Greubel Forsey watches often ride the line where the design of a watch can start to suffer due to its complexity. Their displays are a riot of horological information that while impressive can be difficult to discern, especially in skeletonised or openworked formats. However, they’ve learned from that and with the new Greubel Forsey QP Balancier they present their most user friendly high complication to date, being both legible to read and practical to use.
In order to understand what makes the QP Balancier easy to use, we first have to address the problems that typically face perpetual calendar watches (QP stands for “quantième perpetuel”, French for perpetual calendar). First and foremost, a perpetual calendar typically features 6 functions/indicators at a minimum with hours, minutes, seconds, date, days, months and the vast majority go well beyond that with years, leap years, moonphases and more. So at a simple level, resetting all those functions when the watch runs out of power is a time consuming process involving hidden crowns or pushers, multiple crown positions and so many steps that memorising them all feels like swatting up for you’re A-Levels.
Then, throw on top of that the fact that most perpetual calendars can only be adjusted at certain times of day otherwise you risk breaking them and it becomes and incredibly stressful proposition. I’ve heard of people who prefer to send their calendars to service centres or back to the atelier to reset rather than attempt it themselves – meaning they shortly invest in a good watch winder to keep them ticking. The Greubel Forsey QP Balancier has none of that stress.
They’ve developed what they call the Mechanical Computer, a 25-part mechanical brain inside the movement which knows and follows the rules of the Gregorian calendar. Meaning that when you set one of the functions, the rest of the watch will adjust to fall in line. This in turn means that the entire watch can be set using just the regular crown at 3 o’clock. No reading a massive manual or praying to a horological deity required when you reset it.
Further to that, the watch is equipped with robust security features meaning that you can adjust it forwards or backwards at virtually any time of day without fear of consequence. The only exception is that the watch automatically locks itself around midnight to protect the movement during the vulnerable change over period when all the functions are advancing to the next day.
When it comes to presenting all that information, it’s displayed nice and clearly. There are central hour and minute hands with small seconds offset toward 10 o’clock. Then, the large circular disc at 5 o’clock features windows for days, date and months in a line, flanked to the lower left of it by the leap year indicator and the upper right by the function selector. To the left of that is the arc of the power reserve indicator and to the left that again, intersecting with the small seconds, is the 24-hour day/night indicator. Notably the 24 marker on that scale (midnight) is highlighted red to remind you about the aforementioned locking system.
Turning the watch over reveals an exhibition caseback that displays the movement powering the watch with a 72-hour power reserve. This is also where the year display is located, though you’ll note that the first two numerals “20” this is because the watch is accurate up to the year 2100 and will need an aterlier adjustment for the next century, at which point they can swap out those numerals for a “21”. While many collectors won’t get to see that happen, the generations born today are quite likely to, so it’s a touching heirloom.
Conspicuously absent from the exhibition caseback is any sign of the balance wheel. That’s because that’s the final component of the main dial display, located at 3 o’clock on a 30 degree incline. Which is designed to boose the isochronism without stretching to a full tourbillon. Though it does make the watch fairly sizable at 44.7mm x 14.75mm including crystal, with the case made from white gold.
As with all Greubel Forsey watches, production is extremely limited with only 22 pieces being produced. Interestingly they describe it as a limited edition rather than having a limited annual production like many of their watches. If you need to ask the price…
Price and Specs:
More details at Greubel Forsey.
