Is a tourbillon in a wristwatch truly useful? Ask this question to a group of watch enthusiasts, and most likely you will end up in heated discussions up until the wee hours of the night. Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey wanted to go a step further and prove that the tourbillon had an added value in a wristwatch. With the first innovation that they introduced after founding the company that bears their name in 2004, the Double Tourbillon 30° they did just that.
Is a tourbillon in a wristwatch truly useful? Ask this question to a group of watch enthusiasts, and most likely you will end up in heated discussions up until the wee hours of the night. Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey actually wanted to go a step further and prove that the tourbillon had an added value in a wristwatch. With the first innovation that they introduced after founding the company that bears their name in 2004, the Double Tourbillon 30° they did just that.
When Abraham-Louis Breguet invented the tourbillon, it was meant to eliminate the effect of gravity on the regulating organs of the movement in a pocket watch. However, this type of watch usually spends the day in an upright position, quite different from a wristwatch. There the wrist itself, and all its movements during the day act almost as a natural tourbillon. Greubel and Forsey studied the matter extensively and came to the conclusion that if they combined two tourbillon cages in one device, the effects of gravity on the precision of the timekeeping could be counteracted the most effective.
To reach this optimum, the outer cage should make a full rotation every four minutes, with the inner one make a complete revolution every sixty seconds. Furthermore, are the balance and the spring in the inner cage inclined at a 30° angle in relation to the outer cage. The double tourbillon is powered by four co-axial, fast-rotating mainspring barrels, which offer a power reserve of 120 hours.
Greubel and Forsey not only put a lot of effort into the development of their movements but also in the decoration of them. No effort or expense is spared in order to come as close to perfection as humanly possible. For this particular Double Tourbillon 30° Technique is the 47.50 mm large case crafted from platinum, which frames the blue finished main plate and bridges. A synthetic hour-ring adds functionality and depth to the dial, which further also includes a small seconds and power-reserve indicator. With such meticulous attention to detail, both in the concept behind the watch, as in the execution of it, it is no wonder that the Double Tourbillon 30° has become a hallmark piece for Greubel Forsey.
