When collectors gather anywhere and talk about their collections, recent purchases, and executed or potential sales, there’s a term that comes up more often than not: “getting hurt.” Here I provide a master class in how not to get hurt in the world of watch collecting.
Seems it wasn’t that long ago that GaryG wrote his first “Objects of Desire” article about the watches of Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, finishing with: given the prices of their watches, he was unlikely to be able to buy any of those he truly lusted after anytime soon. Gary’s observation at the time was “go big or go home.” As you will see, he ended up going big and is now the proud owner of a Greubel Forsey Invention Piece 1.
The balance wheel is the regulatory organ of a mechanical watch, which is expected to deliver a consistent frequency with a tolerance of as little as 0.001 percent. With so much at stake, why complicate things by altering a pure and simple geometric shape? Why reinvent the wheel? Here Ryan Schmidt presents five balances that reinvented the wheel.
GaryG was delighted to take possession of an Invention Piece 1 with its inclined double tourbillon, while a good friend of his replied in kind with a purchase of the quadruple-tourbillon Invention Piece 2. Ever since, he has been dying to get these two gorgeous monsters side by side in the light tent. And the time has finally come!
Impressively, the cathedral chimes remained audible as Stephen Forsey closed his palm completely around the Greubel Forsey Grand Sonnerie in a (knowingly) futile attempt to silence the gongs.
But how? And what else does this exceptional timepiece, one that I might call the best in the world, hold in store?
Dubai Watch Week and Christie’s partnered to bring the first International Horology Forum to London on September 11-12, 2018 with panels and discussions held at Christie’s King Street location in the heart of the St. James area of London. The panels, livestreamed on Facebook And IGTV (Instagram TV), brought thoughts and opinions from industry leaders to the greater watch world. You can watch all the action right here.
There is something about interviewing people like Stephen Forsey, co-founder of Greubel Forsey, that makes it a unique experience. Not only is Forsey a great watchmaker, he is also an entrepreneur with his finger on the pulse of the industry. And here he shares many insights from the last 15 years of his company, one the best watchmakers in the world.
Anyone who visits online watch forums with any frequency very likely comes across at least a few heated discussions of “finishing,” a topic that seems to fascinate, and divide, enthusiasts. What is it and why are opinions divided?
Joshua pontificates upon the unadorned cleanliness emphasized by the new Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision Enamel. The chapter ring and center inset are gone, and for good reason: enamel. This entire fresh dial is made of oven-fired enamel, with thinner numerals and markers harking back to classic pocket watches or vintage wristwatches, and a cutaway to admire the perfect finish of the 24-second tourbillon.
In the “Objects of Desire” series, I look at pieces that fall into the categories unobtanium and timenotrightium, as my Quill & Pad colleague Joshua Munchow might say. And, where better to start on the topic of desire than with the watches of Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey?