For a brand that was established in 2004, Greubel Forsey has captivated the attention of serious collectors. This Swiss indie watchmaker produces only about 100 timepieces a year, each exquisitely handcrafted and conceptually unique.

The brand is the brainchild of two men: Stephen Forsey, an Englishman born in St. Albans, England, who specialised in antique watch restoration, before heading Asprey of London’s prestigious watch restoration department. And Robert Greubel who was with Renaud & Papi, a watchmaking manufacture in Switzerland. The two launched Greubel Forsey in 2004.

Stephen Forsey was in the country to meet the brand’s passionate Indian aficionados. He took some time out to speak to CNBC-TV18.com on Greubel Forsey’s heritage of watchmaking.

Art Piece 2 – Edition (Image credit: Stephen Forsey)

Which are the timepieces you are introducing in India? Are you planning exclusive stores or selling them through multi-brand stores?

We’ve been working with Swiss Promotion, our ambassador in India, since 2011. Thanks to this partnership, we are able to meet collectors, partners and journalists to share our expertise and passion for fine watchmaking and to build a truly qualitative experience. This year, we will introduce the GMT and the Quadruple Tourbillon in India.

Greubel Forsey is all about expert craftsmanship and hand-finished decoration. Can you elaborate on your artisanal heritage?

The hand-finishing workshop at Greubel Forsey comprises a team of expert craftsmen and craftswomen with a perfect mastery of decoration and finishing, tirelessly pushing the limits of what can be achieved in traditional hand-finished decoration.

Within the Atelier, Bienfacture (literally translated as craftsmanship) for movement finishing takes on a whole new meaning. It denotes a state of mind to relentlessly seek and attain the very peak of fine hand-craftsmanship. This pursuit of perfection is evident in material form through the technical and aesthetic quality of hand-finishing found in our timepieces. It can be discovered when you look closely for details of hand-finishing such as sharp internal bevels, flat black polishing with crisp corners on steel bridges, and the combination of different types of finishing on a single component, or the beautifully finished screws of a mechanical movement.

What have been the challenges that the brand has faced been since it launched in 2004.

The establishment of the EWT (Experimental Watch Technology) Laboratory gave rise to seven fundamental Inventions, including the Double Tourbillon 30°, the Quadruple Tourbillon, the Tourbillon 24 Secondes, and the Mechanical Computer of the QP à Équation, amongst others. These inventions take centre-stage in our timepieces, which today account to 22 unique calibres.

Each creation presents us with a completely new set of exciting challenges to overcome. From making the most of the available space, redefining watchmaking functions and mechanisms, to improving comfort, performance and reliability for the collector. All of these must be coordinated while ensuring an engaging design and maintaining the unique character of the timepieces in our collection.

Our work is all the more rewarding when we get a chance to share it with the international community, for example at the International Chronometry Competition in Le Locle, Switzerland, where our Double Tourbillon 30° Technique won the highest score of 915 out of 1000 in overall timekeeping performance, or at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), where two of our timepieces have been awarded the Aiguille d’Or.

In a world obsessed with smart watches, what is the status that exquisite, ultra-high-end watches enjoy?

A fine hand-finished Greubel Forsey timepiece is motivated by a spirit of creation, innovation, hand-crafted and artisan skills built on a strong tradition, and is never marketing-driven. Smartwatches are interesting in terms of wearable technology. However, I believe that they lack emotion and a soul that can be found in fine mechanical timepieces. A high-end mechanical watch could potentially last for hundreds of years, and are heirlooms to be handed down, generation to generation.

Quadruple Tourbillon Blue (Image credit: Stephen Forsey)

Many watch writers and industry insiders have often called your timepieces idiosyncratic.

Each Greubel Forsey timepiece is conceptually very unique. Although all the codes are present in every timepiece, each focuses on different elements and has its own unmistakable character. Since the creative input has always come from a singular vision, headed by Robert (as opposed to a products or marketing team), we have been able to strike a balance between having a clear identity across the 22 calibres we’ve presented since 2004, even as we maintain a broad creative range.

You unveiled the Nano Nano Foudroyante EWT at SIHH this year, thus pushing the boundaries of modern technology and research. Tell me a bit about Nano and where do you place it in the world of high-tech watches?

Our EWT Laboratory has been focusing on a project called Mechanical Nano with the objective to not just work on a material or make a thinner or smaller movement, but to bring about a fundamental revolution by addressing the two major problems facing the watchmaker. These are space (or the lack of it in a wristwatch) and energy because there is only a very small amount of energy available in a watch movement.

This entirely new domain demonstrates that there’s still great room for improvement in watchmaking and complications, and Mechanical Nano is an exciting new chapter wherein we strive to solve even more fundamental equations.

Art Piece 2 – Edition (Image credit: Stephen Forsey)

Your own journey from restoring antique watches in London to launching Greubel Forsey has been an interesting one. How have you seen the world of exquisitely crafted watches evolve and change?

What Robert and I noticed when we started to work on our very first project was that a shocking number of the skills and techniques, which used to go into the creation of a timepiece—notably for hand-finishing —were no longer practiced. From the advent of the electronic watch in the early 70’s and moving on gradually, watchmaking schools were closed, reduced or geographically merged.

This, I suppose, is natural because as the industry has progressed and developed, the whole idea has been to reduce the impact and dependence on the individual. However, you lose the knowhow and aspects of the traditional techniques, that can only be achieved if one individual carries out the (watchmaking) process from A to Z. So, we were already looking at the “dying art” aspect of watchmaking.

As responsible watchmakers, we realised it was up to us to find a way to preserve, safeguard and transmit these traditional techniques for future generations.

You are a co-founder of Time Æon Foundation. What role does it play in reviving ancestral watchmaking traditions?

It is still very early days for Time Æon Foundation in terms of support and we are always looking for new patronage. The key activities involve increasing public's awareness of the watchmaking world; indexing and cataloguing endangered crafts; preserving the crafts associated with watchmaking excellence and helping pass them on to new generations through projects such as Naissance d’une Montre; helping protect watchmaking heritage; inspiring people to take up watchmaking as a profession, and supporting the training of future independent watchmakers wishing to promote watchmaking excellence.

Quadruple Tourbillon Blue (Image credit: Stephen Forsey)

Which are your favourite timepieces?

The watchmakers from the late 18th to early 20th centuries are still a true inspiration, given what they could achieve at that time, in terms of finishing and performance. Robert and I had a deep passion for the Tourbillon and other complications such as chronograph or repeaters when we began working together in 1999.

Personally, for Robert, the favourite watches would definitely be historical French watchmaking. I like the English past masters of horology from the late 17th to 19th centuries—John Arnold, Thomas Earnshaw or Thomas Mudge. Both of us have appreciated the renewal of A Lange und Soehne, a brand that has helped re-establish watchmaking in Germany. More recently, independent watchmakers like George Daniels, Derek Pratt, Philippe Dufour, Felix Baumgartner or Vianney Halter have all contributed to the renaissance of interest in fine mechanical watchmaking. Yet each pursues its own different and distinctive style.

If I were to ask you your pick of five timepieces from Greubel Forsey which marked a turning point for the brand, which would these be and why?

It is difficult to choose between our creations. The Double Tourbillon 30° has definitely marked our history since it was our very first timepiece. It also paved the way for the Double Tourbillon 30° Technique and the Double Tourbillon 30° Edition Historique. The Invention Piece 1 then marked a distinct point in our history for its groundbreaking three-dimensional architecture. The QP à Équation and the Grande Sonnerie, with their unique ease of operation, represent a significant step forward for mechanical wristwatches in general, while the GMT completely reinvents what a GMT watch is and what it offers the collector.

Deepali Nandwani is a journalist who who keeps a close watch on the world of luxury.

First Published:Jun 21, 2018 11:43 AM IST