Balancier Convexe S

The Story

The Maker

Greubel Forsey operates from a workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, with a team of approximately 120 craftspeople. Annual production is below 200 pieces across the entire collection — a figure that places them among the rarest manufactures in the world. Both founders have backgrounds in restoration and development work for other major houses; they understand the canon of watchmaking at a level that informs every decision they make. The Balancier — named for the French term for balance wheel — was introduced as a bridge piece between the brand's ultra-complicated statement watches and collectors who want to enter the Greubel Forsey world without an eight-figure expenditure. It is, on its own terms, a complication watch of the highest order.

Technical

The Mechanism

The balance wheel in the Balancier Convexe S is inclined at 25 degrees to the movement plate. This inclination means that the balance oscillates in a plane that partially compensates for the errors introduced by gravity when the watch is held in different wrist positions — the same problem that the tourbillon attempts to solve with rotation, addressed here through geometry. The movement is finished to a standard consistent with the brand's reputation: bevelled and hand-polished bridges, perlage on plates, blued screws throughout. The convex case — curved to follow the wrist — is a practical ergonomic decision that also creates a distinctive profile unlike any other watch at this price point. At 72 hours of power reserve, weekend wear is manageable without a winder.

Wearing It

On the Wrist

The Balancier Convexe S is not a discreet watch. At 43.5mm with a curved profile that extends above the wrist line, it announces itself. The dial is a study in organised complexity: the inclined balance visible through an aperture, the power reserve arc at 12 o'clock, the time display offset to allow the mechanical elements their due visibility. It is the watch of someone who has moved beyond wanting to demonstrate wealth and has arrived at the point of wanting to demonstrate knowledge. Those who know will ask about it. Those who do not will simply find it imposing.

Acquisition

How to Obtain It

Greubel Forsey operates through an extremely limited retailer network — fewer than 30 authorised points of sale globally. The brand does not participate in trade fairs in the conventional sense; client relationships are managed personally and allocation is tightly controlled. Pre-owned examples rarely appear at auction, and when they do they typically sell at or above retail. The secondary market premium reflects not just demand but the near-impossibility of obtaining a new example without an existing relationship. For new clients, the recommended approach is a direct approach to the brand's Geneva office or contact through a Richemont-connected retailer in a major market.

• 1.Contact the Geneva office directly — the brand's sales team manages significant clients personally and the process is more direct than through retailers.
• 2.The titanium case is lighter and more wearable; white gold is more conventional but significantly heavier.
• 3.Pre-owned examples rarely appear — when they do, provenance documentation significantly affects price.

Specifications