Haute Complication: Greubel Forsey Double Balancier
In the quest for ultimate precision, watchmakers have for centuries challenged themselves to make watches more precise. With the invention of the quartz movement, that quest has come to an end for the mechanical movement, yet not entirely. Brands like Greubel Forsey continue to develop new concepts that further refine the timekeeping capabilities of mechanical watches. They view it as perpetuating an ancient art, and a firm challenge to themselves, to overcome the difficulties of making wristwatches even more precise. They have been known to tackling these problems with innovative tourbillons, the device invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1795. The Double Balancier lacks those, as it takes a different approach combining two balance wheels with a constant differential.
By placing the balance wheels on different, three-dimensional positions apart from each other in the same movement, you know for a fact that they will run slightly different from each other. By combining their rates through a differential, you eliminate part of the fault that, for example, gravity has on the movement, hence making it more precise. The Double Balancier is also fitted with two mainspring barrels, providing the watch with a 72-hour power reserve. As precision is also heavily depending on the right amount of torque delivered to the balance wheel, Greubel Forsey also incorporated a constant force mechanism in the differential.
Greubel Forsey is not only about precision, as also beauty plays a dominant role in their creations. The Double Balancier only uses a partial dial, highlighting what makes this watch so unique. The finishing of each element is absolutely perfect. For this Greubel Forsey remains the benchmark in the industry, a position they achieved by further perfecting traditional decorating techniques, which are all applied by hand. This makes the Double Balancier a rare masterpiece for the most demanding connoisseurs.
