DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles
Greubel Forsey Balancier
The name of Greubel Forsey is more commonly associated with its tourbillon creations – the inclined, the double and the quadruple. Even recently, it has breathed life to its first grande sonnerie timpeiece, the aptly named Grand Sonnerie. These are achievements that only a small handful of manufacturers around the world can hope to attain. Yet even in the midst of all these complex inventions, the brand’s simpler ‘time-only’ offerings stand proudly on their own. This is because Greubel Forsey never compromises on the design, construction and finish of any of its timepieces. These humbler Greubel Forsey timepieces are desirable as they boast design purity and a more down-to-earth price tag (we use this term very loosely). During Baselworld 2017, the La Chaux-de-Fonds-based manufacturer revealed yet another novelty to add to its already impressive stable: the Greubel Forsey Balancier. The Balancier is a relatively modest, ‘time-only’ (with power reserve indicator) watch that appears to be inspired by the simplicity of the Signature 1 and a simplification of the Double Balancier. Here, we review the Balancier in detail and offer our thoughts on how it compares to its siblings, the Signature 1 and the Double Balancier.
The case, dial, and hands
The Greubel Forsey Balancier comes in a white gold case that measures a substantial 43.5 mm in diameter and 13.94 mm in thickness. To the initiated, it shouldn’t be surprising anymore that Greubel Forsey timepieces do not play by the rules of tradition, especially in the subject of case size. As is now iconic for the brand’s tourbillon watches, the case for the Balancier is asymmetric, featuring a protrusion at 8 o’clock. There, a small window on the case band allows the wearer to peek at the balance wheel from the side. The finish of the case is, as always, excellent with polished bezel and lugs and a vertically satin-brushed case band.
The case may be large but not an inch of it isn’t finished to superlative standards.
The dial design of the Balancier is one of purity and legibility, at least compared to the brand’s other complicated timepieces. The frosted finish of the solid gold dial is spectacular to behold especially under direct lighting. It houses the novelty’s two displays: the power reserve and the small seconds. The hands that indicate the hours, minutes, seconds and power reserve are heat-blued steel – they are gorgeous and easy to read. A large cut-out spanning from 6 to 10 o’clock reveals the balance wheel (after which the watch is named) in its full glory. Its oscillations provide visual excitement to an otherwise sober dial.
There is nothing traditional about the dial of the Balancier but it is still relatively sober compared to many of the brand’s other timepieces.
The movement
The 37-jewel movement that powers the Greubel Forsey Balancier is manually-wound and consists of 269 parts. With twin serially-coupled mainspring barrels, the watch has a power reserve of 72 hours while operating at a stately 3 Hz beat rate. The balance wheel of the Greubel Forsey Balancier, which serves as the centrepiece of the […]
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Article from: DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles, by Frank Chuo
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