In-Depth: Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 Tourbillon
Greubel Forsey unexpectedly debuted the Hand Made 1 in 2019, but the watch has recently been in the headlines because Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was wearing one while announcing the elimination of Meta’s fact-checking policy. So it’s an opportune time to revisit the Hand Made 1, especially since its successor may be on the horizon. More classical in style than the typical Greubel Forsey, the Hand Made 1 gets its name from the fact that entire watch, including the case, is “95%” produced “using only hand-operated tools”, but finished to the requisite high standards of the brand. “Robert and myself wanted to bring the level of reliability and performance of a modern watch, so we have imposed the tolerances of a Greubel Forsey timepiece on a hand-made watch,” explains Stephen Forsey, cofounder of Greubel Forsey. Initial thoughts Highly regarded for its elaborately-finished and often elaborately constructed watches, Greubel Forsey surprised with the Hand Made 1. While still equipped with a tourbillon regulator, the Hand Made 1 is simple relative to the brand’s usual fare, which is focused on inclined regulators and multi-axis tourbillons. While the Hand Made 1 is different from most Greubel Forsey offerings, it is similar in possessing a sheen of perfection. This is immediately apparent with the watch in hand. Every edge and surface in the movement looks perfect, even under magnification. This sets it apart from the average “hand made” watch, which ...
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