Joining the sapphire case transparency boom today is the Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon Technique sapphire, a limited edition of 8 pieces, which wraps the most impressive caliber of a master watchmaker in a sapphire sandwich.
High-end timepieces may still be many complicated finishing and ancient complications, but some of the more modern companies in the industry have not shy away from using the latest manufacturing technology to spice up their “premium watchmaking” products. We have seen fragments of black coating, different types of carbon fiber used in watch cases and dials, and even…you know where I am going. However, only recently is sapphire, a new material used in watchmaking. The old reason is that it has been used on the front and rear crystals for longer than we thought, and the new reason is that only recently has manufacturing technology to process components with more complex shapes.
Greubel Forsey had used sapphires in novel ways before, but they were not too high at the time. They used it for their unique sapphire dials and dials, and experimented with sapphires in newer and more complex ways in their tourbillon 24 Seconds Contemporaine (hands-on operation). But now, because of the sandwich structure of the case—meaning the case back, the case band (or middle part), and the integrated bezel and front elements—all have been carefully crafted and they have entered a new level. Made of this highly scratch-resistant material.
Greubel Forsey (Greubel Forsey) double tourbillon technology sapphire certainly has a lot of eye-catching things, but it is usually not so noticeable, the first to attract my attention: lugs. I may have a developing medical case with a soft spot for watch ears (I think this is a specific disease that is very watchful), but it is not actually a real 396 part movement or crazy spinning double tourbillon wrist Watch first glance. It is indeed a lug.
Although it may be one of the least-sounding parts of a Greubel Forsey timepiece, this complex, curved, and actually concave lug design is quite unique to Greubel Forsey. At a glance, sapphire is the bright spot in my eyes. I think if you say: “But wait, there is more!”, you won’t be surprised.
As I mentioned, the case is composed of three main parts, and each part should be read in the voice of a TV speaker: pure sapphire! You can’t see – let alone touch – any large metal parts, just a sapphire-like smooth finish, interrupted eight times in the bezel and covered by the exposed head of the tiny screw, preventing the sapphire sandwich from slipping in After the first bite, it looked like a giant.
The side walls of the movement are also engraved with some even neat details, on which are engraved some movements with slogans we are used to seeing from Greubel Forsey. The sapphire crystal crown feels buttery smooth when wound on 2-2 barrels in two stacked barrels, but extremely precise, and the embossed “secret text” on the back of the black rubber strap also in this way. Speaking of straps, DT Technique Sapphire will be equipped with a black rubber strap as shown in the picture, a transparent rubber strap, and I think it looks best with a black alligator strap.
The crystal of the bezel and the front panel, as well as the frame of the bottom cover and bottom cover, are made of only one solid sapphire. The tricky part is the strap or middle section, which has been mechanically processed but has been painstakingly finished by hand to create the uniquely shaped lugs I have been making recently.
To be honest, the supplier of sapphire case-without a doubt, almost all brands have to rely on specialized suppliers to make cases that meet their specifications-there is indeed a lot to work with: Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon Technique Sapphire is really great 49.95 mm wide and 17.15 mm thick is more acceptable. The Double Tourbillon movement has 393 parts, the rotation time is 4 minutes and 1 minute, and the thickness is 12.15 mm. Compared with the previous DT Technique parts, there is no change in structure-therefore, only compared with the previous iteration. This situation has become even greater.
On the wrist, the 49.95mm Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon Technique sapphire is no surprise: for a wrist like me, its size is too large, and nature is designed for a timepiece <44mm wide. It is objectively large and flashy. Although I guess you can use these adjectives to describe Greubel Forsey’s previous work, this Sapphire version does take things to a new level.
When I was working on this new work, I had the opportunity to chat with Stephen Forsey, not to go beyond the importance of breaking the boundaries between technical and moral boundaries. It is now acceptable in the copy luxury watch industry. The characteristic of this special packaging of GF is that, inside, it is clearly still 100% original, a blue Greubel Forsey creation.
Don’t forget, it’s the Double Tourbillon movement that managed to achieve such amazing timekeeping performance that they won the international timekeeping competition a few years ago, scoring an unprecedented 915 points out of 1,000 highest points, stable and true. The rigorously tested timing accuracy is much lower than 1 second per day.
The absolute three-dimensional structure of the movement is as impressive as ever. At first glance, you might think of it as a skeleton movement, but it is not. Of course, some bridges and cock have been skeletonized, but the movement completely lacks the entire plate and bridge, leaving a wide open space and a lot of perceptible depth in the center of the dial. Designing from scratch like this, it will take a while to realize how this is different from a movement designed with a normal structure, and hollow it out as much as possible.
While highlighting the sapphire case, the final color scheme used on the bridges and other components is outstanding, which stands out from the other prominent aesthetic elements of Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon Technique sapphire. Most of the larger flat surfaces are manually “frosted and polished” to form a textured uneven surface, only by cutting them diagonally on the edges and finally painting them in a dark black. You can find this seldom-used (because it is indeed the pain of the neck and hands and other aspects) under the modern, hidden black coating, so this fusion of modernity and history comes from the case Extend it out. The way of movement.
The end result was also mixed: it was not the neat, restrained, but overwhelming quality we saw in other Greubel Forsey works, but something that jumped out immediately, pleading for attention and careful observation. The finishing quality of the movement and case is still absolutely imaginable, but the overall style makes it more like a top product than anything else.best quality replica watches