The 39mm case of The Jaseur Boréal is made from solid 18ct 5N red gold. It houses the in-house mechanical movement also made from solid 18ct 5N red gold (manufacturing process protected by several patents), hand-wound, hand-engraved and hand-decorated. It includes 34 jewels and offers a power-reserve of more than 55 hours.

The solid 18ct 5N red gold dial comprises 13 parts. Traditional « grand feu » black and white enamelled domed cartouches house the Roman numerals. The centre of the dial is made from enamelled solid 18ct gold featuring a “grand feu” enamel miniature of the “jaseur boréal” bird, using Petitot’s “point by point” technique (1630). In a discreet window at 12 o’clock, an enamelled gold oil drop symbol will appear after four years in operation, when the watch must be serviced.

A hand-stitched light pink salmon strap lined with calf completes the watch. It is equiped with a solid 18ct 5N red gold buckle with engraved pictogram.

95 % of the watch is made from one kilogram of solid 18ct 5N red gold: movement, dial, case, crown and buckle.
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Last Spring, Greubel Forsey submitted two timepieces to the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) 2013: the GMT Asymétrique, in the Grande Complication category, and the Double Balancier 35°, in the Men’s Complication category.Both were pre-selected by the jury and will take part in the competition to win the prize in their respective category. The prizes will be awarded during an official ceremony in Geneva on November 15, 2013

GMT Asymétrique

Greubel Forsey launched the first GTM Asymétrique in 2011, featuring a white gold case. The model that is taking part in the Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie 2013 is the latest version, in red gold 5N.  Apart from the material of the case and the plates and bridge that have undergone a galvanic treatment and now boast an anthracite colour, the 2013 and 2011 versions are similar. The movement is the same.

The main characteristic of the GMT Asymétrique is  the three-dimensional temporal representation: a rotating terrestrial globe offering a truly original view of time all over the world. This technical yet poetic marvel provides us with a completely new way of perceiving the different time zones. While the globe makes one complete rotation every 24 hours anticlockwise – the Earth’s natural rotational direction – the position of the continents can be neatly cross-referenced with the 24-hour, day-and-night indicator on the equatorial chapter ring. The globe is complemented at 10 o’clock by the 12-hour second time zone dial giving a precise indication of the time in a designated second country or city. Turning over the GMT reveals the beautifully crafted ‘worldtime’ disc bearing the names of 24 cities each representing one of the different global time zones.

Cascading clockwise around the dial-side are the main indications comprising a principal hour-minute dial at 1 o’clock, on top of which is a small seconds dial at 2 o’clock, while at 3 o’clock is a sectorial power reserve indicator. The specially developed movement of the GMT features the 25° inclined Tourbillon 24 Secondes cage, one of Greubel Forsey’s major patented inventions.

Double Balancier 35°

The Double Balancier 35° features two inclined fixed‐oscillators. This unique regulating system comprises two inclined oscillators and escapements. They are driven through a spherical differential, which provides the average of their rates via the gear train to the time display. The two inclined oscillators are not superimposed, but are spatially disposed in different three dimensional planes.

The skeletonised gold hands with high‐legibility Super‐LumiNova tips indicate the time against a polished black‐oxidised gold chapter ring. Between the two visible inclined balances of the Double Balancier 35°, the small seconds at 7 o’clock displays the running instantaneous average of the two regulators, while a 72‐hour power reserve indicator at 2 o’clock keeps track of the optimal power available from the two co‐axial, fast‐rotating mainspring barrels. The 35° inclination of the inclined balances allows for larger diameter balance wheels (better inertia for more stable timekeeping) in a very comfortably‐sized 43.5mm case.

The complete manual winding movement comprises 365 components, 28 of which make up the spherical differential. It is powered by two concentric fast‐rotating mainspring barrels that provide optimal power for 72 hours. The two oscillators feature variable inertia balance wheels, Phillips terminal curves and beat at 3Hz/21,600 APH. Plates and bridges are in nickel silver, frosted and spotted, with polished bevelling and countersinks, straight‐grained flanks and anthracite treatment (NAC).

Viewed from the outside, things look pretty straightforward. Between its sky-high auction value, its concern for quality, its mastery of horological complications and its considerable independence, Patek Philippe is quite simply the most prestigious watch brand of them all. Fair enough, one might well debate the truth and particularly the scope of this statement, since grandeur may reveal itself in a number of different ways within the watch industry. But to cut to the chase, let’s say it’s one of the top three most prestigious brands. This view is steadily becoming firmly established in people’s minds as an obvious fact, at the risk of making them somewhat blasé… Until the day one actually sets foot in the Manufacture located in Plan-les-Ouates on the outskirts of Geneva. Anyone seriously interested in watchmaking is naturally keen to take a closer look at the production facilities of the major brands that open their doors to visitors. And one might even be tempted to think that one such factory tour is very much like another. While it is true that the processes, the sequences of events and the general pattern of such visits are similar, everything in fact lies in the details and the ways of doing things are definitely never identical. That is why discovering Patek Philippe’s production is a unique experience that proves to be a genuinely head-turning, eye-popping treat.

Stronger
It is simply impossible to describe this tour in detail. The profusion of objects and operations prevents any coherent narrative summary, so we will have to stick to a conceptual summary. Patek Philippe has attained a degree of production autonomy that is virtually unique; a level of development quality that places it in a league of its own; and meticulous craftsmanship that while perhaps not unequalled definitely stands out by its sheer breadth and depth. No other brand produces such a variety and quantity of Grande Complication watches; no other brand at this level of prestige has so many tools and machines. Patek Phillippe blanks, cuts, burnishes and polishes its wheels, pinions, plates, bridges, springs, levers… and even its screws! Is independence an end in itself? Only if it serves to guarantee execution on a par with its demanding standards that would otherwise be unattainable.

Unusual

In response to my astonished reaction to his explanations, my guide kept saying: “sure, obviously”. To which I repeatedly replied: “there’s definitely nothing obvious about it”. What he considered as standard practice in fact denoted exceptional concern for details and complexity. Among a number of examples, Patek Philippe uses only a single spark erosion machine, serving to cut out parts that are too thin to be machined by a milling-cutter that cuts into the material. In a comparably sized factory, especially one producing so many Grande Complication models, one would expect to find around five of them. Patek Philippe has in fact taken the quality of its machining to such a high level that it can produce even the most detailed parts using tools that others would consider too unwieldy. The same goes for profile turning: Patek Philippe uses exclusively computer numerically controlled profile-turning machines. The size of its series, meaning the maximum number of identical parts, is so small that standard cam-type profile-turning machines (which are heavy, reliable, stable and widely appreciated) are simply not suitable – offering eloquent proof that the diversity of its production attains heights rarely seen elsewhere.

Diversity
However, even more distinctly than the manufacturing and assembly operations relating to the movement, cases are the true gems in Patek Philippe’s production crown. And this is not due to the army of polishers, although they naturally play an important role. Nor is it because of the number of operations involved in shaping the cases, creating all manner of barely noticeable design elements. Once again, the core of the matter lies in the uncompromisingly rigorous approach implemented across the board. Which other brand can claim to such a large and fully occupied gemsetting workshop? Or to such a variety of precious dial-making methods ranging from grand feu enamelling to miniature enamelling along with guilloché motifs and pantographic reproduction? The brand applies the full force of its considerable expertise and resources to all stages in production. Witness the technical department that comprises no less than 110 people, including those involved in prototyping. New models are developed in six years, compared with the industry norm of around three. Talk about perfectionists!