Greubel Forsey has been a relentless force in the world of high-end watchmaking since its establishment in 2004. Nestled in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the Atelier Manufacture had built a reputation for exceptional innovation, craftsmanship, and a commitment to invention, resulting in timepieces celebrated for their distinct place in haute horlogerie.

In August 2023, Greubel Forsey unveiled its latest creation – the Double Balancier Convexe in carbon. This new masterpiece not only showcases the brand’s dedication to innovation, but also marks its first foray into crafting timepieces from carbon. With a reduced diameter of 42.5mm from previous iterations of the Double Balancier, this unexpected timepiece presents a bold fusion of structural complexity and the use of highly technical materials.

As its name indicates, carbon fiber takes center stage in the new model, enhancing both lightness and durability of the design. The distinct convex case of the model— beloved by fans of the brand— benefits from this material’s introduction, and developing it was no small feat. Greubel Forsey’s innovative process subjected the carbon case to pressures eight times greater than the industry standard, resulting in a denser yet equally lightweight material. The carbon case then serves as the canvas for fine, hand-finished watchmaking details, including satin, matte, and relief engraving. These elements complement the natural beauty of carbon fiber, creating a harmonious blend of form and function throughout the design.

The Double Balancier Convexe is being offered to collectors in two distinct versions, each with a character of its own. The first features an iridescent green finish, incorporating various shades of blue on the main bridge, power reserve display, mainplate, and hour ring. This version is accompanied by a matching rubber strap, delivering a fresh and contemporary feel.

The second version embraces black as its primary color, exuding elegance and simplicity. The carbon fiber weave presents a clean, contemporary look, allowing the hand-finished movement to take the spotlight. Mirror polishing, sharp internal angles, straight and circular-grained surfaces, and luminescent tips on the hands elevate both versions.

Housed inside the carbon fiber timepiece is the sixth of Greubel Forsey’s Fundamental Inventions. The movement features two balance wheels inclined at 30° and linked by a constant spherical differential visible between 6 and 7 o’clock. This arrangement functionally reduces the margin of error and meets the brand’s stringent performance, precision, and reliability standards.

The Greubel Forsey Double Balancier Convexe in carbon is available as a limited ediiton, with only 22 pieces produced in each variation, making this a rare and exclusive addition to any watch collection. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience Greubel Forsey’s carbon masterpiece in person at WatchTime New York 2023.

To learn more, visit Greubel Forsey, here.

And to purchase your tickets to WatchTime New York 2023, click here.

The live and in-person three-day event will once again take place at midtown Manhattan’s Gotham Hall and will welcome an eclectic and impressive group of more than 30 participating watch brands, as well as collectors, connoisseurs, industry VIPs and influencers, and other members of the worldwide watch community. This year’s edition will span three days, from Friday, October 20, through Sunday, October 22, with an exclusive cocktail party and watch show on opening night, followed by full day shows, panels, and presentations throughout the rest of the weekend.

For 2023, participating brands include A. Lange & Söhne, Armin Strom, Arnold & Son, Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Bovet, Breguet, Bremont, Carl F. Bucherer, Chopard, Chronoswiss, Cyrus, Czapek, Frederique Constant, G-SHOCK, Gerald Charles, Glashütte Original, Greubel Forsey, H. Moser & Cie., HYT, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Erard, MB&F, Moritz Grossmann, Norqain, Oris, Parmigiani Fleurier, Perrelet, Reservoir, RGM, Speake-Marin, Voutilainen, and Zeitwinkel. The event is presented in partnership with the renowned jeweler and exquisite timepiece retailer Wempe.

Industry panels will be presented on Saturday and Sunday at 12pm and 2pm and are included in price of admission. 

• Watch Brand Collaborations: Moderated by Renowned Collector Jeff Kingston
• The Return of the Dress Watch: Moderated by Jeff Kingston
• Time for Sustainability: Moderated by WatchTime Editor-in-Chief Roger Ruegger
• A New Day – Trends in Collecting for Men and Women: Moderated by WatchTime’s Senior Editor Bilal Khan and Publisher Sara Orlando

WatchTime and its partners are incredibly excited to welcome you back this October for this fantastic and important event. Tickets are available now, here, along with more info on WatchTime New York 2023 and its participating brands.

Time & Location

Oct 20, 5:30 PM – Oct 22, 4:00 PM

Gotham Hall, 1356 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, USA

Ticket Details

Two types of tickets are available for admission to WatchTime New York 2023: Friday Night VIP 3-day weekend admissions and general admission single day tickets. The Friday Night VIP Weekend admission is an all-inclusive offering with access to WatchTime New York’s opening night cocktail reception and re-entry on Saturday and Sunday at no extra cost. General admission permits access on either Saturday or Sunday, but not the Friday cocktail reception.

• Friday Night VIP Cocktail Reception, October 20th: 5:30pm-8:30pm
• Saturday General Admission, October 21st: 11am-5pm
• Sunday General Admission, October 22nd: 11am-4pm

Friday Night VIP tickets are priced at $189, with single day general admission tickets priced at $39.

Industry panels will be presented on Saturday and Sunday at 12pm and 2pm and are included in price of admission.

To learn more, visit WatchTime’s event site, here.

In December 2020, Antonio Calce was appointed CEO of Greubel Forsey. The industry veteran and trained engineer has worked for Piaget and Panerai, has headed Corum and was CEO of Kering-owned Sowind Group, which comprises Girard-Perregaux and the JeanRichard brand. WatchTime sat down with Calce to talk about his vision for the ultra-exclusive Swiss watch brand, the challenges of growth and his passion for the industry.

What was your first watch? And what are you wearing today?
My first watch was a Baume & Mercier, and today, I’m wearing the new Greubel Forsey Balancier S². This timepiece is the first in our new product offer and in a new price segment with a lot of design and modernity. 

Do you have a favorite complication?
I have a few complications that I love, such as the GMT, with its globe, and the QP, with its computer mécanique. On top of that, I also am impressed by all our different tourbillons, such as the Double Tourbillon Technique 30°. These complications are so impressive and give a lot of added value with their precision.

What was the first thing you changed at Greubel Forsey?
It’s more about evolution than it is about change. What we need to do is secure a sustainable future for the brand and the 120 employees who are working for Greubel Forsey, which means that we need to evolve by implementing a global vision and strategy through a new product offer, distribution and communication, while capitalizing on the incredible craftsmanship. It is just incredible what Greubel Forsey did in only few years, but we will not rest on our laurels! Greubel Forsey has always pushed the limits and boundaries and always sought to go one step further. It’s a mindset that Robert Greubel, Stephen Forsey, I, and all the team share, which makes our collaboration very exciting! Our responsibility is to always maintain this very high level of excellence, and what I can guarantee is that in our master plan for the upcoming years, we will maintain it. 

One of your goals with Greubel Forsey is to increase volumes in the CHF 200,000 to CHF 350,000 price range. What target audience and markets do you have in mind?
I think that it is important for the future of the brand to enlarge its customer base. Of course, we will remain exclusive. With the evolution of our product offer in a new price segment, with timepieces that showcase a lot of design and modernity, we will reach a younger clientele. However, we will continue to cherish our actual collectors. 

You currently make about 100 watches a year. How will this number increase?
Since we’ll never compromise on quality, it’s a matter of gaining in efficiency. We’ve already taken steps to ensure production and delivery of around more than 180 timepieces in 2022, which is a significant increase for us. 

How do you see the team growing in the next few years?
We will definitely need to grow our team but also our infrastructure. We’ve acquired the land around our atelier and are currently working on a large expansion project that will incorporate new workshops and ateliers.

With such low numbers logically comes an exclusive group of clients. Do you see a “typical” Greubel Forsey client?
The product offer that we had until today was very niche and for very specific collectors. Now, with the evolution of our product offer in a new price segment, we will reach a younger clientele, that yet remain very specific, with a profound appreciation of quality, craftsmanship and authenticity. 

What role does the U.S. play?
The U.S. has always been a strong strategic region for us. While we’ve had great success in the region for many years, our potential is far from exhausted. It is a strategic and important market for Greubel Forsey, with a significant potential. In the next two years, it will be a priority and significant investments will be made.

Is e-commerce going to be part of your strategy?
For now, e-commerce isn’t part of our strategy. As an independent brand, the personal contact we have with our clients, and the service we’re able to offer, remains an integral part of our business. That said, we are working to expand our certified pre-owned program, which does have an e-commerce component to it. But it will always go hand-in-hand with our personal approach.

How would you tell a younger collector why it makes sense to invest in a watch from Greubel Forsey, instead of buying into the stainlesssteel hype?
It is correct that today we need to communicate about the brand. The unique product offer that Greubel Forsey has needs to be known. We already started a few weeks ago with a new pertinent vision in order to let us reach new steps.

Do you have a favorite watch in the collection?
I really like the GMT Sport we launched at the beginning of this year. It has a very modern look, fits perfectly on the wrist and is light to wear thanks to the titanium. However, how can we remain indifferent to a Hand Made 1 or to a Grande Sonnerie? These are watchmaking masterpieces! 

If you could change one thing about the watch industry, what would it be?
In my opinion, I think that the industry benefits from an incredible savoir-faire, but lacks creativity and differentiation when it comes to product, except for a few brands. I also think that the new emergent clientele needs to dream, and we thus need to adapt our communication on this basis.

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Bulgari Octo Roma Blue Carillon Tourbillon

Kicking off today’s list is Bulgari, which debuted a new iteration of its Octo Roma line in the early months of this year via the Octo Roma Blue Carillon Tourbillon. The watch combines two essentially classic mechanical details– a tourbillon and a chiming mechanism–  via a highly graphic skeletonized dial marked by refined blue bridges, with a matching movement to boot. 

The layered, geometric case is composed of platinum, with it measuring 35mm across and opting for a relative thinness of 8.35mm; an engaging and contrasting use of brushed and polishing finishing throughout compliments the look, and further adds to the avant-garde aesthetic. A blued titanium band wraps around the sides of the case, which transmits audible sounds on the hour, quarter hour, and minute and make this watch so unique. On the dial, a tourbillon is bold at the 6 o’clock position alongside the regular timekeeping details, with it all powered by the hand-wound caliber BVL428, itself capable of 75 hour power reserve. 

The Bulgari Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon design was released in a limited run of 30 pieces priced at $317,000 each. 

Chopard Alpine Eagle Tourbillon 

Watches and Wonders made its way back to Geneva this year, meeting in person for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, with 38 brands then showcasing their latest releases. Among those on display was the Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon from Swiss manufacture Chopard. The flying tourbillon design forgoes an upper bridge, thus creating the illusion that there is no attachment. The design bears its name from the inspiration of mountain eagles in the Swiss Alps channeling its majestic nature in the intricacies of Chopard finishing. 

Powering the watch is the L.U.C 96.24-L, which offers a power reserve of 65 hours thanks to Chopard’s twin technology which situates two barrels arranged one above the other. And then housing the movement is a 42mm lucent steel A223 case that is a mere 8 mm thick. 

The Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon retails for approximately $120,000.

Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon Skeleton 

Another model coming out of Watches and Wonders this year is the Overseas Tourbillon Skeleton by Swiss brand Vacheron Constantin. The watch is the first model to introduce the tourbillon functionality to the brand’s Overseas collection, and is also the first Vacheron Constantin watch made entirely of Grade 5 titanium– including the bezel and crown. 

Taking a closer look, the dial of the Overseas is composed almost entirely of sapphire, with the crystal revealing the details of the caliber behind it and rhodium-plated applied indices serving as the hour markers. Inside the watch is caliber 2160 which offers a three-day power reserve and measures 5.65 mm thick. The skeletonization work of the movement in addition to its slim size is a real technical feat considering the requirements linked to the integration of a tourbillon carriage. The rare Vacheron Constantin is available via the brand’s boutiques, with pricing available upon request.

Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Architecture

Watchmaker Greubel Forsey is a key player in the world of tourbillons, with the mechanism being one of the manufacture’s favorites to make use of. This past summer, the brand released its latest to follow this history, debuting the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Architecture to its catalog. In the timepiece, Greubel Forsey opts for an architecturally experimental titanium case which utilizes a convex and conical-shape that seeks to highlight the intricate haute horlogerie movement it houses. While it looks perfectly round when observed from the dial side, it reveals its convex shape from other angles, along with its large synthetic sapphire crystal ring which spans over the periphery of the caseband. 

In 2022, the Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Architecture was produced in a limited run of 11 examples each priced at $500,000. This is a watch to look for in the coming years; it is set to be produced in a run of 18 pieces per year from 2023 to 2025, resulting in a release total of 65 pieces. 

Jacob & Co Astronomia Bucherer BLUE

Wrapping up our year-end review of tourbillon releases in 2022 is a timepiece that comes from Jacob & Co, a brand that does not shy away from mechanical or design feats, especially with its newest Astronomia Tourbillon Bucherer BLUE. The watch is a piece unique, being specially produced for the Rakia space mission, a special Israeli-led, four-person flight to and from the International Space Station that took place this past spring. 

With a 50mm 18k white gold case, the design is a special edition update to Jacob & Co.’s previous Astronomia Tourbillon base design. The ornate dial layout includes a patented triple-axis tourbillon, a magnesium and hand-lacquered globe of the earth, a 288-facet “Jacob-Cut” diamond, and a subdual for the hours and minutes, of course, with a patented timepiece-differential gear system. Ensuring steady operation of the delicate display is the manufacture caliber JCAM10 with a manually wound reserve of 60 hours. 

The Jacob & Co. Astronomia Bucherer BLUE went on sale via single-lot auction held at Sotheby’s on July 27, 2022, where it sold for $441,000 USD. 

How does your position as CEO relate to that of the founders, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, who are also still with the company? 

Both founders, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey decided to take a step back in order to enable the establishment of a management team to ensure and secure the evolution of the brand in the future. As the CEO, Executive Board Member and Shareholder, I share a great relationship and complicity with Robert Greubel who is the President of the Board and Stephen Forsey who is the Technical Advisor. 

What do you consider the mission of Greubel Forsey?

The mission of Greubel Forsey is always to push the boundaries further in the watchmaking industry, as it has always been since its beginning in 2004 with its 7 inventions and 30 calibers. Greubel Forsey needs to continue making people dream, to continue to create incredible inventions, to offer an uncompromising and recognized quality and to bring a lot of design in its creations with a lot of creativity. 

Many of the techniques used by Greubel Forsey to make its watches are mastered by only a few. How do you ensure that this knowledge is passed on?

We are a team of 120 people at Greubel Forsey, with more than 25 people dedicated only to the product development. They all have different profiles: some of them are engineers, physicists, technicians, mathematicians, watchmakers… For many years, they have acquired all the codes, the expertise, the excellence and savoir-faire of Greubel Forsey thanks to both founders and it allows all of them to develop amazing timepieces, thanks to the very high skills of all our collaborators.

On another note, given the rarity of these skills, expanding production must be challenging. How do you deal with this in your strategy?

Everything is challenging in our daily job. Greubel Forsey is defined as “excellent” in the watch industry and its organization as well. For example, the hand-finishing workshop has 25 extremely qualified people. Obviously, to increase our production we will hire some very high-qualified people and train them to our high-end standards, but what needs to be understood is that newcomers will join an ideal environment where everything is already set.

Recently you bought back the 20% of the company that Richemont owned. Why was this step taken?

Greubel Forsey shared its ownership for many years and this was not needed anymore. The brand wanted to be fully independent in order to master the evolution of the future. It is a strategic move that will allow us to define the upcoming stages. Today, we are now three shareholders: Robert Greubel, Stephen Forsey, and myself. 

What’s in store for the future at Greubel Forsey?

We have many different projects in the pipe. For the product side, we launched an impressive timepiece in July, and another one in August. We know where we want to go, with a very clear masterplan that goes until 2032. We will surprise a lot with what is coming next by exploring new territories, but always by staying faithful to Greubel Forsey. You will discover true work of art and unlike you have ever seen. The next steps will set the brand in its reputation of excellence. Further still, the communication of the brand will be reinforced and developed, and the approach towards the distribution will be adapted to the brand’s need.

And three things I ask everybody: 

Favorite food: Italian, Japanese and Chinese. 

Favorite place: Where people that I love are.

Favorite watch: A timepiece that encloses a strong identity by its design, an amazing quality of hand-finishing, exceptional innovation and that remains exclusive.