Boutique haute horlogerie brand Greubel Forsey has done more than most established maisons to promote the artisanal virtues of watchmaking. For a good number of years now, the two founders ? Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey ? have championed the cause of artisanal watchmaking in an industry that is increasingly turning to machines to do the work that was once done by expert craftsmen. To help preserve these age-old skills the duo teamed up with the likes of master watchmaker Philippe Dufour to launch the Naissance d?une Montre project with the lofty aim of resurrecting the centuries-old tradition of hand craftsmanship. Now Greubel Forsey has brought the same watchmaking philosophy to its product line with the introduction of Hand Made 1, a timepiece that takes traditional watchmaking to a whole new level. Writer Nitin Nair takes a close look at the new piece in this article from our sister publication, WatchTime Middle East. The Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 has a brush-stroke-like finish on its movement.
According to Greubel Forsey, 95 percent of the timepiece ? including the hairspring ? is made using only hand-operated tools. Each timepiece requires an extraordinary 6,000 hours work (in terms of man-hours, that’s about three years). The company had to build a team of its most skilled craftsmen as well as external talents to work together on this project. From the movement, to the case, to the leather strap, to the dial and hands, everything is handmade. The only exc...