Greubel Forsey 24 Seconds Contemporain Platinum

There is still a good reason to put the tourbillon in the Review fake watch.

It’s been more than 10 years since I first met Stephen Forsey. He is the two of the watch duo, namely Greubel Forsey (Of course, Robert Graubel) Greubel) is the other half). Our first long-distance conversation-considering it was also our first conversation-during a dinner in Manhattan, I remember it vividly for several reasons. On the one hand, this is the first time I have had the opportunity to personally see one of the brand’s exotic and most talked about tourbillons. This is not an easy thing to forget.

But, perhaps the most memorable part of the night, he could ask Stephen a lot of questions and better understand what inspired him and his partner to create their beautifully crafted and technically challenging multi-axis rotors. flywheel.

Since GF was founded in 2004, the whole idea behind most of the research done over the years, even before the two founders started working independently in 1999, is a combination of the highest level of traditional, labor-intensive technology manufacturing , Adjust and finish the technology, and manufacture tourbillon watches based on re-evaluating the theory behind it. Let’s talk about the theoretical aspect.

First, we must talk about the tourbillon. The tourbillon was invented and patented by Breguet. It may be some information provided by one or more of his contemporaries (although I don’t know of any actual evidence to show that it is), except that you may get it from facts. Except for any unverifiable conclusions, the first or second tourbillon is placed in a watch specially designed for John Arnold. For that matter, it was originally created by John Arnold. Movement made. However, regardless of its origin, tourbillons are manufactured to solve specific problems.Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain

The problem is this: for many reasons, the watch will run slightly faster or slower, depending on where you hold it. The six positions you usually use to time the watch are four vertical positions (up, down, left, and right) and two horizontal positions (up, down dial). If the rate remains the same, no matter where the watch is, in theory, you should have a very accurate watch (regardless of other factors, such as age on oil, vibration interference, etc.).

The parts of the watch that are adversely affected by gravity are those responsible for maintaining a constant speed: balance wheel, hairspring, lever and escape wheel. Baogue’s idea is to install these parts in a rotating cage so that an average velocity can be obtained for all vertical positions together without having to deal with several different positions. As we have mentioned elsewhere, you can adjust the horizontal position to match this single average vertical rate, and you should have a watch that can keep the same time regardless of position.

The problem with this system is that it works best in pocket watches, while for watches, its advantages are not so obvious. In fact, some people even say that Baogue completely barked the wrong tree, and it can’t work in a pocket watch either – Professor Jean-Claude Nicolet wrote an article for trade publication Europastar. “The tourbillon is actually an additional mechanism that consumes energy. It does not produce any other information except misinformation. This is a parasitic mechanism.” No matter what you think, the fact remains that the tourbillon has been in many of its history. Both are difficult to manufacture, extremely challenging miniaturization and adjustment are huge challenges. You can understand why watch tourbillons are rare in most of the history of watches.

If you do accept the idea that tourbillons are based on sound theory, that still does not mean that they are meaningful in watches. Unlike pocket watches that are usually placed vertically in a pocket or placed flat on a table or bedside table, a watch will occupy a certain range when worn. There are arguments that, in any case, the watch on the wrist will move within the range of a tourbillon-like position during the day, so why bother to make a tourbillon watch?

Greubel Forsey‘s idea is this: by tilting the tourbillon, you can create a situation in which the adjustment parts in the cage will never be Will be in the position where the rate of change is greatest (completely flat, or completely vertical). The tilted balance wheel in the tourbillon is not a new concept-AW Potter is a famous example. It was completed around 1860 (he is an American, he is a mixed race), but his watch has a parallel to the dial The cage rotating on the plane, according to the normal configuration of the tourbillon. On the other hand, the tourbillon 24 seconds contemporary watch sets the entire cage on the rotation axis at a certain angle to the vertical.

This is the theory behind the design-by the way, an interesting historical note is that the axis of the tourbillon holder in the tourbillon 24 seconds contemporary watch is inclined 25 degrees from the vertical axis, which is the same angle used by Potter when tilting The pendulum tourbillon from 1860. The watch has used a coil balance spring and spins at a fairly fast rotation speed – 24 seconds, which in turn is to minimize the time spent at or near any position due to rate errors. Gravity is the worst.

Greubel Forsey’s copy watch is interesting in theory, but it was the theoretical details, not the aesthetics, that shocked many people at first. These are very special to GF; their watches are instantly recognizable like Greubel Forsey watches. On the one hand, the overall design depends on the constraints of the actual mechanical operation (you will not create a tilt axis, a fast tourbillon watch with a 72-hour power reserve, a large balance wheel and an over-coil balance spring, and make it into a thin watch), Part of the reason is that the GF watch is not only an experimental high-precision timing device, but also a museum of high-end handmade watches. Purely used as experimental chronographs, they may seem simpler, but they have a high wah coefficient, which is not only due to the depth of their intelligence, but also to the depth of their art (in fact, the depth is in the movement design It has a great effect in) related to the overall impact of the watch).

Finishing technology and overall movement design is an interesting combination of traditional Swiss-French and British elements. The main board of the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain is made of titanium alloy. The cock and bridge are made of German silver (maillechort). Like GF, neither is decorated with Geneva stripes, but is decorated with a handmade British pocket watch. Matte surface.

The general sense of solidity and even the sense of largeness are also characteristic of British pocket watches. As George Daniels said in the watchmaking industry: “The best Swiss manufacturers continue to use jewelry-like finishes on their watches… British manufacturers also work to high standards, but not There is no attempt to attract customers by display. Polished wheels and shiny parts are useless… British hand-finished watches are expensive and only gentlemen can buy them. Generally speaking, they are not interested in wheels or polishes. , And wheels or polishes are only a manifestation of trade, and no gentleman will be recognized.

In terms of watch movement, fake Greubel Forsey tends to adhere to a design philosophy. Although my use of movement is influenced by France (this is a French innovation), it is not for me In other words, this always seems to be more British than Swiss French. Instead of the full-disk or 3/4-disk design used by British manufacturers. Therefore, if you don’t understand the background, they may look flat or even severe, but the longer they look, the more you will notice the flawlessness of all the details.

Once you have overcome the initial surprise of not seeing the Geneva stripes, you begin to notice things such as beautifully polished, everything is so. S-holes, screw heads and grooves, sharp razor inner corners, spokes and chamfers on the spokes are all protected by the same strict. The lack of the more compelling prosperity that modern high-end watchmaking usually has means that there is nothing to hide. Everything must be correct, it is true.

On the dial, the attention to detail is not affected, and the quality of the craftsmanship is equally high (natural; after all, this is the side you want to see the most), but here the three dimensions of depth and depth design can add up to 10 . One of the iconic elements is the three-legged steel column supporting the hour and minute hands, which provides a much-needed visual diagonal for the large tourbillon cage and balance wheel (this column is located in many Greubel Forsey waches).

The aesthetics of the dial is different from that of the movement, but it is more operational. Ultra-thin or ultra-thin watchmaking is undoubtedly fun, but the relatively large volume of Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain actually works in its own, very different way, thanks in part to the sheer luxury of surface treatment. One of the joys of mechanical watchmaking is that you can physically identify a certain mechanism-when people say that quartz is “soulless”, I often think that the real meaning is that solid-state electronics seem too abstract to have machinery The sense of vitality brought by the watch.

Although you might mistake it for a flying tourbillon, there is actually an upper bridge on the sapphire, which provides mechanical support for the large bracket while allowing light to enter the lower half of the dial. , And provide an additional moving reflectivity layer. Considering how much has happened, the whole thing seems to manage to appear rich in details without collapsing, which is a miracle. The relative frugality of the movement helps to balance the overall experience, but the dial end does not necessarily need to work on its own. It is both balanced and beautiful, enough to be praised for its own advantages.

I think the best thing about this watch and in general for Greubel Forsey is that as a technical outing, from an aesthetic point of view, it is a watch that allows you to appreciate more, the more you understand the content, and About tabulation. If you want, you can enjoy it purely based on its aesthetic strength or the degree of craftsmanship used (although many big brands will think of us, this kind of real manual work is as rare as a hen tooth) or as a technical watch An obsessive-compulsive disorder experiment, or how to refer to tabulation history, or any combination of the above.

The worst thing a watch owner can encounter is that as his or her level of knowledge improves, be sure to find out what they once owned – the watch becomes the source of disappointment. Nowadays, you take great risks when collecting antique and modern watches, but if you are a Greubel Forsey customer and find that you are buying less than you thought when you bought it, this is not one of them .

White gold tourbillon 24 seconds contemporary watch. The movement is GF01c, and the 24-second tourbillon is inclined 25 degrees from the vertical. 36.40mm x 10.85mm; 10mm balance, free oscillating weight, with inertial chronograph weight; Phillips Overcoil balance wheel cruise ribbon with Geneva-style studs. The weight of the cage is 0.38 grams; the titanium alloy has Avional (duralumin) columns; it is balanced with the gold counterweight. Titanium main panel with German silver bridge. Indications: Power reserve (72 hours) time, running seconds. Case: 44.50 mm x 15.20 mm white gold, water resistance 100 feet.