Curtain Call: The Greubel Forsey Balancier Contemporain, In Stainless Steel

Greubel Forsey is known for many things – for those of us who are fans of slightly mad-scientist technical experimentation in pushing the boundaries of precision in mechanical timekeeping, it’s their inclined balance, multi-axis, and high speed tourbillons that have really defined the company. There’s also Greubel Forsey’s design language, which has always been polarizing thanks to the company’s use of large, highly architectural movements, which look like a series of extremely fanatically detailed models of futuristic cities – Life Under The Dome, as it were. And then there’s fine finishing. You’d think in this day and age, when the number of sharp inner corners in a watch movement seems to be all we can talk about, that Greubel Forsey would be more widely celebrated for its obsessive approach to movement finishing, but somehow this is not as much a part of the conversation about GF as it should be (at least, that’s what I think).

The latest release from Greubel Forsey is not their most complicated watch, nor is it as obviously architectural as some of their earlier models (like the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Architecture, which is wildly Coruscant-Seen-From-Low-Orbit even by Greubel Forsey standards). The Balancier Contemporain in steel, however, does offer, in its 39.60mm x 12.25mm case, all the meticulously executed fine finishing you’ll see in any other Greubel Forsey watch from any time in its history since the company launched its first watch at Baselworld in 2004. It’s also, says Greubel Forsey, going to be the last of the Balancier Contemporain models, which have been part of the GF catalog since 2019, so the launch is a bit bittersweet, although it also leaves me with a lot of curiosity about what’s coming next.

The Balancier Contemporain is not the first time-only (well, and with power reserve) watch from Greubel Forsey; their first was the 2016 Signature 1 (no power reserve, by the way, just hours, minutes and small seconds) followed in 2017 by the Balancier, which added a power reserve and which was still a typical Greubel Forsey size, at 43.5mm x 13.94mm. Finally, the Balancier Contemporain arrived in 2019, in a white gold or white gold and diamond set case. The latest and final version of the Balancier Contemporain is a rarity from Greubel Forsey in its use of stainless steel; the only other two steel GF watches are the aforementioned 33 piece Signature 1, and the Balancier Asymétrique US Limited Edition, from 2017, which was an 11 piece limited edition. I suppose with this new release, that means that Greubel Forsey’s total series production of steel watches is 77 watches in all.

This is one of those watches where the movement in a very real sense is the watch, which is to say that the movement architecture and design are intrinsic to the design overall to a degree certainly not found in any more conventional watch, and rarely found even in some very unconventional watches. The actual caliber inside the case is not, unlike some of Greubel Forsey’s more complicated pieces, verging on pocket watch size – instead, it’s 32.40mm x 9.20mm and the horizontal balance allows the watch to be quite a bit thinner than some of GF’s inclined balance and multi-axis tourbillon watches. The movement plates and bridges are in German silver, except for the balance bridge, and there’s a little trompe l’oeil going on under the balance – it looks at first glance as if the lower section of the movement is openworked but it’s not; instead, it’s mirror polished gold (white gold, one assumes).

The movement is constructed on three different levels. The uppermost contains the subdial for the hours and minutes, along with the elongated power reserve hand. The small seconds subdial has the intermediate level of the movement to itself, except for the cover for the mainspring barrels, which passes under the hour and minute chapter rings, adjacent to the tripod that supports the hands. This is a design element that’s something of a signature for Greubel Forsey; it was introduced as long ago as 2013, in the Double Tourbillon 30º Technique (which Tim Mosso reviewed four years ago; he reminds us in the video that for all its extroverted design, the Double Tourbillon 30º won a chronometry competition as well). The lowest level is occupied by the balance, with its elegantly faceted upper bridge, and lastly by the underlying mirror polished plate.

The balance is like the rest of the watch, produced in-house, and is freesprung, with a Breguet/Phillips outer terminal curve and meantime screws for bringing the watch to time. There is an integrated cock for the lever and escape wheel, and all the steelwork is done to what I think is safe to say is the highest possible quality. The countersinks for the jewels for the escape wheel and lever are mirror polished, and the bevels of the balance bridge terminate at sharp, inner corners at the balance staff.

As is usually the case with Greubel Forsey, most of the visual and watchmaking pyrotechnics are visible on the dial side of the watch – it’s only true up to a point but the movement layout is a bit reversed from the conventional movement layout, in which the motion works for the hands are on the dial side, and the balance, mainspring(s) and going train are on the back. The layout of the Balancier Contemporain means that the back of the movement is more or less a closed full plate, although Greubel Forsey has given it its own kind of texture and detail by engraving it with a sort of company manifesto.

The Balancier Contemporain is a watch that sends out interesting signals. Certainly, it’s first and foremost a Greubel Forsey watch; there is no possibility of mistaking it for anything else and of all Greubel Forsey’s simpler watches, I think it’s the most successful overall. There is all the visual depth and instantly visible fineness of finishing and execution you expect from Greubel Forsey and the commitment to excellence on every level is as clear as it ever has been.

The size raises some interesting questions – you could look at the Balancier Contemporain and view it as an attempt to go somewhat more mainstream in terms of wearability, although I think the design cues to say nothing of the price, make this pretty non-mainstream, especially for a time only watch with power reserve. If someone really wants a watch for daily wear that’s hand wound, remorselessly well made and finished, but actually in the mainstream from a design standpoint, there are several quite great examples out there right now (including my current favorite, the Daniel Roth Extra Plat) – I think that size aside, this is a watch for someone who wants a Greubel Forsey, especially at an MSRP of CHF 220,000. The closest thing I can think of to a conventionally styled watch from Greubel Forsey is the Nanofoudroyante EWT.

However, that’s coming from someone who has been in love with the bigger, more complex GF watches since 2004; I’m not really in a position, at least when it comes to personal taste, to say whether the Balancier Contemporain is a watch for GF fans looking for a GF daily driver, and I always thought the size of watches like the Double Tourbillon 30º Technique was a feature, not a bug.

In any case, what Greubel Forsey says, is that this is the closing chapter for the Balancier Contemporain, although the company also says this is the shape of things to come, remarking, “This is the last timepiece to carry the Balancier Contemporain calibre – but it is also the first to signal a new direction. With this final edition, Greubel Forsey opens a new chapter focused on smaller diameter timepieces. Over the coming years, this creative momentum will continue to build, exploring new dimensions of mechanical expression, proportion, and elegance – all without compromise.” I think “without compromise” is really the key here; it’s always been true of Greubel Forsey, and as long as it stays true, the rest will follow.

The Greubel Forsey Balancier Contemporain in stainless steel: case, steel, 39.60mm x 12.25mm, water resistance 30 meters; sapphire crystals front and back. Dial, multi-level in gold with sunburst blue finished hour ring, minute circle with blue finish, engraved and white lacquer finished, hand-lapped; hours, minutes, small seconds and power reserve hands in polished steel with hand-polished countersinks.

Movement, Greubel Forsey caliber Balancier Contemporain, 32.40mm x 9.20mm, running at 21,600 vph in 33 olive domed jewels; double series coupled, stacked, fast-rotating mainspring barrels with slipping bridle to avoid excess mainspring tension (barrels rotate one turn in 3.2 hours vs. 8 hours in a typical watch movement; this delivers lower and more consistent torque, for better chronometry and lower wear) with 72 hour power reserve. In house variable inertia balance with six gold mean-time screws, 12.60mm diameter, with stop seconds; balance spring, Phillips outer terminal curve with Geneva style stud; Bridges and mainplates in nickel silver (German silver, also called maillechort) with flat black polished steel balance bridge. Reat plate in flat black polished gold plate with relief engraved text. 

Limited edition of 33 pieces world wide, all to be delivered in 2025; price, CHF 220,000. The 1816 Company is proud to be an authorized retailer for Greubel Forsey; contact us for enquiries and availability. Also view our collection of pre-owned Greubel Forsey timepieces.