Thursday, December 27, 2012

Masters of Precision - Greubel Forsey


As part of our global holiday we had arranged to have a visit to the manufacture of Greubel Forsey (‘GF’). Having met Stephen on several occasions we contacted him to see if we could have a tour while we were in Switzerland. In the end it ended up being more than a tour of the workshop as we were invited to lunch and a tour of Musée d'Horlogerie du Locle, Château des Monts with our super tour guide, Phoebe Forsey.

After a two hour drive through the towns and mountains between Zurich and La Chaux-de-Fonds we pulled in to the drive way of Greubel Forsey, and who should be departing but Mr Philippe Dufour. Had I been quicker getting out of the car I would have had a chance to say, “Hello”. Stephen came down to meet us and after a quick chat, guided us up the entrance of the manufacture which is located in a restored barn. We were introduced to Chantel Graff who looks after sales and marketing at GF and then began our tour.

Also located in the restored barn is the bespoke workshop for special orders, the kitchen, the staff lunch room, amenities and a private dining room. Down a few steps and through a sealed door, you are in the heart of the manufacture.

Designed to be environmentally friendly, the modern part of the building is constructed with a double “skin” of glass which allows light and heat from the sun to be utilised to the fullest and controlled to heat and cool the building. The central atrium also floods light in to the centre of the building. The inner shell has doors that can be opened to allow air to circulate. 


The individual departments are spread over three floors, all having full natural light with minimal electrical lighting and each with a relationship to its neighbours on each floor. This allows work to flow in a logical sequence. On the top floor are the workshops where movements are assembled.


 Watching a professional do the ‘perlage’ treatment before I had a go. A ‘daylight’ lamp is used along with natural light so there is no shadow as the work is being carried out. Let’s just say that I am glad the piece I was practicing on was a sample baseplate, my inadequate attempt resulted in even greater admiration of the skilled people who carry out this amazing technical feat.


The precision achieved through the use of CNC machines and finely tuned lathes is astounding, and we had a chance to observe the production of the tiny screws that are used in the movements. Each screw takes 4 minutes to shape and be cut from a 5 metre long piece of steel.


The metal that has been cut away is caught in the liquid that is used to both lubricate and cool the metal and then collected to be recycled. Below are some of the components that come off the lathes.


Vikki’s father would have been in ‘engineers heaven’ had he been a long with us. The CNC machines are state of the art, and run continuously through the day. The CNC machines are used primarily to produce the plates, bridges and cases.

Some of the components produced from the CNC machines.

After all the parts are manufactured they go off to polishing and clean up and are then packaged into the little blue boxes, which have all the components for 1 watch, to await assembly. This enables watches to be built without having to wait for the parts to be manufactured.
Prior to lunch Stephen and Chantel showed us some of the amazing pieces that are produced by Greubel Forsey…..

The one that started it all, the Double Tourbillon 30 Degrees......

My favourite is the Double Tourbillon 30 Degrees Technique......

A breathtaking Quadruple Tourbillion......


The GMT......


Tourbillon 24 secondes Contemporain......

A wonderful selection to choose from......

After such a wonderful showing we were joined by Stephen’s wife Phoebe for lunch. Greubel Forsey have a chef on staff who prepares staff meals as well as catering for guests of the company. We were treated to a delightful 3 course lunch with some wonderful Swiss wines from a local winery Caves de Chambleau.


We would like to thank Stephen, Chantel and Phoebe for their hospitality during our visit and for taking time out of their busy day to show us around the atelier. We would also like to thank the staff of Greubel Forsey for allowing us to peek over their shoulders while they were working.




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