Greubel Forsey GMT – Unusually Down To Earth

After impressing both the watch industry and watch collectors around the world with their multiple tourbillons, they now released their newest timepice the Greubel Forsey GMT. 

It might sound strange, but yes the new Greubel Forsey is called GMT. We’re still talking about the people who brought you the Double Tourbillon 30 Degrees and the Quadruple Tourbillon à Différentiel Sphérique and many more tourbillonesque pleasure. Let’s take a closer look at what is peeking through the window at the side of the case…

Like all timepieces made by Greubel Forsey this new one looks as impressive as everything they’ve done before, but different. The main ‘act’ on stage is the spherical earth that can be viewed from many angles because of it’s ingeniously secured at just one end of its rotational axis, the South Pole.

The globe makes one complete rotation every 24 hours anticlockwise, so in the Earth’s natural rotational direction. By looking at the 24-hour day-and-night indicator, you can see (roughly) the time in the different parts of the world. Just to make it clear, you’re looking at the Earth from the North Pole and the continents spread around it on the spherical globe. This is a very easy way to see the time (not to the minute) in all parts of the world and also know whether it’s day or night.

The intuitively interpreted globe is complemented at 10 o’clock by the 12-hour second time zone dial giving a precise indication of the time in a designated second country or city and is easily adjusted using the quick-set pusher at 10 o’clock.

Cascading clockwise around the dial-side are the main indications comprising a principal hour-minute dial at 1 o’clock, on top of which is a small seconds dial at 3 o’clock, while at 4 o’clock is a sectorial power reserve indicator. The power reserve is 72 hours when fully wound. At the lower right side of the dial we find the the 25 degree inclined Tourbillon 24 Secondes cage, one of Greubel Forsey’s major patented inventions.

Turning over the GMT reveals the beautifully crafted ‘worldtime’ disc bearing the names of 24 cities each representing one of the different global time zones. Aligning the relevant city with the local hour on the outer chapter ring – or inner ring for cities with summer time – sets the dial-side globe in the correct position.

Completing the display-back is a gleaming sun, providing a visual reference for midday on the worldtime disc and radiantly lighting up the movement of this stunning timepiece.

Some technical specifications:

•  Number of parts: 436 components in total
• 87 components are used in the tourbillon cage, which weighs in at just 0.36 grams
• Two coaxial mainspring barrels connected in series provide a power reserve of 72 hours
• Variable inertia balance beating at 21,600vph/3Hz and a Phillips terminal curve balance spring
• Case: white gold, 43.5 mm in diameter, 16.14 mm thick
• Sapphire crystals (front, back and lateral window) are all treated with anti-reflective coating

Greubel Forsey are known for the superb finishing of components, meaning everything and I mean really every part, even the parts that can’t be seen, are finish to the very highest degree. Plates and bridges are hand-finished, frosted, spotted, bevelled, straight-grained, matt lapped and flat black polished. And this is a real feast for the eye!

More info can be found at the special micro website.