2018 SIHH is the first large-scale exhibition this year, and Greubel Forsey unveiled two new watches. The first – the Greubel Forsey GMT Earth – is an updated version of the brand’s iconic GMT watch. The second model – the Greubel Forsey Différentiel d’Égalité – features a constant-force mechanism and is the brand’s first watch to feature a jumping seconds complication. Let’s take a quick look at them now, starting with GMT Earth.
The Greubel Forsey GMT Earth is only made in white gold and as I mentioned before, it is an upgraded version of the GMT watch. You know, that crazy watch with a tilting 24-second tourbillon and an actual rotating globe on the dial? The case diameter is 45.5mm and the case thickness is 16.18mm, making the GMT Earth a chunky watch. In terms of complications, the GMT Earth is identical to the original GMT. However, some aesthetic details on the dial have been changed, most importantly the globe. The globe on GMT Earth is now fully visible from North Pole to South Pole.
Achieving this was no easy task and required Greubel Forsey to use all their knowledge of applying sapphire crystal to movements. The end result, at least judging from the press photos, seems worthwhile, as the fully exposed globe brings a greater sense of drama and air. Otherwise, the GMT Earth has the same features and complications as the original GMT watch. The time is displayed on an off-center dial, with a second time zone subdial on the left. The rotating globe is located below the GMT subdial and can be used to quickly (roughly) tell the time anywhere in the world. Finally, in the lower right corner of the dial is the 24-second tourbillon and power reserve indicator. high quality replica watches
Turn the watch and you can now see the bottom of the earth and still have the useful 24-city world time disc, which shows the time in the 24 time zones. The disc even has handy indicators showing which cities observe daylight saving time. Like all other Greubel Forsey watches, the GMT Earth is extremely polished. For example, the GMT pusher at 10 o’clock has raised engravings on a hand-stamped background. The movement mainplate is made of nickel silver and has brushed and polished chamfers. Likewise, the bridges are brushed and chamfered and given a special nickel-palladium treatment. The tourbillon bridges are finished in flat black polish, which is extremely laborious and difficult to achieve. This is just a small sample of the tidying up done to GMT Earth.
The second watch is a brand new timepiece from Greubel Forsey called the Différentiel d’Égalité. As the name suggests, it contains a constant force mechanism. The idea here is that when the mainspring unwinds, it charges the auxiliary spring, releasing energy into the escapement in a consistent pulse, thereby maintaining a constant amplitude of balance through the watch’s power reserve. As a result, Greubel Forsey was able to incorporate an unparalleled seconds complication into a watch, a first for the brand. Like the GMT Earth, the Différentiel d’Égalité only comes in a white gold case. The case diameter is 44mm and the case height is 15.30mm, making the Différentiel d’Égalité (like most other Greubel Forsey watches) a rather large high quality watches replica.
The dial of the Différentiel d’Égalité is much simpler. The main hour and minute hands are located in the center of the dial, the auxiliary seconds dial is between 4 and 5 o’clock, and the power reserve indicator is at 1 o’clock. There is a large cutout in the lower left corner of the dial showing the constant force mechanism and the jumping seconds mechanism. The second hand is also very clever. Since the jumping seconds allow the wearer to set and read the time precisely, Greubel Forsey added a hacking function and a zero-reset mechanism to the jumping seconds. When you set the time, the jumping seconds hand automatically jumps to zero, allowing users to easily set the watch based on reference atomic time.
The Greubel Forsey Différentiel d’Égalité is equipped with a hand-wound movement composed of 359 parts and has a power reserve of 60 hours. The movement is finished with reliefs on components such as the brushed mainplate and bridges, polished bevels and jeweled countersunk holes, and the barrel.
In the end, the GMT Earth is a welcome update to one of Greubel Forsey’s iconic timepieces, while the new Différentiel d’Égalité elegantly interprets a highly technical and practical complication. I think these two watches should be popular with replica luxury watches collectors with deep pockets and an appreciation for high-end timepieces.