Greubel Forsey GMT Sport watch
When I got my first hands-on look at the new Greubel Forsey GMT Sport watch during the recent Dubai Watch Week in November, my jaw dropped. It was everything I would expect from this king of independent watch brands — and more.
Created in a limited edition of just 11 pieces, this bold sport watch is all about technical prowess, architecture and chronometric precision. Oh, wait, that’s what all Greubel Forsey watches are about, right? Well then this one — with four patents — goes to new levels. Designed as the brand’s first “sport” watch, it is a watch anyone would wear day, night, weekend and beyond — if you have $480,000 to spend. I don’t. So to make up for that, I spent a lot of extra time handling this beauty.
A Quick Tour Of The Greubel Forsey GMT Sport
The entire architecture of the Greubel Forsey GMT Sport watch — inside and outside — is multi-dimensional and incredibly alluring. It boasts an arched suspended bridge for the hour and minute hands, a black-on-black ocean globe and a round-to-oval case structure.
To begin with, the 45mm titanium GMT Sport watch has four patents for both its complex all-new, 435-part hand-wound movement and for the ergonomic round-to-oval curved case and integrated strap design. Inspired by the brand’s original GMT Black (2015), this watch boasts a host of nuances. Water resistant to 100 meters, it also offers dozens of functions and indications.
In a private interview with Stephen Forsey during Dubai Watch Week, he indicated that the movement, which was four years in the research and development stages, gave the brand an opportunity to experiment with new ways to display the GMT and the globe.
“We still had to make it look like the brand because we are not taking a curve toward sport watches, but wanted to offer an option of a watch wearable in the water to our customers who want that.”
There is also the choice of the Greubel Forsey GMT Sport watch with a blue and silver globe, as seen here. The brand’s guiding principles of innovation, technology, precision and perfection are engraved on the case .
Among the stand-out features of the watch: a suspended arched bridge for the hours and minutes display that curves up over the movement on the dial side; the titanium round case with high curves that elongate into an oval, the large case back that enables a larger indication of the 24 city time zones on it and the engraved bezel with the brand’s ethos on it: architecture, perfection, and more.
“The movement was constructed from scratch – from the suspended arched bridge for the hours and minutes display, to the unique showcase of the Tourbillon 24 Secondes and the universal time display with three dimensional globe.”
Among the displays and functions: GMT, second time zone, rotating terrestial globe with universal time and day-and-night in 24 zones, summer and winter time indications (as well as cities observing summer time) in those zones, Tourbillon 24 Secondes watch — meaning the tourbillon escapement rotates once every 24 seconds instead of every 60 seconds like most tourbillon cages, and more. The newest interpretation features a black-on-black oceans display on the moving globe. According to Forsey, it is the first time the brand offers this color finishing.
The movement of the Greubel Forsey GMT Sport watch consists of 435 parts.
This watch — destined to be in stores in 2020 (and we will revisit it again then in more detail) — comes on the heels of a very big year for Greubel Forsey. The brand released four new calibers this year.
“It was just a momentum that had been building. We had several different creations coming together all at once, and they all were released this year, from the smaller, slimmer caliber to the GMT Quadruple with four tourbillon,” explains Forsey. “It has been a fantastic adventure. ”
Technical Specs of the Greubel Forsey GMT Sport:
Greubel Forsey GMT Sport watch
GMT Sport in titanium, Limited edition
Hand-wound movement with 3 patents • Patents pending
Functions: GMT • 2nd time zone • rotating globe with universal time and day-and-night • universal time on 24 time zones • summer and winter time • cities observing summer time • GMT and Earth pushers • Tourbillon 24 Secondes • hours and minutes • small seconds • power-reserve
Movement: Diameter : 36.90 mm • Thickness : 13.18 mm; Number of parts: Movement 435 parts; Tourbillon cage : 88 parts • Weight of the cage : 0.38 g
Number of jewels: 63; Olived-domed jewels in gold chatons
Chronometric power reserve: 72 hours
Barrels: Two coaxial series-coupled fast-rotating barrels (1 turn in 3.2 hours), one of which is equipped with a slipping spring to avoid excess tension
Balance wheel: Variable-inertia with gold mean-time screws (10 mm diameter)
Frequency: 21’600 vibrations/hour
Balance spring: Phillips terminal curve • Geneva-style stud
Bridges and main plate: Titanium
- Frosted and spotted, polished bevelling andcountersinks, straight-grained flanks, blacktreatment
- Multi-level, suspended-arch bridge, polishedwith black treatment in relief, polished bevellingand countersinks, straight-grained flanks
- Flat black polished tourbillon bridge with blacktreatment in relief, spotted, polished bevelling and countersinks, straight-grained flanks
- Tourbillon: Inclined at a 25° angle, 24-seconds rotation • Light alloy cage pillars, Titanium cage bridges, Gold counterweightGearing: Involute circle profile
- Tangential inclined gear on fixed wheel and onescape wheel pinion
- Inclined gear and profiled teeth on intermediatewheels of the set-hands mechanism.Displays:• Hours and minutes, on suspended-arch bridge • Small seconds on disc
• 72-hours power reserve on a sector
• 24-seconds tourbillon rotation
• Rotating titanium globe with universal time
• Day-and-night
• 2nd time zone GMT
Movement side: 24 time zones universal time • Summer time
Exterior:
Case: Titanium with curved synthetic sapphire crystal
- Three-dimensional, variable geometry-shapedbezel with raised engraved text
- Profiled lugs, screwed fixing
- Engraved pushers
- Transparent back with high domed syntheticsapphire crystal
- Titanium security screws
- Raised engraving “GMT Sport” and “Greubel Forsey”Case dimensions• Caseband diameter : 42.00 mm
• Bezel diameter : 45.00 mm
• Case height : 15.70 mm
• Height on synthetic sapphire crystals : 17.80 mmWater resistance: 10 atm – 100 m – 328 ft (standard NIHS 92-20/SN ISO 22810:2010)Crown: • Titanium and rubber with GF logo
• Colour-coded rubber capping, interchangeableDial side: - Three-dimensional, variable geometry hour-ring, with luminescent hours and minutes indexes
- GMT indicator with raised engraving
- Power-reserve indicator, engraved and lacquered
- Tourbillon rotation indicator in gold
- Rotating globe with fixed day-and-night UTC indicatorin synthetic sapphire, engraved and lacqueredMovement side• Synthetic sapphire disc displaying city names surrounded by 2 rings (UTC engraved on the case / Summer time engraved on a gold movement plate, lacquered and hand matt-lapped)
• “Summer time” plate with limitation number, raised engraving, hand matt lapped
Hands
• Polished steel curved shape hours and minutes, with Super-LumiNova
- 2nd time zone GMT indicator, red triangle
- Small seconds, fixed red triangle
- Power-reserve indicator, in polished steel
- Aluminium 24-seconds double-tipped hand,black treatmentStrap and clasp• Rubber with relief text
• Titanium folding clasp, engraved GF logo
