Hands-on Greubel Forsey Balancier Contemporain – still GF, more reasonable

Greubel Forsey’s fascinating decoration is more wearable, simpler, and lighter.

In the past few years, we have seen two very different faces of Greubel Forsey: On the one hand, we have obtained unusually complex watches with large cases and irregular shapes. Looks like a boxer after an unsuccessful night of fighting. Its famous Greenwich Mean Time is a good example. On the other hand, GF also produces watches with round cases and simple dials. The best finish is still a frantic pursuit, but with less information and a more traditional layout. The first is the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision (Tourbillon 24 Seconds Vision), here are live photos, this product made the 2016 Aiguille d’Or watch won, which is the highest award of the Geneva Grand Prix of Haute Horlogerie (GPHG). In the same year, we saw signature 1, which has a simpler structure. This is the case with the new Greubel Forsey Balancier Contemporain.

For the Glauber Forsey Balancier Contemporain, the case itself is a complicated issue, because the original idea was to install the iconic balance wheel of Glauber Forsey in a platinum suit with a diameter of only 39.6 mm and a height of 12.21 mm. – First production.

In 2017, Greubel Forsey replica showed a balance wheel developed entirely in-house with a diameter of 12.6mm to ensure the best timing. The balance wheel rim is equipped with six gold synchronization screws, and its recessed design can ensure the best aerodynamic performance by reducing air friction. It is this principle that led Jaeger-LeCoultre to develop its own balance wheel. The shape of the balance wheel Darth Vader Tie-Fighter first appeared in its Extreme Lab 1 in 2007 and can now be seen in the geophysical model. It also provides the added advantage of easier adjustments for watchmakers. The balance wheel was first introduced in Balancier by Greubel Forsey in 2017 (you can find live photos here). But the diameter of the Balancier in 2017 was 43.5 mm. In the watch industry, 3.9 mm is a world.

The mission of the Balancier Contemporain is to mount the large internal balance wheel and other elements in a harmonious way. The watch must be beautiful and functional, with visible elements and simple and instant time readings. And it must be constructed in accordance with GF’s standards: use the brand’s iconic three-dimensional architecture to achieve depth.

The hour and minute counter is located at the 2 o’clock position. Its blue steel pointer has a hand-polished counter hole and a polished center, and has a large aperture, revealing the balance wheel, gear train and three-dimensional tripod bridge. . A little lower at 10 o’clock is the power reserve indicator, which is located on the hand-frosted bridge.

The extremely thin blue hands and their pivots immediately remind us of the indications used in old clocks. If we go further down, we will find the small seconds register. There is a hole in the frosted bridge on which it is located, allowing the gold-plated barrel to be exposed. The balance wheel is located above the mirror polished bridge, the long axis is black polished and hand-chamfered. Depending on the way the light is irradiated, the polished surface looks black. Pure decoration crazy!

The hand-wound movement contains 255 parts, all handmade and decorated. The balance wheel beats at a frequency of 3 Hz and has a 72-hour power reserve from two fast-rotating barrels connected in series. But we can’t see it, because it has been covered by another favorite design element of Greubel Forsey: engraved text. In the middle, we found a red gold plate with GF logo and limited number. Around the plate, on the platinum bridge, we found that the followers of Gruber Fossey were engraved and repeated from the outer edge to the center, interrupted by three domed jewels of gold jewels. The bottom cover is fixed by gold screws and bears the brand name and the name of the watch. https://www.bagsbagu.com

The manufacturer also introduced a “Serti” version with a 41.6 mm case. Since the bezel is covered with diamonds, it is larger in size. More importantly, these stones are “mysterious inlays”, which is a patented technology applied by Van Cleef & Arpels in 1933, in which no pointed or inlays can be seen. In 1938, VCA improved its technique and managed to fix the stone on the curved surface.

It must be noted that even though the case and lugs of the Greubel Forsey Balancier Contemporain Serti are set with baguette-cut diamonds, the hours, minutes and small seconds are all made of mother-of-pearl Yes, the hollow dial retains its technical characteristics. The bridges above and below the balance wheel have the same hand-frosted decorations as the less ornate case, making the replica men watch look more uniform and less glamorous.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS – GREUBEL FORSEY BALANCIER CONTEMPORAIN

Case: 39.6mm diameter x 12.21mm height – 18k white gold, polished and brushed – sapphire crystal, front and caseback – 30m water-resistant

Dial: multi-level in gold, rhodium-coloured – black lacquered hour-ring and minute-circle

Hours and minutes, small seconds and power-reserve hands in polished blued steel

Movement: In-house, hand-wound calibre – 32.40mm x 9.20mm – 21,600 vibrations per hours – 72h power reserve – 33 jewels – 255 parts – hours, minutes, small seconds, power reserve indicator
Additional details: two series-coupled fast rotating barrels – in-house variable-inertia balance wheel with 6 gold mean-time screws
Main plates in Titanium, frosted and spotted
Bridges in Nickel silver, frosted and spotted with polished bevelling
Flat black polished steel balance wheel bridge

Strap: hand-sewn alligator strap – white gold pin buckle