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.
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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