Friday Find: Greubel Forsey Set of 10 Unique Pieces

This is not the first time we write about a Greubel Forsey pièce unique. In fact earlier this week we share the first images of work in progress on the Greubel Forsey Art Piece 1. However today we’re showing you not one pièce unique… we’re showing you a unique set of ten (10) unique pieces! 

Ten platinum DLC coated unique timepieces from Greubel Forsey and they’re sold as one unique set by Marcus Watches in London. This is one unique opportunity for one collector who is looking for something very special. If you already have the Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron Sang Noir, then we found the matching set of watches.

It would be way too much to comprehensively discuss all 10 unique pieces, so we’ll focus on the three invention pieces and the Greubel Forsey GMT… in black that is! Greubel Forsey is the watchmaking company from Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, whom we’ve visited on our Tour de Suisse in 2010. Gruebel Forsey specializes in inventing timepieces with multiple tourbillons and inclined balance wheels with the aim of improving timekeeping precision.

Later more on that, now let’s have a look at the first Greubel Forsey timepiece that features another complication then one, two or four tourbillons. The Greubel Forsey GMT, that was launched in 2011, displays a second time zone at 10 o’clock and a rotating, three-dimensional globe at 8 o’clock. The globe is visible through a sapphire crystal in the side of the platinum DLC coated case; just one of the lovely details!

The position of the continents on the titanium globe are cross-referenced with the 24-hour chapter ring circling it for an approximate indication of time all over the world. Other indications include an hour-minute dial at 1 o’clock; a small seconds dial on top of that at 3 o’clock and at 4 o’clock a sectorial power reserve indicator. The movement was especially developed for this timepiece and features the 25° inclined Tourbillon 24 Secondes cage.

That is the same tourbillon as used in Invention Piece 3, which is remarkably enough not the last of the three Invention Pieces to be unveiled. Invention Piece 3 was launched in 2009 and highlights the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Incliné, which is one of the three major inventions, made by Gruebel Forsey. This time the ‘sapphire bulge’ gives a nice peak onto the tourbillon.

A large 24-hour sub-dial dominates the dial with hours indicated by a red triangle. A smaller blue triangle indicates the minutes and the small seconds are at 5 o’clock. Opposite the tourbillon at 8 o’clock lies a power reserve at 2 o’clock.

As we already said, Greubel Forsey aim to improve timekeeping precision and therefore invented multiple tourbillons and inclined balance wheels. Their approach was led to succes as 2011 they won the 2011 International Chronometry Competition with Double Tourbillon Technique.

The Double Tourbillon Technique features a different tourbillon, that comprises of a double tourbillon with a 30°inclination. The same as can be found in Invention Piece 1 (left one in image below). Like both other invention pieces, Invention Piece 1 also doesn’t have regular hands to indicate the time. Red and blue triangles indicate the time under a large polished tourbillon bridge, with a small seconds dial above and a power reserve indicator to start between 3 and 4 o’clock.

Probably the most opulent of all Greubel Forsey inventions are the timepieces featuring not a single, not a double, but a quadruple tourbillon! The Quadruple Tourbillon mechanism can be found, among others, in Invention Piece 2, the last of the invention pieces that was launched in 2011.

The Quadruple Tourbillon mechanism comprises of two double tourbillon mechanisms and at the heart they are coupled by a spherical differential. Again the time isn’t indicated by regular hands and we can see a sub-dial at 5 o’clock featuring a red triangle indicating hours while a concentrically-configured rotating disc (no blue triangle this time) indicates the minutes. A small seconds hand is located at 10 o’clock and the power reserve indicator is at the 11 o’clock position.

Marcus Watches in London, who also have spectacular unique timepieces from MB&F and URWERK and others made for them, have this set of 10 unique pieces for sale. In a following story I’ll cover the other six unique pieces. If you’re interested in this set, please contact Marcus Watches in London. The address and other means of contact can be found on the Marcus Watches website.

This article is written by Frank Geelen, executive editor for Monochrome Watches.