Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain with Natural Titanium Movement

Greubel Forsey presents the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain with natural titanium movement housed in a regal 5N red or white gold round case. The sober, pared-down architecture forms a superb backdrop to the regulator, Greubel Forsey’s third invention, the Tourbillon 24 Secondes mechanism, supported at 6 o’clock by a barely detectable transparent sapphire bridge. The ‘floating’ tourbillon; long central tripod for the hour and minute hands; and multi-level dial featuring raised sapphire chapter ring, all combine to endow this timepiece with a striking sense of depth.

The metallised hour indexes of the chapter ring are finished in red or white gold, depending on the case material, while markings on a blackened track underneath signal the minutes. Twelve o’clock stands out for being not only the sole numeral (in red or white gold) but also for being raised, descending separately from the chapter ring. A quest for aesthetic and a technical balance guided Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey while creating the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain, as evidenced in the spatial configuration of components, both display-side and on the back. Darker details on the display – such as the power reserve indicator at 4 o’clock, small seconds at 9 o’clock or the 24 seconds tourbillon at 6 o’clock – contrast with the light grey of the natural titanium movement and integrated titanium bridges, which feature superlatively hand-finished straight-graining, frosting and highly polished bevels.

At 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock, two gold plates, hand-engraved with the philosophy of Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, adorn the caseband.

Turning over the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain, three NAC-treated anthracite bridges can be glimpsed through the sapphire crystal display back, revealing the full extent of Greubel Forsey’s expertise in extremely fine hand-finishing: Mirror-polished bevels (many of which feature internal angles), mirror- polished countersinks, straight-graining and snailed decoration on the mainspring barrel. There are also discrete nods to tradition on this contemporary timepiece, for example the domed olive jewels and heat blued screws, which pay elegant homage to master watchmakers of the nineteenth century.

A hand-stitched alligator strap with a folding clasp in 5N red gold or white gold completes the timepiece.Technical details

The movement comprises 268 components, 88 for the ultra‐light 0.39-gram tourbillon cage alone, and is powered by two coaxial mainspring barrels in series providing an optimal power reserve of 72 hours. The oscillator, beating at 3Hz / 21,600 vibrations per hour, features a variable inertia balance with Phillips terminal curve.

The mainplate and bridges are in natural titanium and are hand-finished with straight-graining and mirror- polished bevels. Bridges in nickel silver with nickel-palladium finish are frosted and straight‐grained with hand-polished bevels. The tourbillion bridge is in transparent synthetic sapphire while the tourbillon cage is in titanium. The hour and minute chapter ring is in synthetic sapphire while small seconds dial and power reserve indicator are in gold. The 5N red gold or white gold case measures 43.5mm in diameter by 15.2mm high and features synthetic sapphire crystals, domed on the dial side and a flat display back. The black alligator strap is hand‐stitched with a 5N red gold or white gold folding clasp.

The Tourbillon 24 Secondes

This timepiece houses Greubel Forsey’s third fundamental invention, the Tourbillon 24 Secondes, a highly- efficient, fast‐rotating – 24‐second revolution – tourbillon cage inclined at 25°, which minimises negative effects of gravity on the oscillator, particularly in stable positions.