The famous watchmaking brand led by Robert Geubel and Stephen Forsey has released a new restricted edition of its Tourbillon 24 Seconds Contemporain model. This amazing watch is supplied with a hand-wound mechanical movement that features the brand’s iconic third innovation – 24 seconds tourbillon. Previously available in a platinum case, the timepiece will now be sold in either red or white gold casing with both versions limited to 33 pieces. Now sold with a gray dial, Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Seconds Contemporain features the exceptionally high price of around half a million dollars.
Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Seconds Contemporain Red Gold Watch
Originally unveiled at the start of 2012 at the SIHH event, Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Seconds timepiece was originally sold with a navy blue dial and a platinum case. It is a very intricate mechanical watch which is distinguished with its floating 24 seconds tourbillon incorporated in an in-house movement which is mostly comprised from titanium parts (mainly its baseplate and bridges). Mind you, though being exceptionally technically demanding, the watch is actually not at the zenith of complexity when compared to other models in the offer of Greubel Forsey. However, this is solely because Greubel Forsey tends to launch some of the most intricate timekeepers on the market (for example two of the brand’s timekeepers launched in 2013 are on the shortlists for the Grand Complication (GTM Asymetrique) and the Best Men’s Complication (Double Balancier) awards at the approaching GPHG event.
Floating Tourbillon with a Sapphire Bridge
Even though it is not at the very peak of most complex timekeepers by Greubel Forsey, Tourbillon 24 Seconds Contemporain is still extremely intricate and it is likewise very fine and harmonious looking. One of the most amazing traits of the watch is its floating tourbillon cage which appears to be suspended in mid-air, since it is attached to a transparent bridge crafted from sapphire. The sapphire bridge is visible only after a close inspection. Moreover, this is not even a classical tourbillon, but a more complex beast. It is situated at a 25 degree angle and has a rotating period of just 24 seconds. This complication is in fact the third of the three most important innovations of the brand. Its main purpose is to use the ultra-light and angled tourbillon cage with a high angular velocity in order to eradicate the potential errors associated with the complication, mainly the harmful effect of gravity on the oscillator in stable positions.
Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Seconds Contemporain Red Gold Watch Back
Three Days of Power Reserve
All in all, the movement is comprised of 268 parts in total. For the construction of its very light tourbillon cage which weighs just 0.39 grams, the manufacturer used 88 components. The caliber operates at the rate of 21,600 vph and includes a variable inertia balance with Phillips terminal curve. It is powered by a pair of co-axial barrels set in series, which provides a power storage which lasts for three days once it is fully wound by hand. As it has been said, the movement is characterized by a mainplate and bridges made of natural titanium which afterwards received a fair amount of finishing as it was quite expectable, since the caliber can be seen from both sides. The bridges are treated with nickel silver with nickel-palladium coating, straight-grained and with hand-polished bevels. Furthermore, the mentioned tourbillon bridge in synthetic sapphire is paired with a tourbillon carriage in titanium. The reverse side also displays the host of hand-performed decorations. There are three NAC-treated bridges, mirror-polished bevels and counterskins, strait-grained and snailed motifs on the mainspring barrel, domed olive jewels, as well as heat blued screws.
Grey Dial Paired with a Red or White Gold Case
Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Seconds Contemporain possesses a skeletonized light gray dial with a captivating three-dimensional architecture. It is surrounded with a blackened chapter ring with metalized hour markers (in the material that matches the case) and a single raised Arabic numeral at the 12 o’clock position. At the center of the dial, there are two large skeletonized hands with large luminescent triangular tips which are placed on a raised tripod. The dial likewise includes a tourbillon cage, as well as indications for small seconds and the remaining power reserve which are both made in gold.
The newcomer by Greubel Forsey comes in a round casing made from 5N red or white gold, with the diameter of 43.5 mm and the thickness of 15.2 mm. Both sides are guarded with synthetic sapphires, where the one on the bezel side is domed and the other one is flat. For the wristlet, the manufacturer used a black hand-stitched alligator strap which fastens with a folding clasp in the material of the case. Both red and white gold versions are available in 33 copies, with the approximate price being between $450,000 and $500,000.
