Artisan watches are becoming increasingly sought after, with auction prices for unique or extremely rare pieces now in seven figures. Testament to this trend is the fact that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was recently seen wearing a Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1. It was a serendipitous event as the Greubel Forsey Hand Made 2 was released today.
The paired back aesthetics and exemplary finishing of the Greubel Forsey Hand Made 2, the result of over 5,000 hours of work.
Hand Made 2 is arguably more elegant and balanced than its predecessor as there is no tourbillon escapement to deal with. Hand Made 2 is also a “simple” time only watch with a power reserve. In terms of hand manufacture, the “simple” label is a misnomer. Despite expectations that without the tourbillon the watch would require less of the watchmaker’s time proved not to be the case. It takes around 5,000 hours to complete the 270 components of Hand Made 2, 96 percent of which are entirely handmade. The exceptions are the sapphire crystals, case gaskets, spring bars, mainspring, and most of the jewels. The one jewel that is handcrafted is the conical shaped one for the power reserve indicator, which reportedly takes four days for one person to make.
The movement for Hand Made 2 showing the conical jewel for the power reserve (far left) and different finishes on the bridges and plates.
In terms of design, the watch combines a certain 18th-century elegance with modern innovation aesthetics, within an ideally sized white gold 40.9mm diameter case. The handmade-and-finished movement gleams. The barrel and balance bridges use five different artisanal polishing techniques: frosted, black-polished, straight-grained, polished flanks and bevels, and the chamfering accented by olive-domed jewels set in gold chatons. The German silver movement plates are hand frosted and contrast with the black grand feu enamel dial elements for the hours, small seconds, and power reserve, along with the blued steel hands. The handmade gear wheels are slim and beautifully proportioned, almost ethereal in appearance. Unlike nearly all mechanical watches made today, the balance spring, coiling, cutting, and manually adjusting the terminal curve, is all done by the hands of the watchmaker.
The minimalist caseback of the Greubel Forsey Hand Made 2 in simple frosted German silver, where all the exact chamfered edges are highly polished.
Hand Made 2 is a stunning watch and further evidence that Greubel Forsey, the company behind the charitable traditional watchmaking preservation agencies of TimeAeon and Naissance d’une Montres, is back to being an artisanal horological powerhouse once again.
Because of the resources required for a handmade watch and the watchmaker’s time, only two or three Hand Made 2 pieces will be made each year. For the moment, the production of both Hand Made 1 and 2 will be run in parallel. Michel Nydegger, CEO at Greubel Forsey, echoing the growing trend in artisanal watchmaking shared, “We are working to expand our Hand Made workshop; however, given the highly specialised skills required, it’s a slow and deliberate process. While we strive to meet client demand, only one Hand Made 1 will be completed in 2025.” Mr Zuckerberg, the wait list for Hand Made 2 has just opened.
Author: Andrew Hildreth
Learn about other Greubel Forsey watches: Hand Made 1, GMT Sport “Dark Earth”, Balancier S, Nano Foudroyante EWT Chronograph, and Quantième Perpétuel À Équation.
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