It takes a lot of confidence to wear a watch that is more expensive than most Ferraris. It takes a lot more confidence to buy and wear a watch like this when it doesn’t have anything about it—except maybe the name—that suggests it’s special. Then again, in the right circles, sometimes a name carries more weight than any public display of wealth, especially when the name is replica Greubel Forsey.
Now I bet that for most of you, if this name comes up in a conversation with your watch lover, images of complicated timepieces start popping up in your mind immediately. Incredibly wonderful exotic dial. This is not surprising, as the brand has become legendary for its innovative creations featuring two, three and sometimes even four tourbillons!
As you might expect, every timepiece takes months, if not years, of research and development to come to fruition, so it seemed only fair that the results of all that hard work be displayed on the dial for the world to see and appreciate. Plus, when a watch comes with a six-figure, and sometimes seven-figure price tag, it needs to stand out from the crowd to justify its extravagance for a new owner.
At least that’s the conventional way of thinking, otherwise why do you think supercars are so curvy? Aerodynamics are of course important, but turning heads is even more so. However, Greubel Forsey, like everything they do, chose to buck the trend on at least one occasion, and I have to say the results are pretty amazing.
However, this subtle beauty may not be immediately apparent to everyone, which is why today we will compare and contrast two of my favorite Greubel Forsey fake watches. The aptly named Secret Quadruple Tourbillon and the more technical-sounding (and looking) asymmetrical quad tourbillon.
Greubel Forsey Quadruple Tourbillon
As you might guess from the names, the two pieces presented in this article have many things in common, most notably the complex movement with four tourbillons. Don’t think Greubel Forsey is lazy, but in fact the opposite is true. You’ll see that the original GF03 movement that powers the asymmetric quadruple tourbillon actually took five years to develop and consists of 531 individual parts, each designed specifically for the timepiece.
The Secret Quadruple Tourbillon, released two years later in 2012, also featured an updated version of this incredible movement, incorporating the learnings of Grebuel Forsey during those two years. Called the Calibre GF03J, the movement consists of 519 individual parts, 11 fewer than the original, and reflects the company’s commitment to continuous improvement through innovation.
However, aside from minor changes, the actions are more or less the same, which is a good thing because they are spectacular. The main draw is of course the four tourbillons, although at first glance you might think there are only two (or in the case of the secret version, none at all, but more on that later.) This optical illusion stems from the fact that , there is actually a tourbillon inside the tourbillon, or in other words, both escapements are so-called “double tourbillons”. This means there is an outer tourbillon and an inner tourbillon, each rotating on a different axis. In the case of the quadruple tourbillon, the outer tourbillon completes a full rotation every four minutes, while the inner tourbillon – at an angle of 30° – completes a full rotation every minute. fashion watch
The primary goal here is to achieve the highest level of precision through a mechanical movement. This is why the two sets of tourbillons are coupled together via a spherical differential (visible on the back of the two components) to further enhance the overall performance. I won’t go into the details of the theoretical influence of the tourbillon on the effect of gravity on the movement of different positions, but suffice it to say that before the watch leaves the factory at Greubel Forsey, it changes by -1/+2 seconds per day. Compare this to the COSC requirement of -4/+6s and it quickly becomes apparent that Greubel Forsey puts itself on a completely different scale.
Still, this is where things get interesting, at least for me. On the asymmetric quadruple tourbillon, all of the above is clearly visible thanks to the openworked nature of the dial. You can see the two double tourbillon cages – each made up of 128 parts – in great detail, and it’s clear why this incredible timepiece comes with a seven-figure price tag.
However, the Secret replica Quadruple Tourbillon is something else entirely. As the name suggests, the fascinating complexity of the movement is completely hidden and its secrets are known only to the owner, who can admire them through the sapphire caseback. According to the brand, the Quadruple Tourbillon Secret represents a special connection between Greubel Forsey and collectors, the ultimate expression of sophistication and sophistication. It’s a watch you buy for yourself, not someone else.
There are four different variants of the quadruple tourbillon; the two versions of the Asymmetrical are in platinum and rose gold, and the two versions of the Secret, also in platinum and rose gold. All four are housed in the same asymmetrical 43.5mm case, and all four are spectacular.
