The fight against gravity has been taken to the next level.
Following Zenith's Christophe Colomb Hurricane and Cartier's Astrotourbillon, now Greubel Forsey has also decided to suspend the company's tourbillon on tilting rings, or gimbals referred to as cardans. Greubel Forsey's watch still features its own exclusive characteristics, based on the brand's existing developments.
Gimbals have long been used by watchmakers in marine chronometers in order to ensure they remain horizontal on a rocking vessel. In contrast, the engineers at Greubel Forsey have used this mechanism to suspend the tourbillon at their favorite 30° angle.
Greubel Forsey Tourbillon Cardan
The company considers this to be the ideal angle for both the tourbillon and the balance wheel, in order to combat the effects of gravity on timekeeping accuracy. The optimal angle of inclination is ensured by two moving cardans linked by two 90° axes.
Over a 48-second period, they tilt back and forth within a range from +30 to -30 degrees, driven by the rotating tourbillon. Greubel Forsey refers to this system as the company's 8th Fundamental Invention. Another special feature of the Greubel Forsey Tourbillon Cardan is the speed at which the tourbillon rotates — a rapid 16 seconds.
The tourbillon suspended on a set of cardans is part of a manually wound movement that boasts a 80-hour power reserve. The energy for this power reserve is supplied by four coaxial series-coupled barrels. One of them uses a slipping mainspring which prevents accidental damage that may be caused by over-winding.
The power reserve indication can be found on the upper left of the dial. The tourbillon block comes together with the timekeeping scale at 1 o'clock to form a tilted figure eight. The second hand has been given its own separate miniature counter.
The new movement has been housed in a titanium case measuring 46 × 18.15 mm. This masterpiece of technical creativity won't go unnoticed on its owner's wrist! If we leave out the domed sapphire crystal, the case height works out significantly lower at 13.81 mm.
Availability of the Greubel Forsey Tourbillon Cardan is limited to an annual output of 11 pieces over a five-year run. Even if availability hadn't been so strictly limited, the watch would never have been mass-produced with a price tag of USD 532,000.