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Friday, February 4, 2011

SIHH 2011:

Greubel Forsel Double Tourbillon 30 Technique

Greubel Forsey is one of the independent watchmakers to watch...they are very innovative, and creates timepieces which are wonderful to the eye...like landscapes...and fully deserve what I call watchscapes...landscapes of watches.

Started by two veterans from Renaud et Papi - the firm bears the name of the founders...Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey. Robert is French, and Stephen is English...one of the three Englishman independent watchmakers of note (the other two being Roger Smith and Peter Speake-Marin. I am not counting George Daniels, as he hardly has any offerings in the making, and my dear friend Derek Pratt has recently passed away).

This year, they showed the Double Tourbillon 30deg Technique...quite a long name, but it just begins to describe the complexity of this watch.

A double tourbillon, two tourbillons in one...with an outer tourbillon rotating at one revolution per 4-minutes, and an inner tourbillon running at the rate of 1 minute, this watch looks like its skeletonized, and indeed to reveal again the multi-level movement watchscape.


Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30 degree Technique dial side

From the rear, equally beautiful and captivating
Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30 degree Technique rear side

A special technique developed for the Invention Piece for inscribing the small wordings to make up text is also used in the Double Tourbillon, and is applied to the sides of the case. This raised and pilished engraving on a hand punched background is quite an interesting texture:

Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30 degree Technique case side

And the crown side

Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30 degree Technique case side showing crown

Detail of the double tourbillon, showing polished tourbillon bridge:

Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30 degree Technique detail of tourbillon and bridge

Detail of the mainspring barrels. The mainsprings are a series of 4 coaxial series-couple fast-rotating barrels. Note the bridge is jewelled, bevelled and finished to a high polish.

Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30 degree Technique detail showing main spring barrels

A closer look at the canon pinon of the watch, bearing the time indicating hands:

Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30 degree Technique detail showing main pinion


Even the buckle is quite specially engineered...

Greubel Forsey buckle

3 comments:

Speedmaster said...

Absolutely stunning, great photography!

Unknown said...

Very nice, it looks very very complicated, not only the engineering process but the concept as well.

For the curious, it is written :

-on the first side view:
Nous inventeurs horlogers, avons donné vie 'a ce garde-temps d'exception. Subtile alchimie entre créativité et technicité, notre savoir faire exclusif et bien-facture se représente dans la complexité de cette réalisation élaborée 'a votre intention. (replace 'a with a with accent)

-on the crown side:
Inventeurs/horlogers
créativité/technicité
univers original
savoir faire
œuvre unique
noblesse/esthétique
bienfacture d'exception

Anonymous said...

English translation (face side): We inventive watchmakers have given life to this exceptional timepiece. Subtle alchemy between creativity and technicality, our proprietary knowledge and craftsmanship comprise the complexity of this realization developed for you.

(crown side):
inventors watch
technical creativity
original universe
expertise unique work
aesthetic nobility
exceptional craftsmanship