GREUBEL FORSEY
Balancier S
Greubel Forsey has re-engineered the unusual ovoid case it developed for the 2019 GMT Sport to now showcase a large , high-precision inclined balance wheel and gear train that highlight the all-new Greubel Forsey Balancier S .
Now fit with a new movement , the new , sleeker version of that ovoid case frames a dramatic double suspended arched bridge holding an inclined gear train , all adjacent to the large ( 12.6mm ) inclined balance wheel that gives the watch its name .
That balance , which parallels the lower dial portion and sits at a 30-degree angle , provides what Greubel Forsey terms an “ outstanding solution for limiting timing errors due to the effects of gravity on the regulating organ ( balance wheel , spring and escapement ) in stable positions .”
Recall that the watchmaker has utilized this escapement angle with great success within numerous tourbillon debuts in recent years , including the Tourbillon 24 Secondes , Quadruple Tourbillon and the Double Tourbillon 30 °. For the first time however , we ’ re seeing only the inclined balance rather than as a component within a tourbillon cage .
OVAL CRYSTAL Like last year ’ s ovoid debut , the Balancier S appears circular from above , but once seen on the wrist betrays its extensive angular and curved attributes , including an oval , arched sapphire crystal , curved hour and minute hands , integrated lugs and strap and a satin-finished bezel engraved with the familiar script outlining Greubel Forsey ’ s ‘ values .’
The new movement in the Balancier S operates with two coaxial barrels mounted in series offering a 72-hour power reserve ( shown at 2 o ’ clock via a skeletonized red-tipped hand ). A small seconds hand at 8 o ’ clock , also placed at a 30-degree angle , underscores the impressive depth Greubel Forsey built into this new caliber .
The watch ’ s unusual titanium case , sealed for 100 meters of water resistance , is echoed in a beautifully finished titanium mainplate and titanium bridges , which the watchmakers here say “ proved much more difficult for manual hand-finishing than steel or even nickel silver .”
34 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | WINTER 2021