Greubel Forsey – even the name sends chills running down along your spine. One of the world’s greatest watchmakers has recently come up with a brilliant piece of engineering, a genuinely amazing timepiece to enrage your man-ego.
Fitted with a fantastic movement made of titanium and reportedly available in white or red gold, this model is an exclusive limited edition and will only be produced in 33 pieces of each model. Superbly put together with sobriety as its main design feature, the so-called “Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain with natural titanium movement” comprises the third invention to be signed by Greubel Forsey – the Tourbillon 24 Secondes mechanism. This is mainly an extremely efficient, fast-rotating, 24-second revolution tourbillon cage inclined at 25 degrees. An even nicer aspect is the way the mechanism is displayed – it is supported at 6 o’clock by a nearly invisible sapphire bridge.
An interesting feature of this Greubel Forsey timepiece is the way it emanates sophistication and depth, thanks to the ways the components are being knit and assembled together. For example, the 12 o’clock indicator appears to be standing out on top of everything else – there are many ways to explain this, though: it’s the only numeral on the dial, it’s done in white or red gold, it is raised from the surface of the dial and comes descending separately from the raised sapphire chapter ring. Two other features that help provide that sense of depth we’ve mentioned earlier are the long central tripod for the minute and hour hands, and the tourbillon, which looks as if it is flying.
An additional pretty significant design feature is the combo of colors – the display provides cool contrasts between the light grayish tones of the natural titanium movement and integrated titanium bridges, and the darker nuances on the 24 seconds tourbillon at 6 o’clock, the small seconds indicator at 9 o’clock and the power reserve indicator located at 4 o’clock.
As for the caseback, it presents three anthracite bridges, all of them NAC-treated and visible through the sapphire crystal rear display. A great degree of polishing was also required, as seen on the bevels, counterskins, and the straight-gaining and snailed decoration on the mainspring barrel. The heat blued screws and the domed olive jewels may as well be considered signs of tradition, according to Greubel Forsey. Quick advice: make sure you check on the price before you order one – $450,000 a piece may prove a bit too much!
[Perpetuelle]
