it, the GF standard is a high one because of the number of new escapements they have introduced in the past decade, it is still a new watch.

While the spherical differential has been used before: most notably on the Quadruple Tourbillon pieces (and was probably most visible in the Invention Piece 2), there was also the Double Balancier edition that was part of a one off piece special edition that came out of the EWT (and was sold by Marcus of London).    See: www.watchprosite.com

This time though the Double Balancier showcases the spherical differential as the star of the movement.  While any Greubel Forsey watch has exemplary finishing, the movement now not only showcases the differential, which balances out the two escapements over a four minute cycle, but shows the finishing on the various elements of the complete movement.  The differential is now the centre piece with black polished bridges and a four minute counter to show the one complete cycle.  In essence, in terms of maintaining the watch’s accuracy, the complete movement does the same job as the Double Tourbilon 30 degrees.  The two escapements are inclined at opposing angles at 30 degrees.  Their positioning is such that they will average out the positional irregularities over a minute.  The two 30 degree inclined balance wheels are then linked through the four minutes spherical differential that averages out any difference between the two inclined balance wheels over a four minute cycles.  It is a mesmerizing horological threatre to behold. 

As usual with Greubel Forsey, and the limited number of watches they produce in a year, there will be only 33 made.

A New Vision

Finally, there was a new version of the 24 Second Tourbillon Vision that swept all before it at the watch awards this past year.  At SIHH the new version of the Vision was a rose gold and charcoal grey coloured watch.  The markers are still feu enamel and the effect was a watch with a warmer feel.  If anything, the effect of the darkened dial was to highlight the tourbillon movement through the “round window”!  Whereas the white gold version of the Vision was a limited series, the rose gold version is to be part of the regular collection.

Finally, to give some idea to the Signature 1 in steel and blue for the Americas:  a unique version of the Vision watch from Marcus – London.  Marcus occasionally twists Stephen Forsey’s arm and asks him to produce a “one off” or “Piece Unique”.  It was the case for the EWT Balancier watch and now the same for the Vision.  This example has a blue dial (the same as used on the 24 Second Contemporaine) but with a DLC steel case. 

Andrew H

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