Released last month at the SIHH, the Greubel Forsey Balancier Contemporain represents a significant update to the brand’s core collection. Sized at just 39.6 mm, the new release is the first Greubel Forsey watch to have a sub-40-mm diameter and is one of a very few models for the independent brand to not feature a tourbillon. Although the appearance of the watch remains in line with the aesthetic code the brand has developed over the past 15 years ? with its three-dimensional movement architecture and high level of finishing ? the Balancier Contemporain is a more subdued and streamlined take on what we’ve traditionally come to expect from Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey.
Balancier Contemporain
The dial of the watch features an off-center hour and minute ring at 2 o’clock with blued steel hands. Directly next to the hours/minutes dial and set at a slightly lower level is a hand-frosted bridge where the elongated power reserve indicator is stationed. A small seconds subdial that is supported by a frosted and beveled bridge is tucked in near 8 o’clock. Located at 6 o’clock is the star of the show, Greubel Forsey’s in-house produced balance wheel that was first seen in the original Balancier from 2017 and is notable for its large size (12.6-mm diameter) and its crown-controlled “stop balance” system that enables time setting to the nearest second. Balancier Contemporain
Although the balance is identical to the one seen in 2017...