When Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey founded Greubel Forsey in 2004, hand finishing was a discipline few people looked at closely. They bet everything on it anyway – and set a benchmark that has been the standard of the Atelier ever since: applied to every timepiece, uniformly, and never formally named. The Balancier QM is the timepiece with which we have decided to give that standard a name: Qualité Musée, QM for short.

A turning point
Two things have changed in two decades. The watch world caught up: hand finishing is now one of the most closely-read measures of a timepiece’s quality. And inside our EWT Laboratory we have built a research wing devoted to one thing only: pushing hand finishing further. Balancier QM is the first timepiece to emerge from it. It will not be the last – everything achieved here flows back into the entire collection.

One bridge, seven finishes
There are not two standards of hand finishing at the Atelier: a three-hand timepiece gets the same attention as the Grande Sonnerie. Qualité Musée adds one demand on top – and it is a demanding one: each component, on its own, must hold up as a work of art.

Take the bridge that holds the balance wheel – a few millimetres of steel, where seven hand-finishing techniques converge. The arm is barrel polished, rocked to a flawless mirror over its domed profile. The flat at the jewel end is flat black polished. One surface carries spotting, the recess circular graining. The flanks are hand-polished along the visible contour, straight-grained elsewhere. Every chamfer and bevel is polished by hand – the bevels extra-large at 0.40 mm. Seven operations, one bridge. Now multiply by 298 parts.

The escapement is finished where almost no one bothers to look. The bi-level escape wheel is bevelled and polished on both sides – the hidden face as carefully as the one on view. The pallet-jewels are convex rather than flat, so light travels along the ruby instead of flashing off a single edge. At the heart: an in-house variable-inertia balance, 12.60 mm, with six gold mean-time screws – the regulating organ that gives the timepiece its name. None of this is confined to a single edition: the new escape-wheel geometry and the convex pallet-jewels will be carried progressively across the collection, as will the large bevels and polished flanks wherever they make aesthetic sense.

Made from the wire up
The regulating organ holds one more distinction, invisible to the eye: its hairspring is made entirely in-house, from the raw material up. The pursuit began in 2012, when we set out to produce hairsprings we could not buy – our own alloy, drawn into wire the thickness of a hair through a succession of natural-diamond dies, then rolled flat to a tolerance measured in microns, coiled by hand, and fixed to shape in a precision vacuum furnace. Much of the equipment is antique, reclaimed and restored, because the craft it serves is older than the machines that replaced it. We first realised a complete in-house hairspring for the Hand Made 1 in 2019, and again for the Hand Made 2 in 2025. With Balancier QM, we begin extending fully in-house hairspring production to every Greubel Forsey timepiece. We internalise nothing for its own sake – only where doing so is the surest way to guarantee, component by component, the quality we put our name to.

Designed in depth
Qualité Musée begins before the first stroke of finishing – it shapes the movement architecture itself. One objective, achieved: to make the timepiece as engaging to look into from the front as from the back, on the wrist and off it. The other is depth. Within a 39.60 mm case, the movement is built as a landscape. The escapement sits deep in the architecture; the eye climbs to the small seconds on a higher plane, descends to discover the mainspring barrel, rises to the flame-blued steel hands, and higher still to the chapter ring – beneath which the power-reserve hand slips mysteriously to display the 72-hour chronometric power reserve on a sector. Two high-domed sapphire crystals give the composition room to breathe. In this, Balancier QM advances an ambition we have pursued for years: to bring fully three-dimensional movement architecture into significantly smaller dimensions.

Visible and invisible
Turn the timepiece over and the caseback puts the winding system itself on stage: wheels with concave hand-polished sinks, bevelled and polished teeth, hand matt lapped; clicks and springs flat black polished, the bevel running unbroken around each part; gold plates flat black polished.

And the standard runs deeper than the surface. As a matter of principle, every component is hand finished to the same standard – the invisible steel parts of the winding mechanism are flat black polished just like the visible ones. To finish only what shows would be to concede that the timepiece is for show. We have decided that it isn’t.

One detail, deliberately discreet: inside the movement sits a secret plate engraved Qualité Musée – the only place the name appears on the timepiece. We did not put it on the dial.

A step further, and a confirmation
Balancier QM is a step further along a road we have travelled since 2004 – and the first of a series pursuing that same ambition in ever more compact form. A new edition of the Nano Foudroyante follows later this year at 37.9 mm; a new movement in a 39.5 mm convex case before the end of 2026; and in 2027, a new invention at 39.5 mm alongside a further movement at 38.5 mm.

It is also a reaffirmation of the values we have always stood for: the pursuit of perfection in execution, in everything we do. That pursuit comes at a cost, and we accept it – work this ambitious may well mean we produce fewer timepieces overall in 2027. We don’t want to measure ourselves by how much we make, but by how well we make it. The aim is to do the best, not the most.

Naming the standard has set us looking further still: Qualité Musée has opened a range of projects within our EWT programme, the next a movement with its entire gear train in gold. Each component a work of art; the whole, an experience built to engage the eye on the wrist and off it. The same logic will carry across the collection. The standard is named.

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From its origin, the Balancier 3 was conceived around structural clarity. Its architecture is defined by three prominent bridges – the barrel bridge, the balance bridge and the large central bridge that supports the hours and minutes display and extends toward the small seconds disc. Together, they create a composition where each mechanical function remains clearly legible while contributing to a coherent architectural whole.

The Convexe titanium case frames this construction through ergonomic curvature. Measuring 41.50 mm across the caseband, it follows the natural line of the wrist, while the variable-geometry bezel and curved sapphire crystal reinforce the continuity between exterior form and movement architecture.

At the heart of the timepiece lies Greubel Forsey’s in-house variable-inertia balance wheel, measuring 12.60 mm in diameter and fitted with six gold mean-time screws. The movement is composed of 282 components and powered by two fast-rotating series-coupled barrels delivering a 72-hour chronometric power reserve, combining technical density with openness and visual depth.

The principal evolution of this edition lies in the treatment of the bridges. The balance and barrel bridges are executed in polished titanium, preserving a bright, reflective presence within the architecture. In contrast, the large central bridge introduces a new finishing language. Extending from the edge of the movement between 1 and 2 o’clock down to the rotating small seconds disc between 7 and 8 o’clock, it is distinguished by an exceptionally deep frosting, applied by hand with a steel brush across its curved surface. This pronounced matte texture contrasts with the lighter frosting on the movement bridges, while polished bevels bring definition and crispness to its contours. Together, these finishes create an engaging interplay of surface aesthetics and light, reinforcing the Balancier 3’s three-dimensional character.

The visual depth is further reinforced by a nuanced play of colour. Different hues of blue create stronger contrast, guiding the eye through the multiple levels of the architecture and enhancing legibility.

The functional layout remains faithful to the original concept: hours and minutes displayed on the suspended central bridge, a rotating small seconds disc with fixed indicator, and a power-reserve indication visible on the movement side.

Limited to 22 timepieces, this new Balancier 3 is an evolution through finishing. By differentiating the visual language of the bridges and introducing a new treatment for curved titanium surfaces, Greubel Forsey expands the expressive possibilities of mechanical architecture while remaining true to the original vision of the Balancier 3.

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From its origin, the Balancier Convexe S² was de-signed as a fully integrated object in which case geometry and movement structure evolve together. The Convexe architecture follows the natural cur-vature of the wrist, allowing the three-dimensional movement to remain balanced, legible and com-fortable in daily wear. Rather than enclosing the calibre, the case extends its architecture outward, reinforcing the dialogue between exterior form and mechanical construction.

At the heart of the movement lies Greubel Forsey’s 30° inclined balance wheel system, positioned as the visual and chronometric centre of the composition. The movement is built around openness and perspective, with multi-level bridges and suspended structures designed to reveal rather than conceal mechanical function. Composed of 301 components, with an escape-ment platform of 68 parts, the calibre combines structural lightness with technical density. Two fast-rotating coaxial barrels provide a 72-hour chronometric power reserve, while the in-house variable-inertia balance with six gold mean-time screws operates at 21’600 vibrations per hour.

The finishing philosophy remains fundamental to the identity of the timepiece. Titanium bridges and main plates are frosted and hand-finished with polished bevels, countersinks and carefully executed transitions between surfaces. Every component is treated with the same level of atten-tion, including areas that remain largely unseen, reflecting a consistent approach to execution where integrity of construction prevails over visi-bility. The two final editions express contrasting visual identities while sharing the same mechanical foundation.

The black ceramic and 5N red gold edition em-phasises contrast and depth. Black-treated movement components and the ceramic case frame the architecture, while the red gold bezel and caseback introduce warmth and visual weight. The interplay between matte and pol-ished surfaces amplifies the three-dimensional character of the movement and reinforces the sculptural nature of the Convexe case.

The white ceramic edition explores the opposite approach. The monochromatic light-toned case accentuates openness and precision, allowing the movement to emerge through light and shad-ow. The result is a more technical and graphic ex-pression, where structure becomes the primary visual language. The white ceramic construction highlights the purity of the Convexe geometry while preserving the same mechanical depth and legibility.

Both editions retain the essential functional layout of the Balancier Convexe S²: hours and minutes displayed on a suspended arch bridge, small seconds, and a sector power-reserve in-dication. The curved sapphire crystals, three-dimensional bezel geometry and profiled lugs reinforce the continuity between movement architecture and exterior form, maintaining the balance between presence and wearability that defines the Convexe approach.

These two editions complete a five-year explora-tion of the Balancier Convexe S² calibre through different material and aesthetic interpretations. Their release marks not an evolution, but a con-clusion. In 2026, production of the movement will end permanently.

The year 2026 also marks the beginning of a gradual transition toward an almost entirely new collection. As Greubel Forsey closes the chapter on calibres that have shaped the past years of technical and creative development, each will be retired deliberately – not silently – with a final expression that celebrates its contribution to the Atelier’s continuous evolution.

Limited to only 11 timepieces per edition, the black ceramic / 5N red gold and white ceramic executions stand as the final and most exclusive expressions of the Balancier Convexe S² – the closing statement of a calibre defined by archi-tecture, chronometric intent and mechanical coherence.

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For centuries, the perpetual calendar has been revered as one of watchmaking’s most prestig- ious complications. Yet it often came with com- promises: fragile mechanisms, cryptic interfac- es, and laborious resets whenever the watch stopped.

Greubel Forsey set out to change that. In 2015, the QP à Équation introduced the Mechanical Computer – our seventh Fundamental Invention – a 25-part mechanical brain that “knows” the Gregorian calendar rules, ensuring perfect syn- chronisation of every display.

The new QP Balancier distills this breakthrough into its most refined form. It unites 12 indications – hours, minutes, seconds, power reserve, day, date, month, leap year, day/night, 24-hour dis- play, calendar year, and the patented function selector – all operated by a single crown for ef- fortless time and calendar setting. The result is the only perpetual calendar that requires no handbook to operate.

Hidden pushers? Multiple crown positions? Forward-only adjustment? Lengthy resets? Every limitation of traditional perpetual calendars has been eliminated. The QP Balancier turns freely in both directions at any time of day, corrects instantly even after months unwound, and locks safely dur- ing the vulnerable midnight changeover, with a visible red zone for extra security. Programmed correctly until Febru- ary 28, 2100, it needs only a simple Atelier adjustment to remain accurate for another century.

Aesthetically, the QP Balancier embodies purity. Its multi-level gold dial presents day, large date, and month in a single intuitive line, flanked by leap year and day/night indicators. Every ele- ment is reduced to the essentials for instant leg- ibility and visual harmony.

The experience goes beyond sight: the quick-cor- rection mode transforms date-setting into a tac- tile pleasure, each crisp jump through the crown letting the wearer feel the mechanism come alive – a moment of connection between human and machine.

The 45.1 mm white gold case, just 14.75 mm high, houses the 12.6 mm balance wheel inclined at 30°, a high-mass, variable-inertia balance with gold mean-time screws for su- perior chronometric performance.

Each of its 612 components is hand-finished to the Atelier’s uncompromising standards – bevelled, black-polished, frosted, or straight-grained – with twin fast-rotating barrels delivering a 72-hour chronometric power reserve.

Limited to 22 timepieces in white gold, the QP Balancier is the most practical, reliable, and us- er-friendly perpetual calendar ever created – without a single compromise in chronometry, craftsmanship, or beauty.

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FROM PROTOTYPE TO TIMEPIECE

Originally presented in 2024 as a commemorative EWT edition, the Nano Foudroyante was Greubel Forsey’s most technically radical concept to date. Today, it has evolved into a fully realized and independent creation – no longer tethered to an anniversary or prototype designation.

The new Nano Foudroyante is crafted entirely in white gold, replacing the original combination of white gold and tantalum. It presents a different architectural identity: the gold dial is now finished in rhodium with a blue minute track, while the hands are rendered in blued steel with matching cannon pinions. The foudroyante dial itself is  now white with transferred numerals, enhancing legibility and echoing the crisp visual language of the tourbillon aperture. A blue textured rubber strap completes the aesthetic – a clear evolution from the original edition, and a declaration of this timepiece’s own distinct personality.

NANOMECHANICS: REINVENTING THE POSSIBLE

At the heart of this timepiece lies a disruptive idea: nanomechanics – the control of energy at the nanojoule scale inside a mechanical movement.

This paradigm shift enables the Nano Foudroyante to operate its eponymous complication using just 16 nanojoules per jump, compared to 30 microjoules in traditional  designs – a staggering reduction by a factor of 1,800.

The complication divides each second into six segments using a lightweight, red-treated hand that rotates once per second, driven directly by the oscillations of the 3Hz  balance wheel. There is no traditional gear train; instead, a minimalist series of low-inertia wheels efficiently distributes energy through the movement.

A COMPACT AND REFINED ARCHITECTURE

The Nano Foudroyante mechanism is embedded within Greubel Forsey’s first flying tourbillon, creating a visual and technical centerpiece. The foudroyante’s dial remains  permanently oriented to twelve o’clock, even as the tourbillon rotates – ensuring optimal readability.

The timepiece features a hand-wound flyback with 2 patents, totaling 428 components (including 142 for the tourbillon cage). Despite this complexity, the movement  measures just 31.60mm in diameter and fits within a 37.90mm white gold case – Greubel Forsey’s most compact ever.

The case is fitted with a high-domed sapphire crystal, straight-grained finishing on the caseband, and a transparent caseback. Subtle engravings – “Nano Foudroyante” and “Greubel Forsey” – stand out in polished relief over a hand-hammered background.

A NEW CHAPTER, FULLY REALISED

This timepiece embodies maturity and intent, created for 22 collectors who will experience Greubel Forsey’s most energy-efficient, compact, and conceptually advanced  timepiece to date.

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Greubel Forsey presents the final edition of the Balancier Contemporain, marking the definitive conclusion of this iconic calibre. This timepiece is housed in a 39.6 mm  stainless steel case – a material that has only been used twice before in the history of the Atelier. Limited to just 33 timepieces, this edition will be built and delivered  exclusively in 2025. Once complete, the Balancier Contemporain calibre will be permanently retired and will never made again.

More than a final edition, this stainless steel interpretation is a statement of purpose – it is the rarest and most exclusive case material in the Atelier’s repertoire. Its  presence here is deliberate: to honour the legacy of the Balancier Contemporain with purity, restraint, and resolve.

COMPACT, YET MONUMENTAL

When it was introduced, the Balancier Contemporain redefined expectations – delivering the full Greubel Forsey experience in just 39.6mm. This final edition preserves  that feat of engineering and design. Under its high-domed sapphire crystal, the gold dial reveals a rich interplay of levels, textures, and finishes. A sunburst blue hour-ring  frames the composition, while a deep blue minute-circle and sectorial indications for the small seconds and power reserve create both contrast and clarity. A large visual  opening draws the eye to the in-house 12.6mm balance wheel, suspended above a flat, black-polished gold plate that provides visual depth and dramatic reflection.

The movement is composed of 256 parts, each hand-finished to the highest standard. The bridges are in nickel silver, frosted and spotted by hand, with perfectly polished  bevels and countersinks, straight-grained flanks, and a subtle blue treatment unique to this edition. The balance wheel bridge is flat black polished steel – one of the most  demanding finishes in haute horlogerie – with hand-polished bevels that reflect light beautifully. The balance wheel itself is mounted above a flat black-polished gold plate, a surface so refined it becomes both technical and architectural.

On the movement side, a black-polished gold plate is engraved in relief with the fundamental values of Greubel Forsey – invisible to the wearer, yet finished with the same  uncompromising care. Olive-domed jewels are set in gold chatons, with hand-polished countersinks that catch the light at just the right angle. Every component, visible or  not, is treated with the same reverence – as if each part could stand on its own as a miniature work of art.

A CLOSING STATEMENT – AND A NEW BEGINNING

This is the last timepiece to carry the Balancier Contemporain calibre – but it is also the first to signal a new direction. With this final edition, Greubel Forsey opens a new chapter focused on small-diameter timepieces. Over the coming years, this creative momentum will continue to build, exploring new dimensions of mechanical expression,  proportion, and elegance – all without compromise.

The Balancier Contemporain in stainless steel is a definitive conclusion – and a confident beginning.

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The new GMT Balancier Convexe replaces its predecessor entirely – not as a variation, but as a complete reinterpretation. With a redesigned case, an integrated power reserve, and enhanced ergonomics, it becomes the purest expression of our GMT complication to date – and the only GMT model in our current collection.

A refined evolution

This new creation preserves the iconic theatrical architecture of the original GMT Balancier Convexe, while refining its proportions and mechanical layout.
– The Convexe case, still sculpted in titanium, is now more compact at 42.90 mm at the caseband for improved wearability.
– A new 72-hour power reserve indicator is seamlessly integrated into the dial, bringing added functionality without disrupting the visual harmony.

Technical enhancements

The movement now contains 496 components, 73 more than its predecessor, attesting to a re-engineering of the calibre to accommodate new displays and improved chronometric performance.
Finishing remains uncompromising: the inclined escapement is suspended beneath a flat black polished and barrel polished steel bridge, resting on polished steel pillars. The Terrestrial globe – one of the Atelier’s most emblematic elements – remains, rotating in real time within a layered amphitheatre of time indications.

On the caseback, a sapphire disc engraved with 24 cities reflects both universal time and summer/winter time, with La Chaux-de-Fonds replacing Paris – a subtle but meaningful shift.

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The two inventor watchmakers took up the challenge of fully – and visibly – combining sport and chronometry! The unique ovoid case with ergonomic profile and integrated lugs, provides optimal protection for the movement.

With this new calibre, the “Balancier S”, Greubel Forsey pursues the sporting adventure, pushing the technical limits to combine ergonomics, architecture and precision. A new flagship in aesthetics and performance, innovation and craftsmanship.

An avant-garde case

Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey have been creating innovative mechanisms since 2004. Invention and creativity being two fundamental strands woven into the DNA of Greubel Forsey, with this expertise they are continuing to explore new paths of case architecture and its integration with their movement constructions.

Late 2019, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey pioneered a new chapter with the GMT Sport – the totally new case architecture with sculptural lines combining ergonomics, robustness and comfort. Today, Greubel Forsey continues this approach, presenting a new interpretation of the unique case displaying its completely new movement. Circular from above, this case reveals the unique arched ovoid shape from other angles, features integrated lugs and strap, and a satin-finished bezel engraved with Greubel Forsey’s key values. The new “Balancier S” achieves a slim profile, reinforcing its dynamic new momentum.

The rubber crown and caseband with rubber inserts assure excellent grip and protection of the timepiece. The oval, arched sapphire crystal follows the curvature of the case. The perfect osmosis between the case and the movement is emphasized, technically and visually, by a daring double suspended arched bridge holding an inclined gear train and curved central hour and minute hands. These striking elements integrate and extend over the inclined balance wheel giving the timepiece its powerful identity, but also assuring its outstanding chronometric performance.

A focus on chronometry

The large inclined balance wheel at 7 o’clock stands out. Aiming above all to improve chronometry, it maximises the space offered by the arched case and sapphire crystal, inextricably linking form and function. In their relentless quest for precision and performance, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey have already challenged chronometry, notably by reinventing the tourbillon mechanism with the Tourbillon 24 Secondes, Quadruple Tourbillon and the Double Tourbillon 30°.

They chose a new approach here, based on their large balance wheel unveiled in 2016. Entirely developed and made within the Greubel Forsey Atelier, this balance wheel is distinguished by its oversized 12.6mm diameter, ensuring excellent timekeeping performance.

To allow fine timekeeping adjustment of the moment of inertia, the balance wheel rim is fitted with six gold regulating screws, inset so as to limit air friction. In this new hand wound calibre, with several patents pending, the imposing Greubel Forsey balance wheel can be seen in an inclined construction for the very first time.

This 30° angle with respect to the horizontal plane of the movement proves to be an outstanding solution for limiting timing errors due to the effects of gravity on the regulating organ (balance wheel, spring and escapement) in stable positions. Combined with the large diameter of the balance wheel and the frequency of 21,600 vibrations/hour, it provides this timepiece with excellent chronometric performance – it’s also prominently visible in action due to the unique movement architecture.

A showcase of exceptional craftsmanship

With two coaxial barrels mounted in series, the 308- component movement has a 72-hour chronometric power reserve, indicated on a sector at 2 o’clock using an openworked red-tipped hand. The central hours and minutes display, with profiled and openworked polished steel hands, is completed by a small seconds hand on the inclined plane of the escapement at 8 o’clock, accentuating the depth and relief of this new calibre.

Following the Greubel Forsey creative spirit, technical and architectural innovation is accomplished with unconditional care and craftsmanship for all the components of the movement – whether these are visible through the sapphire crystal, the transparent caseback or hidden in the mechanical mysteries within.

This traditional and irreplaceable artisanal know-how is mastered in the Greubel Forsey Atelier – frosting, polished bevels and countersinks, circular and straight graining highlight even the smallest surfaces. The use of titanium for the mainplate and bridges proved much more difficult for manual hand-finishing than steel or even nickel silver and further increases the technical and aesthetic challenge that this timepiece represents

S for sport

The exceptional chronometry of this Greubel Forsey creation is combined with an unequivocally sporty case. Made of titanium and water resistant to 100 metres, its powerful case shape is distinguished by its lightness and comfort on the wrist. Its robustness protects the movement, in particular its large balance wheel, tested in the Greubel Forsey EWT Laboratory assuring its reliability and chronometric performance at all times. The flexible and resistant rubber strap reinforces the sporty dimension, with all the comfort of a titanium folding clasp.

With the “Balancier S”, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey take another step in their exploration of new technical and aesthetic horizons. Rarely has a timepiece with sport-orientated characteristics displayed such chronometric performance so visibly. Rarely has a watch with a sporting vocation presented such a degree of craftsmanship in movement and case. An exclusive alliance between creativity and performance, the Art of Invention, signed Greubel Forsey.

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