Greubel Forsey unveils Nano concept watch at SIHH 2018

The brand co-founded by Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey in 2004 is on a roll – 2017 was “a very good year” for the maison, according to Forsey. Greubel Forsey completed 111 timepieces, while also presenting its milestone Grande Sonnerie after 11 years of R&D. That is the kind of company this is: roughly 100 employees make about 100 timepieces per year. Each piece features at least one of the company’s seven major inventions, and each is painstakingly finished by at least 450 hours of handwork. This company really is pushing the boundaries of what is humanly possible when it comes to mechanical timekeeping, accuracy and decoration.

The 2018 SIHH was “an important meeting point where we [could] share creations with worldwide media and collectors”, says Forsey. Apart from receiving plenty of horological high-fives from collectors and press for pieces like the 265,000-Swiss-franc (HK$2.2 million) Differentiel d’Egalité, which features a 30-degree inclined balance wheel, Greubel Forsey also initiated partnerships in several emerging markets.

One of the most exciting bits of news in 2018 is the brand’s unveiling of the first Nano Foudroyante EWT, another chapter in its Mechanical Nano project. This project is all about saving energy and space through completely rethinking movements.

If you compare the presented timepiece with a traditional foudroyante jumping seconds mechanism, the invention patented by Greubel Forsey consumes 1,800 times less energy and occupies 96 per cent less space – which allows for a 180-day power reserve.