The History

The Atelier’s identity was conceived to be sober, refined and very elegant. The essentials were already focused on the timepiece itself, not the watchmaker-designer duo. Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey stepped back behind the simple “GF” that would adorn all of their creations.

With its four tourbillons, each one making an independent contribution to the achievement of an optimised rate, the Quadruple Tourbillon was introduced in an asymmetrical case. The technical performance delivered by the innovative spherical differential found subtle expression in a contemporary aesthetic.

As it pushed watchmaking know-how to its limits, to fields that few people still mastered, Greubel Forsey became aware of the need to preserve this knowledge. As such, a foundation was created – the Time Æon Foundation – with the aim of recording, documenting and sharing the knowledge of these crafts and their applications.

The Double Tourbillon 30°, or the “DT30” to those in the know, was given a new aesthetic. The very concept of the dial disappeared in favour of a new layout of each component of the watch, each one magnified individually. The notions of architecture and three-dimensionality were thus established. They would only continue to gain momentum in the future.

Just ten years after its creation, Greubel Forsey decided to extend its legendary 17th-century farmhouse – which is still occupied by the Atelier. With an exceptionally daring quality, the building stands as a testimony to Greubel Forsey’s vision: firmly rooted in the watchmaking terroir, it is open and forward-looking at the same time. At the entrance to La Chaux-de-Fonds, this major architectural project carries the imprint of the Atelier on this age-old centre of creativity and craftsmanship.

The Prix Gaïa may not be the most well-known prize among the general public but it is one of the awards most cherished by the founders and employees of Greubel Forsey, to whom it was awarded to honour the entrepreneurship of the Atelier. An honorary prize that cannot be subscribed to, the Prix Gaïa is awarded by the greatest authorities in the field. A prize awarded by peers, it definitively hailed – and validated – the arrival of the young Atelier in the ranks of the watchmaking greats.

Greubel Forsey decided to share the progress of its fundamental research work. It was a rare move in the world of fine watchmaking, and one that received instant and universal praise. An “EWT” – an acronym for the Experimental Watch Technology programme launched in 2005 – timepiece was unveiled, featuring a Double Balancier inclined at 20°, which would join the Atelier’s collections several years later.

After spending its first ten years devoted entirely to redesigning the escapement, Greubel Forsey unveiled its first in-house complication: a very daring GMT. The timepiece featured a spinning globe that reproduced the Earth’s rotation in real time. It offered an intuitive view of time all over the world as well as a day/night indication. A lateral window revealed the southern hemisphere and flooded the globe with light to symbolise daytime.

The Double Tourbillon 30° was subjected to the most stringent tests in fine watchmaking – those featured in the Concours de Chronométrie. The process is rigorous, requiring each piece to be assessed according to each and every aspect of its chronometric performance, the results of which are also pitted against other watches. Greubel Forsey won by a wide margin, with an exceptionally high score of 915 points out of 1000.

Committed to enhancing the modernity of its creations, Greubel Forsey developed an original timepiece distinguished by a powerful blue colour with the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain. At once more refined and more elaborate, its dial was marked by a strong emphasis on volume and depth.

Following the creation of the Time Æon Foundation in 2008, Greubel Forsey set out to make this vision a reality: to create a watch using traditional techniques, in order to preserve every single ounce of knowledge. The “NM1” project would last six years. It would bring together Robert Greubel, Philippe Dufour, Stephen Forsey and Michel Boulanger to produce a unique timepiece that would later be auctioned.

The Double Tourbillon 30° was redesigned in an asymmetric case. The rotating Double Tourbillon cage system was in turn repositioned between 7 and 8 o’clock. The Double Tourbillon 30° was reimagined, notably featuring a new tourbillon bridge, to be displayed “in reverse”.

Greubel Forsey opened up the art of watchmaking to the world of art itself. The Art Piece collection drew parallels between the worlds of visual arts and watchmaking. This was a new zone of expression that Greubel Forsey intended to share with carefully selected artists whose aesthetic language was in resonance with the universe of the Atelier.

Very few brands have won two Aiguilles d’Or at the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, and Greubel Forsey is one of them. Presented in the same year, the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision earned the Atelier the GPHG’s ultimate accolade once more.

Optimising timekeeping as an alternative to the tourbillon, two inclined balances were coupled to a Constant Spherical Differential, which would provide a more steady amplitude. The result was an instantly eye-catching timepiece with a dial offering a wide view of the heart of the mechanism. The style of this highly graphic composition still inspires Greubel Forsey’s creations to this day.

The groundbreaking spirit that is a hallmark of Greubel Forsey is particularly evident in this timepiece, which made three time zones immediately visible thanks to its authentic terrestrial globe. By reproducing the Earth’s rotation in real time, it made the reading of the time all over the world, as well as the day/night indication, intuitive. With this design, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey totally reinterpreted the very notion of the GMT watchmaking complication.

With its four tourbillons, each one making an independent contribution to the achievement of an optimised rate, the GMT Quadruple Tourbillon was introduced in an asymmetrical case that also provided housing for the terrestrial globe cherished by Greubel Forsey. With a very contemporary aesthetic, the two organs were designed to echo, on the dial, the two time indications (hours and minutes, and GMT).

With its reinvented case, this timepiece met the needs of a new generation of collectors. Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey continued their research into the field of sports watches by pushing the limits of ergonomics and comfort. This led them to invent a new case design, circular from above but convex from the side, to fit the curve of the wrist. The sculptural timepiece with highly streamlined volumes also stood out for its integrated lugs and four patent applications.

Antonio Calce, a leading figure in the watchmaking industry for several decades, became a member of the Greubel Forsey Board as well as its CEO. Strengthened by the trust of Robert Greubel—the majority shareholder—Antonio Calce has committed Greubel Forsey to a fundamental transformation to establish it as a long-lasting watch brand, capitalising on the existing strengths and excellence of the Atelier Manufacture.