Greubel Forsey
Encyclopedia
Greubel Forsey is a watchmaking company specializing in very high-end complicated timepieces. It was launched in 2004 by Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey and is based in La Chaux-de-Fonds
, Switzerland.
It has made itself a name as a watch manufacturer, specially thanks to its invention of watches with two and four tourbillon
mechanisms in the same watch case, and the patented mechanisms that allows them to get their force from the same main spring.
with the introduction of their Double Tourbillon 30° (DT30). Both men had been working together since 1992 at Renaud & Papi , where they developed complicated watch movements.
In 2006 the Richemont
group acquired a 20% stake in Greubel Forsey’s share capital.
In 2006 the company collaborated with American jeweller Harry Winston
to make the Opus 6 model.
The company has also invented and presented four different tourbillon
-based watches: the Double Tourbillon 30° (DT30°) in 2004, the Quadruple Tourbillon à Différentiel in 2005, the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Incliné in 2006, and the Invention Piece 1 in 2007, derived from the original DT30°.
Two inventions current in EWT are the ‘Binomial’, a mono-material balance-and-spring wheel combination mechanism using isochronically stable materials, and the "Différentiel d’Egalité", a constant force device based in a spherical differential. This differential keeps providing the same constant force to all the four tourbillons, solving the typical problem where the main spring gives different amount of force depending on how much potential energy it retains.
, France and began his horological career by working with his watchmaker father in the family shop, Greubel Horlogerie. In 1987 Greubel moved to Switzerland to join the International Watch Company
(IWC), where he helped develop their Grand Complication. In 1990 he joined Renaud & Papi SA (now Audemars Piguet
Renaud & Papi SA) as a prototypist for complicated movements and rose to become managing director and partner.
Stephen Forsey grew up in St Albans
, England, where he was inspired by his father's passion for mechanics and engineering. From 1987 to 1992 Forsey specialized in antique clock restoration and became head of Watch Restoration at Asprey’s in London. From 1988 to 1990 Forsey attended two five-month courses at the WOSTEP watchmaking school in Neuchâtel and in 1992 joined Robert Greubel's team at Renaud & Papi SA (now Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi SA), developing complicated watch movements.
In 1999 both Greubel and Forsey began working independently, and in 2001 they founded together Complitime SA, a company specializing in created mechanisms with complicated movements for up-market watch brands.
At the world watch fair at BaselWorld
in 2004, after many years in development, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey launched their first watch, the Double Tourbillion 30° (DT30°), under their own brand ‘Greubel Forsey’.
Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey are founding members of the Time aeon Foundation
mechanism, with only a few tens of units manufactured every year, which are sold for hundreds of thousand of Swiss francs.
This watch was presented in 2004 features one carriage which rotates once per minute and is inclined at 30°, inside another carriage which rotates every four minutes. The company claims rotating one Tourbillon
inside another will average out errors on the balance induced by gravity. It is available in two versions, with the tourbillon mechanism either visible behind the dial or only through the back.
Derived from the mechanism above Invention Piece 1 has a modified appearance, with red and blue triangular 'hands' and a sub-second dial and a 'power reserve indicator' above and to the right. A large polished bridge supports the double tourbillon carriages. Presented in 2007.
Greubel Forsey's third watch, presented in 2005, uses two double-tourbillons working independently. The company claims this contributes to an extremely high accuracy for the timepiece. A spherical differential connects the four rotating carriages, distributing torque between two wheels rotating at different speeds. The carriages are visible on the dial side and through a window on the side of the watch.
Presented in 2006, the tourbillon cage in this watch has a higher angular velocity, resulting in rapidly changing positions. An aluminium alloy and titanium are used for their strength and lightness. Avional for the pillars of the tourbillon cage, and titanium for the carriage bridges. The watch system incorporates 88 parts and weighs 0.39 grams.
La Chaux-de-Fonds
La Chaux-de-Fonds is a Swiss city of the district of La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometres from the French border. After Geneva and Lausanne, it is the third largest city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of...
, Switzerland.
It has made itself a name as a watch manufacturer, specially thanks to its invention of watches with two and four tourbillon
Tourbillon
In horology, a tourbillon is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement. Developed around 1795 by the French-Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet from an earlier idea by the English chronometer maker John Arnold a tourbillon aims to counter the effects of gravity by mounting the...
mechanisms in the same watch case, and the patented mechanisms that allows them to get their force from the same main spring.
Corporate history
Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey launched Greubel Forsey in 2004 at BaselWorldBaselWorld
Baselworld Watch and Jewellery Show is a trade show for the watch and jewellery industry organized annually in the city of Basel, Switzerland. The international show unites about 2,100 exhibitors from over 45 countries, including the leading watch and jewelry brands, as well as companies...
with the introduction of their Double Tourbillon 30° (DT30). Both men had been working together since 1992 at Renaud & Papi , where they developed complicated watch movements.
In 2006 the Richemont
Richemont
Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A. is a Swiss luxury goods holding company founded in 1988 by the South African businessman Johann Rupert. Richemont categorizes its businesses into four areas: jewellery, watch making, writing instruments and other, which encompasses clothing and firearms. The...
group acquired a 20% stake in Greubel Forsey’s share capital.
In 2006 the company collaborated with American jeweller Harry Winston
Harry Winston
Harry Winston was an American jeweler. He donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 after owning it for a decade, and traded the Portuguese Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1963.-History:...
to make the Opus 6 model.
The company has also invented and presented four different tourbillon
Tourbillon
In horology, a tourbillon is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement. Developed around 1795 by the French-Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet from an earlier idea by the English chronometer maker John Arnold a tourbillon aims to counter the effects of gravity by mounting the...
-based watches: the Double Tourbillon 30° (DT30°) in 2004, the Quadruple Tourbillon à Différentiel in 2005, the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Incliné in 2006, and the Invention Piece 1 in 2007, derived from the original DT30°.
EWT
The company presented in 2005 a proprietary development methodology called EWT (Experimental Watch Technology) to experiment, test and ratify their projects in-house. It's a proprietary research and development platform. It incorporates its own laboratory.Two inventions current in EWT are the ‘Binomial’, a mono-material balance-and-spring wheel combination mechanism using isochronically stable materials, and the "Différentiel d’Egalité", a constant force device based in a spherical differential. This differential keeps providing the same constant force to all the four tourbillons, solving the typical problem where the main spring gives different amount of force depending on how much potential energy it retains.
Founders
Robert Greubel grew up in AlsaceAlsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, France and began his horological career by working with his watchmaker father in the family shop, Greubel Horlogerie. In 1987 Greubel moved to Switzerland to join the International Watch Company
International Watch Company
International Watch Co, also known as IWC, is a high-end Swiss watch manufacturer located in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. IWC is an active member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH....
(IWC), where he helped develop their Grand Complication. In 1990 he joined Renaud & Papi SA (now Audemars Piguet
Audemars Piguet
Audemars Piguet is a manufacturer of prestige Swiss watches which compete with Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Vacheron Constantin.-Foundation:...
Renaud & Papi SA) as a prototypist for complicated movements and rose to become managing director and partner.
Stephen Forsey grew up in St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, England, where he was inspired by his father's passion for mechanics and engineering. From 1987 to 1992 Forsey specialized in antique clock restoration and became head of Watch Restoration at Asprey’s in London. From 1988 to 1990 Forsey attended two five-month courses at the WOSTEP watchmaking school in Neuchâtel and in 1992 joined Robert Greubel's team at Renaud & Papi SA (now Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi SA), developing complicated watch movements.
In 1999 both Greubel and Forsey began working independently, and in 2001 they founded together Complitime SA, a company specializing in created mechanisms with complicated movements for up-market watch brands.
At the world watch fair at BaselWorld
BaselWorld
Baselworld Watch and Jewellery Show is a trade show for the watch and jewellery industry organized annually in the city of Basel, Switzerland. The international show unites about 2,100 exhibitors from over 45 countries, including the leading watch and jewelry brands, as well as companies...
in 2004, after many years in development, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey launched their first watch, the Double Tourbillion 30° (DT30°), under their own brand ‘Greubel Forsey’.
Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey are founding members of the Time aeon Foundation
Products
The company specializes in designing and manufacturing high-end watches based on the TourbillonTourbillon
In horology, a tourbillon is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement. Developed around 1795 by the French-Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet from an earlier idea by the English chronometer maker John Arnold a tourbillon aims to counter the effects of gravity by mounting the...
mechanism, with only a few tens of units manufactured every year, which are sold for hundreds of thousand of Swiss francs.
- Double Tourbillon 30° (DT30°) Vision/Secret.
This watch was presented in 2004 features one carriage which rotates once per minute and is inclined at 30°, inside another carriage which rotates every four minutes. The company claims rotating one Tourbillon
Tourbillon
In horology, a tourbillon is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement. Developed around 1795 by the French-Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet from an earlier idea by the English chronometer maker John Arnold a tourbillon aims to counter the effects of gravity by mounting the...
inside another will average out errors on the balance induced by gravity. It is available in two versions, with the tourbillon mechanism either visible behind the dial or only through the back.
- Invention Piece 1 (IP1).
Derived from the mechanism above Invention Piece 1 has a modified appearance, with red and blue triangular 'hands' and a sub-second dial and a 'power reserve indicator' above and to the right. A large polished bridge supports the double tourbillon carriages. Presented in 2007.
- Quadruple Tourbillon à Différentiel (QDT).
Greubel Forsey's third watch, presented in 2005, uses two double-tourbillons working independently. The company claims this contributes to an extremely high accuracy for the timepiece. A spherical differential connects the four rotating carriages, distributing torque between two wheels rotating at different speeds. The carriages are visible on the dial side and through a window on the side of the watch.
- Tourbillon 24 Secondes Incliné (T24Si).
Presented in 2006, the tourbillon cage in this watch has a higher angular velocity, resulting in rapidly changing positions. An aluminium alloy and titanium are used for their strength and lightness. Avional for the pillars of the tourbillon cage, and titanium for the carriage bridges. The watch system incorporates 88 parts and weighs 0.39 grams.
External links
- Official website
- Discussion forum
- Interview to Stephen Forsey, by Jack Forster
- Interview with Stephen Forsey, regarding the Richemont group stake
- Quadruple tourbillon, iW magazine, 2007-01-24
- Robert & Stephen biography, iW magazine