Although watches essentially serve a practical purpose, they have always been representative of innovation and creativity, too. The quintessential art embodied in timepieces combine perfectly with technological features, reflecting the finest craftsmanship known in the world of horology. But not all can achieve such artistic feat, only a few leading brands are able to, including the forward-looking tandem of Greubel Forsey.
One of the rarest horology brand, Greubel Forsey is known for their meticulous timepiece designs and painstaking watchmaking process. In fact, its collection called “Art Piece” is dedicated to a more intense expression of art, giving us one of the most talked about timepiece of all time, the Art Piece 2 Edition 2.
Release Date & Price
Release date: January 2017
Price: $815,000.00
The release of Greubel Forsey Art Piece 2 Edition 2 during SIHH 2017 had been highly anticipated, following the first Art Piece watches that had intricate designs of miniature sculptures and fabulous detailing. After its first appearance to the public, it immediately created a wildfire of admiration and awe for its unique design, interesting details and embodiment of fine horology art.
Specifications
- Case: White gold with convex synthetic sapphire crystal
- Case back: Transparent back with asymmetrical convex crystal
- Movement dimensions: Diameter: 36.40 mm; thickness : 10.90 mm
- Movement parts: 412 parts
- Number of jewels: 35; olived-domed jewels in gold chatons
- Chronometric Power Reserve: 72 hours
- Balance spring: Phillips terminal curve; Geneva-style stud
- Displays: Hours and minutes on demand on discs; 72 hours sectorial power reserve
Pros
It doesn’t need much scrutiny to figure out how artistic the Greubel Forsey Art Piece 2 Edition 2 watch is. But in a true Haute Horlogerie fashion, it gets better as you spend time taking in every detail and every design. Let’s start with the most impressive one: a hidden time display. You need a push on the side of the watch casing to reveal the hidden discs revealing the hours and minutes marked by tiny red triangles.
Aside from the unique way of telling the time, the watch also features the signature tourbillon angled by 30 degrees and the huge power reserve indicator. The design makes this piece hard to miss, especially with the rich blue dial with accents of white and metal. But behind the bold design up top, the impressive hand-wound movement does all the job, made with a total of 412 parts. As if all these still weren’t impressive enough, the white gold casing was made water-resistant up to 30m also, aptly designed with an alligator strap that was sewn by hand.
Cons
With much praise and recognition the Greubel Forsey Art Piece 2 Edition 2 comes criticisms as well, particularly on the unique design of the dial. Practical thinkers find the idea of hiding the time ridiculous, as they believe it is essentially the reason why one wears a watch. But for art admirers, the provocative statement of the watch need not be apologetic for compromising a bit of convenience.
Compare With
- Bell & Ross ‘BR V2-94 Racing Bird’ Watch
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15400ST Watch
- Rolex Day-Date Watch
- IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Annual Calendar “150 Years” Edition Watch
Image credits: Watch Collecting Lifestyle (article images), A Blog to Watch, Time Transformed (article images)
