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.

Can Vintage Rolex Get Any Better Than This?

I previously owned a 5513 and it gave me a lot of joy, but I only had it for short while as it was traded for something bigger.  This is one of the watches I regretted selling, however this time around I was after an example that was close to mint. Four years later I found it. Once I saw this 5513 on my friend’s website, the decision was instantaneous as doubt I would find another of this calibre anytime soon.

Here is some background on this watch and you can see why it is one of the nicest 5513's. It is a PreComex dial which is identified by the fatter crown with smaller oval opening at the bottom and the FT letterings. The watch is from around 1975 and has just returned from a full service at the Rolex Service centre and comes with the benefit of its full 2 year international warranty.

The un-marked dial and matching hands are as good as you could hope for, and are complemented by a fat even case with all engravings clear and sharp. A careful eye will notice that the case has been slightly refinished by Rolex and you can clearly see the sharp factory chamfer to the case edges.

It has original box, oyster booklet, waves booklet, and spare bezel insert.

I just love that 'pre comex' style original 5513 dial which is in excellent condition with a mid tone patina and the original matching tritium hands and bezel pearl.

Can't Get Enough of Gordon Ramsay

During our visit to London we ate at 3 of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants.

The first one we tried was Gordon Ramsay @ Claridges. Located, obviously, in Claridges Hotel on the corner of Davies and Brook Streets, a short stroll from Oxford Street and New Bond Street. On Thursday we decided we would go for lunch and booked for Friday. We had the option of a la carte or a choice of 3 set menus for our lunch, we ended up choosing the 5 course lunch for £40 with matching wines for an additional £17 (around A$88 total).

The dining room is in a classic, glamourous Art Deco style with colours of light creams and peaches, silver gilding and mirrors galore. Staff are all in pristine black and white and their service standards were exceptional. As Vikki and I were trying not to have any Australian or New Zealand wine on our trip, upon noticing one Kiwi wine on the matching wine list, we asked if they would mind swapping it for something else, which they did with no problems.

First to come out was a canape, followed by the first course an amuse bouche of pea soup....

Second course was some Scottish salmon, blood orange and avocado....

Third course was a very luscious and rich terrine. This was the start of a trip that contained a LOT of foie gras.

Fourth course was a lovely slow cooked veal breast with celeriac and watercress. It is lovely to see an under utilised cut of meat being done in really well.

Then our very summery pre-dessert which would make a wonderful dessert in it’s own right.

And finally the dessert. We saw a couple of these come out to other tables while we were having our lunch. All we saw though was the chocolate dome as it went past. When we were served ours, the dome looked huge, about the size of an inverted, medium mixing bowl. The waiters place the bowl in front of you and then they pour warm chocolate sauce in the centre of the dome which subsequently melts to reveal the hidden surprise of chocolate mousse, ice cream and house made honeycomb.

After dessert we had a glass of champagne and then were asked if we would like to tour the kitchens and finish our champagne in the lounge, a subtle way of moving us from our table so they could reset it. Of course we ran in to an Aussie chef while being shown the kitchen. We asked where we could get a good burger and he pointed us in the direction of Gordon Ramsay’s latest  restaurant Bread Street Kitchen

Bread Street Kitchen was our second taste of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant empire. Located on Bread Street, near St Paul's Cathedral, it occupies 2 floors in a corner of the very modern 1 New Change shopping/office centre. Ground floor is a funky bar, upstairs is the restaurant. Both the bar and restaurant are fitted out in an industrial chic style with lots of bare metal and air conditioning ducts and electrical conduit. The whole area is divided into sections with banquette seating and tables interspersed here and there. Reconditioned lighting has been bought from second hand stores and gives a retro aspect to the room, be it hanging from the ceiling or placed on the top of the banquettes. The classic black and white bistro style floor is a great juxtaposition to the industrial look. The bar also does duty for coffees and breakfasts in the morning.

One of the dining sections

The menu at Bread Street Kitchen has a bit of everything. They have a Raw Bar(oysters etc), wood fired oven,  grills, etc. Vikki had a burger which after seeing it I wish that I had ordered it, I ordered seared yellowfin tuna with a salad of greens, quail egg and shaved fennel. We also had a French white wine which was a great choice.

Our meals

My JLC AMVOX III

Our third Gordon Ramsay restaurant was Maze. Located on Grosvenor Square, just down the road from Claridges, it is located in a lovely old sandstone building, with lots of embassies as neighbours. The interior is quite modern and refined, medium woods, neutral colours, enhanced with the odd splash of colour make for a relaxing room.

We opted for the four course set menu which, surprisingly, you were able to pick the four dishes you wanted. Vikki and I both had the same starter and main but had different second and fourth courses.

The menu board at Maze

Interior Maze

Table setting at Maze

Pressed chicken and foie gras, blood orange, hazelnuts

Pork dumplings, radish, aromatic mushroom broth

Hash brown, bacon and egg, wild garlic

Braised feather blade steak, pommes puree, 
shimeji mushroom and togarishi spice

Of course where I go so does my JLC AMVOX III

Banana and date parfait, butterscotch, walnuts

Apple terrine, rhubarb, custard ice cream

The three Gordon Ramsay restaurants we ate at were fantastic. We discovered that the best way to eat in London is to do the fancy restaurants at lunch time as you can take advantage of the set lunch menus, which are quite cheaper than dining a la carte for dinner. Often they also have matched wines for each course also at a good price.

A Sydney Paneristi’s Global GTG

How time flies, only when I actually think about it do I realise that I have been a Paneristi since late 2004. Through Paneristi I made many local friends and it was at Hamilton P-Day last year that I finally met the people who’s posts I have been reading for so many years.

This year Vikki and I finally managed to take the round the world trip that we have been talking about for the previous ten years. First stop was New York and as I landed early  I dropped off my bags at the Waldorf and found the first Starbucks I could, as I needed the caffeine to stay awake. The weather was fantastic 30 degree plus Celsius coupled with a bright blue sky. You can instantly tell that you are in the Big Apple when you sit down next to a couple of slick haired, suited gentlemen who are busily discussing hedge fund investment strategies lol.

After my wake up coffee I had another 4hrs to kill until I could check-in so I headed towards the Panerai New York boutique with the hope that my 390 was ready to be collected. At the boutique I finally met Alex and Tomoko. Naturally I tried pretty much every Panerai that was in the store. They were also kind enough to invite us to the private viewing of the 2012 novelties as we could not attend the NY Panerai dinner as we were flying out to London on that day.

Luke organised a small GTG at Roman trattoria Maialino (the name means “Little Pig”) in Gramercy Park Hotel which is the first collaboration between renowned restaurateur Danny Meyer and designer David Rockwell. We expected Luke, Eng and Geoff but also had the added surprise that the effervescent Gush was in town from London.

Maialino was buzzing when we arrived. Considering that it was a Monday night the restaurant was at 100% capacity, and a great convivial atmosphere was present in the room.  Checkered table cloths and lots of aged wood really contributed to the feel of being in a Roman Trattoria.

Roast suckling pig is at the heart of the menu. The skin, blasted to crispness in a hot oven, is dusted in rosemary, cracked fennel, salt and pepper: an apparently unambitious preparation that tastes just great — pork at its best. Oven roasted potatoes, the dish can serve three with ease. We also decided to share a few dishes as entrees and a couple of pastas as well. Of course the wine list contains a great selection of wines from Italy. Our choice for the night was a Rosso di Montalcino from Castello Romitorio (owned by artist Sandro Chia). All rounded out with some traditional Italian treats for dessert and some great coffee.

After a great night at Maialino it was time to head back to the hotel with a walk up Lexington Avenue, after being assured it was quite safe to do so. 

Before our depature for London , we met up with the guys again and headed for a private viewing of the 2012 Panerai novelties. Our venue was the exclusive members only, The Core Club, just around the corner from the Panerai boutique. As we sat on the balcony in the New York sunshine, we were like a bunch of kids in a toy shop as we handed the watches around and discussed the merits and desirability of each watch and which ones we would personally like to have in our collections. 

After saying our good-byes to the Luke, Geoff, Eng and Gush, we rushed back to the Waldorf finished our packing and headed to JFK for our flight to London. It was great to catch up with the guys in their home town and both Vikki and I look forward to catching up with them again in New York sometime in the future.