I had the immense honor of visiting Greubel Forsey’s manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. And let me tell you, this is what true high watchmaking looks like. This is where it is born. This is where the meaning of perfection is found. I reached this, unsponsored or paid-for, conclusion thanks to the exclusive access that I had to the different departments of the 3 floors of the manufacture. Each so different, yet so connected in order and function.
This visit came to happen as a result of my friendship with the wonderful ladies at 289 consulting. A consultancy and international PR agency for watchmaking and luxury brands, operating from Geneva and working with companies and individuals from all around the world.
Our relationship is simple: give Walid the chance to be a nerd, and he will go above and beyond to show you how much he loves watchmaking. Which some of you may know already, and the new ones will get to discover with this article.
Greubel Forsey is then the perfect brand for the kind of agreement we have. Because the company believes that in the horological world, there’s still much to be done. Much more to be invented.
The brand was founded by Stephen Forsey and Robert Greubel, They met while working on complicated timepieces in the 90s. In 2004, they founded the brand and introduced their first invention: the Double Tourbillon 30°. Which redefined what a regulating organ could be by improving chronometric performance through architecture and geometry. This was the start of a long series of inventions, each of which addressed a specific mechanical problem.
“When no solution exists, invention becomes the only path forward”
I admit that I know a lot more about Greubel Forsey today than I did 3 months ago.
Sure, I have my top 3 G.F collections and watches (which we’ll get to in a moment), but after finishing my visit with the brand’s COO, Mr. David Bernard, I was kindly gifted the latest volume of their book series “Le Carnet”. I went through it, cover to cover, on my flight back home from Geneva. Today, as I write this article, it’s sitting in front of me as a manual and a friend, guiding me through the fascinating world Stephen and Robert created.
The visits starts from the farm. Yes, farm. Greubel Forsey’s home is an atelier, a workshop. Not a factory. Because it was built as a natural extension of a former 17th-century farmhouse. The building was chosen because it provided quiet air, stable temperatures, natural light, and sufficient space to work without dividing teams across multiple sites.
The interior adopts the same philosophy because the engineers sit next to the designers, and watchmakers are close to those finishing their components. Workflow? Smooth. It’s all about being a family and collaborating. Greubel Forsey has all the important departments in-house, including their hand-finishing atelier and decoration specialists who handle tasks like black polishing, grained surfaces, mirror bevels, etc. It’s a complete space that allows the brand to roll out state-of-the-art timepieces in 5 different collections. How many a year? Around 200.
See, that in itself is an interesting number with a lot of background. Greubel Forsey cares about 1 thing: pursuing invention. Meaning original ideas with 0 compromise.
And for a brand to be able to do that, well, they need their independence. Between 2020 and 2025, the brand chose consolidation. These years were meant to align their structure, focus on research and production, and ensure independence. Just a year before, they used to make 100 pieces per year. The evolution was the fruit of continuity between the teams and a more fluid transition from development to execution. But to go back to independence. Greubel Forsey repurchased the shares held by Richemont since 2006, and merged with CompliTime, the entity that had been the foundation of the business. All for the sake of alignment, because you can’t have 7 different captains steer a ship in a single direction.
While witnessing the process is extremely enriching and fascinating, I was very much looking forward to handling and taking a closer look at my favorite Greubel Forsey watches.
Top of my list: the Hand Made collection. I am a sucked for an over-engineered time-only watch. The Hand Mades aren’t just excellently engineered, they are also breathtakingly beautiful. As they put it: “The Hand Made collection represents the highest expression of traditional watchmaking. Every component is built entirely by hand using classical tools. Production is measured in thousands of hours of human gesture. Hand Made expresses a complete commitment to traditional manufacturing and finishing.”
95 % of the Hand Made 1’s components, including the balance spring, are produced entirely by hand. It’s the result of approximately 6,000 hours of work, where each timepiece is assembled and adjusted following the atelier’s traditional methods. This is a white gold, 43.5 mm time-only watch with 60 hours of chronometric power reserve.
The Hand Made 2, my absolute favorite, is a three-hand watch with a 40.9mm diameter white gold case, which requires 5,000 hours to bring to life. It’s offered as a millésimé edition of two to three pieces per year. Crazy.
There’s another collection that every watch nerd gushes over. As a matter of fact, any nerd of any kind. The Mechanical Nano.
“ The Mechanical Nano collection stems from Greubel Forsey’s research into nanomechanics and extreme energy efficiency. These timepieces explore reduced mass, lower friction, and novel materials to deliver high performance within minimal volumes and energy budgets. ”
The first watch in this collection, the watch Mark Zuckerberg was spotted wearing: the Nano Foudroyante. It draws energy directly from the escapement and manages it at the nanojoule level. The 37.9mm timepiece integrates a nano-foudroyante display with Greubel Forsey’s first flying tourbillon and manual-wind monopusher flyback chronograph.
This visit helped me see things differently. As watch journalists, connecting with these pieces and the people behind them is what makes our writing and content resonate with our communities. We are, in a way, responsible for the communication between clients/enthusiasts and these brands.
I noticed many things at the Greubel Forsey manufacture. The very young staff, for example. When you think about the people behind these art pieces, you’d assume that they would be grey-haired with a belly and a messy corner. What I saw were men and women of my age, Gen-Zers, working on all sorts of crazy details. The workflow is beyond professional and perfect, yet the energy was so light and fun. All with AirPods on and cool watches from different brands. You can tell when a company is running a strict program, and the energy is tense. But I found myself asking more questions and shaking everyone’s hands just to stay a bit longer.
I made a video and shared many stories and photographs that you can enjoy on my Instagram.
Thank you to David Bernard, Eva Polat, 289 consulting, as well as the entire Greubel Forsey team.
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