or more than twenty years, Greubel Forsey has occupied a singular position in haute horlogerie. While the brand built its reputation on groundbreaking chronometric inventions and uncompromising craftsmanship, one aspect of its work remained largely unnamed: the level of hand finishing applied to every component leaving the Atelier.

With the launch of the Balancier QM, Greubel Forsey has decided to give that philosophy a formal identity. The designation “Qualité Musée” (QM) – literally “Museum Quality” – is not a new standard imposed on selected pieces, but rather the name now given to the finishing benchmark that has defined the manufacture since its founding in 2004.

The Balancier QM is the first watch to carry this standard and the first product of a dedicated hand-finishing research division within Greubel Forsey’s Experimental Watch Technology (EWT) Laboratory. According to the manufacture, QM does not create a higher tier within the collection. Rather, it requires that every component be worthy of appreciation as an individual work of art.

The balance bridge exemplifies the approach. This small steel component combines seven hand-finishing techniques, including barrel polishing, flat black polishing, spotting, circular graining and oversized hand-polished bevels. Similar attention extends across the movement’s 298 components, including surfaces that remain invisible once assembled. The bi-level escape wheel, for example, is polished on both visible and hidden faces.

Beyond finishing, Qualité Musée has influenced the movement’s architecture. Housed in a 39.60mm white gold case, the hand-wound calibre is conceived as a three-dimensional landscape, with the escapement, small seconds, mainspring barrel and 72-hour power reserve arranged on different visual planes beneath high-domed sapphire crystals.

Price: CHF 265,000 (excl. VAT)

www.greubelforsey.com