Greubel Forsey Signature 1
Greubel Forsey Signature 1
2017 GPHG Men's Category Finalist
Unique, unmistakable and exquisitely executed, the Signature 1 by Greubel Forsey is sure to give the jury panel something to think about in the all important 2017 GPHG Men's category, with a mesmerising beating heart and a pedigree of uncompromising excellence and ultimate exclusivity.
The very presence of Greubel Forsey in any category will cause sleepless nights for its rivals, and with good reason too. Never satisfied to merely make watches, they have relentlessly challenged and pushed through the limits of innovation, while using the same principals of traditional hands-on watchmaking to create the most fascinating masterpieces of breathtaking complexity and immaculate finishing.
As ludicrous as the words might sound the Signature 1 is actually Greubel Forsey's least technically elaborate watch, featuring only hours, minutes and seconds, but there's only one setting at Greubel Forsey, and that is an obsession with the pursuit of perfection, and so this 'simple' watch is on a level which others can only admire.
It's the result of an in-house project designed and overseen by team member Didier Cretin, which explains the presence of his name on the dial, beneath the signature balance and mirror polished bridge, and throughout its layered three dimensional construction, the exposed mechanicals, the little floating seconds dial and the off-centred main dial there is something to marvel at in every detail.
As outright winners of the cherished Aiguille d'Or, for best in show in 2015 with their Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision, and the Complications award in 2012, Greubel Forsey certainly know what it takes to grab a jury's attention. Making the company's debut in the Men's category the Signature 1 is a masterclass in the essentials of horology, where time and the graceful complication behind it are given equal prominence.
I cannot envisage a world where in a category which contained the works of Greubel Forsey and Kari Voutilainen, that the victor would not be between them. Will the top honour in the 2017 GPHG Men's category be a duel between two of contemporary watchmaking's most revered names? I rather fancy it might.
The Watch Press prediction
A likely jury favourite, it would be a popular and deserving winner, but my love is for another...
The pertinents
REFERENCE: P370
CASE: Platinum
BRACELET/STRAP: Leather
BUCKLE: Pin buckle
MOVEMENT: Hand winding mechanical. Power reserve: 54 h, 18'000 vph
FUNCTIONS: Hours, Minutes, Seconds
SIZE: ø 41.4 mm
THICKNESS: 11.7 mm
WATERPROOFNESS: 30 m
PRICE EXCL.VAT: CHF 190'000
Returning to the scene of previous glories, Kari Voutilainen and his remarkable 28ISO watch will be a cause for concern for the rival contestants in the 2017 GPHG Men's category. Requiring a degree of cerebral juggling to understand its subtle but unconventional nuances, it's as fascinating as it is beautiful.