2013/02/23
Greubel Forsey presents the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain
A Unique Edition of 33 timepieces in 5N red gold
GreubelForsey presents a unique edition of 33 pieces featuring a titanium movement and 5N red gold case, which follows on from theearly‐2012 launch of the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain in platinum.
Like its predecessor, this timepiece is part of the Greubel Forsey’s ‘Contemporain’ line, characterised by a round case and an architecture that allows the viewer to fully appreciate the micro‐mechanics, specifically Greubel Forsey’s third invention, the Tourbillon 24 Secondes mechanism.
This calibre has been entirely re‐designed from scratch to provide a three‐dimensional view within a circular backdrop. The depth is accentuated by the royal blue finish of the mainplate and bridges and was achieved thanks to a special treatment developed by GreubelForsey.
An expression of architecture
A quest for multi‐dimensional harmony guided Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey’s architectural and technological creativity. This quest can be seen in the meticulous configuration of components within the spatial parameters, including the transparent synthetic sapphire tourbillon bridge providing a captivating and hypnotic impression of the regulator floating in mid‐air and the metalised hour indexes around the chapter ring.
Royal blue
The Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain is distinguished by the magical royal blue finish of the titanium movement. This exceptional colour contrasts beautifully with the red gold of the case, and hands, while reinforcing the three‐dimensionality of the architecture.
The purity of this intense blue finish was achieved through a special oxidation process and is the fruit of considerable research and testing. Shimmering in an infinite range of hues according to the light, the special blue provides the timepiece with an unparalleled vivacity.
The Tourbillon 24 Secondes
This timepiece houses Greubel Forsey’s third fundamental invention, the Tourbillon 24 Secondes, a highlyefficient fast‐rotating – 24‐second revolution – tourbillon cage inclined at 25°, which minimises negative effects of gravity on the oscillator, particularly in stable positions.
Technical details
The movement comprises 267 components, 88 for the ultra‐light 0.39 gram tourbillon cage and is powered by two coaxial mainspring barrels in series providing a power reserve of 72 hours. The oscillator features a variable inertia balance with Phillips terminal curve beating at 3Hz / 21,600 vibrations per hour.
The titanium plate and bridges feature a royal blue oxide treatment and are hand finished with straight graining and spotting. Bridges in nickel silver with nickel‐palladium finish are frosted and straight‐grained with hand polished bevels. The tourbillion bridge is 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 case measures 43.5mm in diameter by 15.2mm high and features domed synthetic sapphire crystals on the dial side and display back. The blue alligator strap is hand‐stitched with a 5N red gold folding clasp.
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