Before we get too deep into this one, I need to make it very clear right upfront that I have never seen a Greubel Forsey watch in person. It?s a horological blind spot. In fairness to me, however, a Greubel Forsey is a whole different type of rare. If you go to enough watch meetups, and spend enough time working in the industry, you?ll encounter all kinds of crazy stuff. I?ve laid my hands on hyper rare vintage watches, ultra high end indies, and plenty of head spinning stuff that years ago I?d never thought I?d have the chance to see in person. But not Greubel. For most of the brand?s history (which only runs back to 2004) production was limited to no more than 100 watches per year. The brand?s new CEO, Antonio Calce, expects that to double in 2022, and eventually hit 500 watches per year several years down the line. While that would represent a dramatic increase for Greubel?s production, it?s still low production enough to ensure that you?re just not going to bump into someone wearing one of these at the supermarket. Even a brand like F.P. Journe, which makes around 800 watches per year, has an occasional presence in my local watch meetup in, I kid you not, New Hampshire. How many years will I have to go to Booze & Bezels meetups before someone walks in with a Double Balancier" I think I?d be a very, very old man. 
In spite of their relative inaccessibility (or, I guess, maybe because of it) these watches have become a point of singular fascination for...