The Best Swiss Sports Watches – Greubel Forsey Balancier S2 2023 Review
Today, I was given the opportunity to experience the recent version of a top-class Swiss sports watch from Greubel Forsey. This model, the Balancier S2, is encased in titanium and comes with a nice matching titanium bracelet that I had the pleasure of wearing. The purpose of this watch is to find a response to the inquiry: which brand is able to compete with Richard Mille? This has been a commonly discussed subject in certain parts of the luxury watchmaking business.
It is not only Richard Mille that has a million-dollar watch market, but it is one of the few brands that have been able to maintain a steady sale of watches despite its high-end status. Other watch companies, such as Greubel Forsey, are aiming to capture a share of the same market by offering an attractive alternative to Richard Mille.
Greubel Forsey is already an industry leader, and they intend to manufacture additional watches each year (in the hundreds) and embark on a more expansive promotional campaign, since the company has traditionally kept a low profile. Up to this point, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey had filled the position of CEO; nevertheless, the appointment of Mr. Calce is a huge stride for the firm, which I am aware is mostly independent, apart from a small portion owned by Richemont.
Greubel Forsey are famous for their hard-wearing, meticulously crafted watches. In my opinion, they produce the most finely-finished watches of any company that makes watches en masse. Of course, that level of perfection comes with a heavy price tag. Even the least expensive Greubel Forsey watch will cost you more than $200,000. Their tourbillon watches cost over $500,000, and some of their items even exceed the million-dollar mark. The Balancier S2 is one of the lesser-priced watches for the company, and it’s clear that Greubel Forsey are devoting significant attention to watches that cost between $200,000 and $300,000. The Balancier S2 is a sign of what we can expect from them in the future.
The Case
The housing for the timepiece is crafted from titanium, which is arguably the best feature of the item. It has a width of 46.5mm and despite its size, it fits comfortably on the wrist. The case and bezel have an interesting curvature that is reflected in the sapphire crystal. This combination of forms gives the watch an old-fashioned look from certain angles while it appears quite modern from others. Only a small portion of the watch cases I have seen can accomplish this.
The Movement
Despite the fact that the Balancier is probably the simplest watch movement created by Greubel Forsey, it is not dull in the least. Instead, the beauty lies in how the diverse segments of the watch mechanism are crafted. The purpose of the Balancier watch movement is to feature the balance wheel at an angle, much like the 24-degree slant of numerous of the company’s tourbillons. It appears that they think that this tilt is ideal for evening out the positions it experiences when it is worn on the wrist daily. The way the slanted balance wheel is displayed on the watch face and within the movement is part of the amusement, and the watch face appears to be curved downwards, which is why the lower part of the dial has a different color.
The hand-wound movement works at a rate of 3 Hertz with a storage capacity of 72 hours. A power reserve indicator is found close to the exposed mainspring barrel. An eye-catching balance wheel assembly is accompanied by a diminutive but effective sub-seconds display. Greubel Forsey likely considers this design to be of the future, although it may not be worthy of being displayed in a design museum. Despite this, the overall appearance is pleasing to the eye, especially for longtime followers of Greubel Forsey.
For the brand to impress its customer base, it ought to create a mix of product design and astute cultural infiltration with the help of well-designed marketing tactics, fundamentally like what Richard Mille did about ten years ago. In my opinion, the upper-end sports watch market is ample enough for a few brands to be seen in the highest tier. There is certainly space in the world for multiple million-dollar sports watch brands.
The Design
The accompanying titanium bracelet is a good complement to the new Sport case design. Its feel and finish is akin to that of Richard Mille bracelets and it has been immaculately polished as one would expect from Greubel Forsey. The deployant clasp is satisfying and features a micro-adjustment system. However, the mechanics are nothing out of the ordinary, and I’m hoping to see something more original in the future from the brand given their capacity to engineer some amazing stuff. (Alternatively, they could recruit Roland Iten to assist them.) This limited edition Balancier S2 is limited to 152 pieces and is available in two different shades of gray, with 88 and 64 pieces respectively. The price of this watch is 205,000 Swiss Francs.
Final notes
It is easy to spot the Balancier S2 as something different from the other Greubel Forsey watches that we are familiar with. However, it still includes all the iconic features of the brand, such as its avant-garde mechanics, intricate finishing and bold design. The watch has a straightforward display of hour, minute and small seconds at 8 o’clock, as well as a power reserve indicator at 2 o’clock. Nevertheless, it still has that Greubel Forsey touch, as the Balancier S2 has been reworked to become the most distinctive watch from the brand yet. If it is placed next to the very first Greubel Forsey watch, the Double Tourbillon 30°, it would be hard to tell that they are from the same brand due to the numerous differences.
A noticeable variation in the Balancier S2 is the mainspring barrel design. The original Balancier S had an engraved barrel lid that was very conventional with prominent text and detailed etching, a conscious effort to make people familiar with the new direction ahead of introducing something different. The Balancier S2 has an unconventional appearance with line designs and remarkably small engraving, something that is unprecedented in the line’s history.
Greubel Forsey’s power reserve indicators have typically featured a pointer of various sizes and shapes – apart from the one presented in the Invention Piece 3 model in 2009, which had a small triangular marker that moved along a curved path. The Balancier S2 takes inspiration from that example and gives it a twist, introducing a red triangle with an indentation that slides along an arched cutout on the dial.
The amount of amazing watches that Greubel Forsey has developed throughout the years, the range of novel concepts and looks it has unveiled, and the total dedication to superiority and innovation is why the Balancier S2 exists and why I am unable to predict what lies ahead for the brand.
