Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain with Natural Titanium Movement

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Greubel Forsey presents the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain with natural titanium movement housed in a regal 5N red or white gold round case. The sober, pared-down architecture forms a superb backdrop to the regulator, Greubel Forsey’s third invention, the Tourbillon 24 Secondes mechanism, supported at 6 o’clock by a barely detectable transparent sapphire bridge. The ‘floating’ tourbillon; long central tripod for the hour and minute hands; and multi-level dial featuring raised sapphire chapter ring, all combine to endow this timepiece with a striking sense of depth.

The metallised hour indexes of the chapter ring are finished in red or white gold, depending on the case material, while markings on a blackened track underneath signal the minutes. Twelve o’clock stands out for being not only the sole numeral (in red or white gold) but also for being raised, descending separately from the chapter ring. A quest for aesthetic and a technical balance guided Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey while creating the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain, as evidenced in the spatial configuration of components, both display-side and on the back. Darker details on the display – such as the power reserve indicator at 4 o’clock, small seconds at 9 o’clock or the 24 seconds tourbillon at 6 o’clock – contrast with the light grey of the natural titanium movement and integrated titanium bridges, which feature superlatively hand-finished straight-graining, frosting and highly polished bevels.

At 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock, two gold plates, hand-engraved with the philosophy of Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, adorn the caseband.

Turning over the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain, three NAC-treated anthracite bridges can be glimpsed through the sapphire crystal display back, revealing the full extent of Greubel Forsey’s expertise in extremely fine hand-finishing: Mirror-polished bevels (many of which feature internal angles), mirror- polished countersinks, straight-graining and snailed decoration on the mainspring barrel. There are also discrete nods to tradition on this contemporary timepiece, for example the domed olive jewels and heat blued screws, which pay elegant homage to master watchmakers of the nineteenth century.

A hand-stitched alligator strap with a folding clasp in 5N red gold or white gold completes the timepiece.Technical details

The movement comprises 268 components, 88 for the ultra‐light 0.39-gram tourbillon cage alone, and is powered by two coaxial mainspring barrels in series providing an optimal power reserve of 72 hours. The oscillator, beating at 3Hz / 21,600 vibrations per hour, features a variable inertia balance with Phillips terminal curve.

The mainplate and bridges are in natural titanium and are hand-finished with straight-graining and mirror- polished bevels. Bridges in nickel silver with nickel-palladium finish are frosted and straight‐grained with hand-polished bevels. The tourbillion bridge is in transparent synthetic sapphire while the tourbillon cage is in titanium. The hour and minute chapter ring is in synthetic sapphire while small seconds dial and power reserve indicator are in gold. The 5N red gold or white gold case measures 43.5mm in diameter by 15.2mm high and features synthetic sapphire crystals, domed on the dial side and a flat display back. The black alligator strap is hand‐stitched with a 5N red gold or white gold folding clasp.

The Tourbillon 24 Secondes

This timepiece houses Greubel Forsey’s third fundamental invention, the Tourbillon 24 Secondes, a highly- efficient, fast‐rotating – 24‐second revolution – tourbillon cage inclined at 25°, which minimises negative effects of gravity on the oscillator, particularly in stable positions.

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Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain
Mechanical hand-wound movement, Calibre GF01c
Tourbillon 24 Secondes • power-reserve indicator • hour and minute display • small second display • 24-second tourbillon rotation indicator

Movement with patented tourbillon

Movement dimensions

• Diameter: 36.40 mm
• Thickness: 10.90 mm

Number of parts

• Complete movement: 267 parts
• Tourbillon cage: 88 parts
• Weight of the cage: 0.39 g

Number of jewels

• 40
• Olived-domed jewels in gold chatons

Power reserve

  • 72 hours

Barrels

  • Two coaxial series-coupled fast rotating barrels (1 turn in 3.2 hours), one of which is equipped with a slipping spring to avoid excess tension

Balance wheel

  • Free sprung variable-inertia balance with gold mean-time screws (10 mm diameter)

Frequency

  • 21’600 vibrations/hour

Balance spring

• Phillips terminal curve
• Geneva-style stud

Main Plates

  • Natural titanium and are hand-finished with straight-graining and mirror- polished bevels

Bridges

• Nickel silver, frosted and spotted, nickel-palladium treatment with polished bevelling
• 1 gold plate engraved with the individual number
• 1 titanium plate engraved with the individual number
• Synthetic sapphire crystal tourbillon bridge

Gearing

• Involute circle profi le
• Tangential inclined gear with profi led teeth, on fi xed wheel and escape wheel pinion

Tourbillon cage

• Inclined at a 25° angle, 24-second rotation
• Cage pillars in Avional
• Titanium cage bridges
• Gold counterweight

Displays

• Hour and minute
• Small second
• 72-hour power reserve on a sector
• 24-second tourbillon rotation indicator

Exterior

Case

• Platinum 950 with convex synthetic sapphire crystal
• Transparent back with synthetic sapphire crystal
• Raised polished engraving “Tourbillon 24 Secondes Incliné” on a hand-punched background
• Three-dimensional, variable geometry-shaped lugs
• Gold security screws
• 2 platinum plates, engraved, hand-fi nished with texts, screwed to the caseband

Case dimensions

• Diameter: 43.50 mm
• Thickness: 15.20 mm

Water resistance of the case

  • Water-resistant 3 atm - 30 m - 100 ft (standard NIHS 92-20/SN ISO 22810:2010)

Crown

  • In platinum with engraved and black lacquered GF logo

Dial

• Synthetic sapphire crystal hour-ringl
• Small second dial and power-reserve sector

Hands

• Hour and minute in polished gold, with Super-LumiNova
• Small seconds (red triangle)
• Power-reserve indicator are in gold
• 24-second double-tipped hand, black anodised aluminium

Strap and clasp

• Black alligator strap is hand‐stitched with a 5N red gold or white gold folding clasp