1,126 articles · 32 videos found · page 2 of 39
Quill & Pad
The Greubel Forsey Hand Made 2 embodies the ultimate pursuit of hand watchmaking. Every component, whether visible or hidden, is created, finished, and assembled by hand with unprecedented rigor.
Monochrome
While most watches made by Greubel Forsey are known to be some of the most impressive on the market regarding execution and finishing, today we’re looking at something even more special. Back in 2019, the independent watchmaker released Hand Made 1, a highly classical watch (at least compared to other, bolder creations) with a focus […]
Deployant
Greubel Forsey pushes their hand made philosophy once again with the release of the second in the series. The Hand Made 2.
SJX Watches
In a fortuitous turn of events, Mark Zuckerberg was spotted with the Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 just a week ago – just in time for the debut of the Hand Made 2. Unlike its predecessor that was equipped with a tourbillon, the Hand Made 2 is “merely” a three-hander with a power reserve indicator, presented in a more compact case that’s just under 41 mm. But like the first model, the Hand Made 2 is mostly made with traditional, hand-operated tools – specifically, 96% of the watch is made this way, an endeavour that requires 5,000 hours of work according to Greubel Forsey. (NB: The watch pictured is a prototype and is not perfectly clean.) Initial thoughts The Hand Made 2 is essentially the Hand Made 1 scaled down in every respect – dimensions, complexity, and price – except for the manual production methods and fine finishing, which remain impressive and outstanding. Even at arm’s length the quality of the Hand Made 2 is obvious. Up close, it is evident all of the details have been properly taken care of. As it was with the Hand Made 1, the second edition is also impressive for what cannot be seen – tolerances and precision that are equivalent to Greubel Forsey’s serial-production watches made with automated equipment. Achieving that with manual equipment is impressive and no doubt explains a good deal of the price. Surprisingly, the Hand Made 2 looks more complicated than its predecessor, despite doing away with the tourbillon. That’s because the archit...
SJX Watches
Greubel Forsey unexpectedly debuted the Hand Made 1 in 2019, but the watch has recently been in the headlines because Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was wearing one while announcing the elimination of Meta’s fact-checking policy. So it’s an opportune time to revisit the Hand Made 1, especially since its successor may be on the horizon. More classical in style than the typical Greubel Forsey, the Hand Made 1 gets its name from the fact that entire watch, including the case, is “95%” produced “using only hand-operated tools”, but finished to the requisite high standards of the brand. “Robert and myself wanted to bring the level of reliability and performance of a modern watch, so we have imposed the tolerances of a Greubel Forsey timepiece on a hand-made watch,” explains Stephen Forsey, cofounder of Greubel Forsey. Initial thoughts Highly regarded for its elaborately-finished and often elaborately constructed watches, Greubel Forsey surprised with the Hand Made 1. While still equipped with a tourbillon regulator, the Hand Made 1 is simple relative to the brand’s usual fare, which is focused on inclined regulators and multi-axis tourbillons. While the Hand Made 1 is different from most Greubel Forsey offerings, it is similar in possessing a sheen of perfection. This is immediately apparent with the watch in hand. Every edge and surface in the movement looks perfect, even under magnification. This sets it apart from the average “hand made” watch, which ...
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Time+Tide
Zuck wore a Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 worth around US$906,000 (~A$1.45 million) as he announced sweeping content policy changes for Meta.The post Mark Zuckerberg’s $1 million Greubel Forsey watch proves as controversial as his Meta changes appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
While we know Greubel Forsey for oversized and rather outgoing wristwatches with at least one, but often two or even four tourbillons, their latest timepiece seems moderate, both in size and in looks. Yes… let that sink in… The press release is mostly trumpeting about saving nano joules of energy with their 10th fundamental invention, […]
Fratello
What better way to celebrate your 20th anniversary than by throwing a small party? No, even a tiny party is way too exuberant for Greubel Forsey, Haute Horlogerie manufacturer par excellence. That’s why the brand throws a nano party. And that’s big news because the Nano Foudroyante EWT is Greubel Forsey’s 10th “Invention Piece.” The […] Visit Monday Morning With Greubel Forsey’s 10th Fundamental Invention, The Nano Foudroyante EWT to read the full article.
Deployant
Greubel Forsey celebrates their 20th annniversary with the presentation of their 10th Fundamental Invention: the Nano Foudroyante EWT.
Time+Tide
There is a lot to get your head around with this new release from Greubel Forsey, but it's clear the watchmaking is on another level. The post Greubel Forsey flexes its horological muscles with a host of firsts in its new Nano Foudroyante EWT appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Quill & Pad
A foudroyante hand is visually spectacular as it is running faster than the eye can follow – foudroyante is French for lightning fast! But the complication uses a lot of energy, or did until the Greubel Forsey Nano Foudroyante EWT.
Quill & Pad
The Greubel Forsey Cadran has a gimbal that rolls the axis of the tourbillon around, ensuring that it will nearly never be in a vertical or horizontal position relative to its axis.
SJX Watches
Greubel Forsey has just announced a change of leadership, with Michel Nydegger assuming the role of chief executive officer. Interestingly, the current chief executive officer, Antonio Calce, will then become a vice president starting August 2024. Mr Nydegger joined the brand eight years ago and rose to his present role of head of marketing and communications in 2021, shortly after Mr Calce took over. Mr Nydegger was part of the team that supercharged Greubel Forsey’s revenue and profitability, and embarked on an expansion of its “inclined” manufacture, thanks in part to a bestselling line of sports watches introduced by Mr Calce. According to the company, despite the management changes, “Greubel Forsey will remain independent, with Robert Greubel, Stephen Forsey, and Antonio Calce continuing as shareholders.” The significance of this leadership transition at Greubel Forsey is not yet publicly known, although there has been talk that the brand is seeking new investors. The company’s ownership structure was simplified in 2022 when Richemont sold its 20% stake to Messrs Greubel, Forsey, and Calce. One rumoured scenario is that a consortium led by a well-known industry personality is taking over Greubel Forsey, something that may be announced in fall 2024.
Quill & Pad
For a Greubel Forsey, the Balancier 3 looks like a mid-size watch with a diameter of 41.5mm. Martin Green takes a closer look.
Monochrome
Greubel Forsey consistently defies convention, ensuring that each of the brand’s timepieces is nothing short of intriguing. In 2019, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey ventured into the sports watch category with the GMT Sport – a distinctive creation that integrated a world-time indication with an inclined tourbillon, but mostly an entirely new convex case design. […]
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SJX Watches
Having teased the launch of its eighth “fundamental invention” earlier this summer, Greubel Forsey has unveiled the Tourbillon Cardan featuring a 16-second inclined tourbillon suspended by a set of cardans, otherwise known as universal joints or gimbals. And for the nerds: the tourbillon is suspended in a mechanised gimbal that makes a fixed oscillation driven by the tourbillon, rather than a free-swivelling gimbal with differential gearing. Initial thoughts Despite a recent focus on sport watches, the Tourbillon Cardan is a reminder that no one does oversized, over-engineered watches quite like Greubel Forsey. The Tourbillon Cardan feels like a bridge between the past and future of the brand, suggesting the Tourbillon Cardan has been in development for several years. The dynamic and visually compelling nature of the tourbillon, the large sizing, and the traditional form of the case recall the Greubel Forsey of years past, while the minimalist aesthetic and the choice of titanium for the case material are clear hallmarks of the brand’s future trajectory. Impressive as it is, the swivelling tourbillon is not entirely a new idea. Zenith once had a double-axis gimballed escapement in its catalogue that was more complex than the Tourbillon Cardan but suffered from so-so reliability due to that very complexity. Greubel Forsey has approached the gimbals in a more concise manner, with the gimbals oscillating in a fixed motion that is being by the rotation of the tourbillon...
Deployant
Greubel Forsey unveils their 8th invention - the Tourbillon Cardan has three separate rotating and tilting platforms to make a very complicated watch.
Quill & Pad
When Joshua Munchow first saw the Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Architecture, he was surprised. But now, in the full context of everything happening with the brand, his main reaction is, "Greubel Forsey is dead, long live Greubel Forsey!"
SJX Watches
Historically known for its oversized, over-complicated watches, Greubel Forsey appears to be taking a step in a different direction as its resizes two of its bestselling sports watches, the Balancier Convexe S2 and Double Balancier Convexe. The Convexe duo are now thinner and smaller, while retaining the same ovoid form with a curved profile that characterises the brand’s sports watches. While the difference in case size between the earlier models and the new pair is worth noting, the downsizing is arguably more significant in its implications for the direction of the brand, which also recently announced an expansion to its sloping, glass-box manufacture. The Double Balancier Convexe (left), and Balancier Convexe S2 Initial thoughts A reduction in size from Greubel Forsey is rather unexpected since its watches have traditionally been unashamedly large. To be fair, the brand utilised the large cases well to best display the complex movements and expert finishing. However, the extra-large watches, along with typically hefty price tags, have always placed the brand in a niche of its own – not only did buyers need the means to buy a six-figure watch, but also have the wrist circumference to pull it off. While we have seen a shift in taste over the last couple of years towards decreasing case diameters, Greubel Forsey and its peer in the same price range, namely Richard Mille, had seemed immune to the change – or simply resistant. So, while the seemingly innocuous red...
Deployant
Interesting news: Greubel Forsey have shrunk their Balancier Convexe S2 and Double Balancier Convexe with slimmer cases to 41.5mm and 42.5mm respectively.
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SJX Watches
Greubel Forsey has revealed plans for a significant expansion of its manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Set to nearly triple the current size of the distinctive, sloping building, the CHF20 million project signals a broader strategic move for the brand as it seeks a larger share of the high-end sports watch sector. The expansion, scheduled to commence next year, will not only increase Greubel Forsey’s research and development capacity and provide additional amenities for guests and staff, but it will also enable the brand to increase production. This move aligns with the brand’s recent shift from producing mainly complex tourbillon watches to introducing simpler, sportier watches that target the segment dominated by Richard Mille. In addition to the expansion, the brand is poised to launch its eighth “Fundamental Invention” this year. Nearly tripling in size The manufacture expansion is a key pillar of chief executive Antonio Calce’s ten-year vision for growing the brand and professionalising its operations. According to Mr Calce, the expansion will enable Greubel Forsey to pursue “ever greater creativity and excellence in hand finishing.” Antonio Calce The planned expansion of the manufacture is ambitious; the floorplan is set to nearly triple in size, from 2,000 m2 to 5,460 m2. Fortunately, the expansion will not alter the current building’s recognisable architecture of a glass box rising out of the grass. Instead, the expansion will build on and around...
Quill & Pad
GaryG was delighted to take possession of a Greubel Forsey Invention Piece 1 with its inclined double tourbillon, while a good friend of his replied in kind with a purchase of the quadruple-tourbillon Invention Piece 2. Ever since, he has been dying to get these two gorgeous monsters side by side in the light tent. And the time has finally come!
Quill & Pad
Including established shapes, mechanics, and components within a watch that bucks the norm is a great way to gently pull people along as a watch brand goes in a new direction. Greubel Forsey has subtly mastered this technique, and the new Balancier S2 is the awesomely unique result. The Balancier S2 has the warmth of classic Greubel Forsey intermingled with the crisp future of the brand.
Revolution
Launched in 2017, the Greubel Forsey Grande Sonnerie is one of the brand’s most complicated and innovative timepieces. Wei takes a closer look at this repeater with a 43.5 x 16.13mm case, 72 hours of power reserve and a hand-finished tourbillon inclined at 25 degrees that completes a full rotation every 24 seconds. Its crisp […]
Quill & Pad
Recently, GaryG had the opportunity to handle, photograph, and wear a good friend’s Balancier Contemporain in white gold. His pal had long been a fan of the brand but had always been put off by the size of the watches. At 39.6 mm wide, though, the Contemporain is the most compact Greubel Forsey ever.
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