Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diamond Pave Dial Men's Watch AP26067ORZZD002CR01

WORLDTEMPUS - 1 February 2012

Monday morning at the SIHH is always a time of excitement and anticipation. Passing through security and walking the corridors that lead up to the exhibiting halls, one's glance has fallen first on two quasi-independent watchmaking brands whose booths are placed right across from each other for the past two editions. Greubel Forsey and Richard Mille are among the most recent and youngest manufactures to exhibit at the SIHH organization, whose annual event is mainly populated by heavyweight watchmaking brands under the umbrella of the Richemont group. So it comes as no surprise that these two watchmakers are characterized as independents, a label that is further emphasized by the much smaller size of their organizations when compared to others exhibiting at the Palexpo.
 

And there is also that unconscious and innocent wish cherished by so many that the smaller and weaker will outperform the bigger and more resourceful - or at least equal them by the power of their determination and inventiveness. The remarkable "performances" staged this year by Richard Mille and Greubel Forsey can't exclusively by attributed to their lighter and smaller corporate structure or to the fact that their recent establishment does not oblige them to bow to a heavy centuries-old heritage. Their success originates from a simple, yet powerful creative idea where the boundaries of traditional watchmaking are expanded to give birth to a new and fertile ground in which to work. It is here that the magic happens.
 

Three by Greubel Forsey
The most visually stunning piece among the three new products exhibited by Greubel Forsey had already been unveiled to the press in the first days of November. All there was left to do was to confirm in person the b and positive impressions the images had already suggested, and after a few minutes with it on my wrist I can say that the GMT is everything it promised, both technically and aesthetically. At first, the unusual presence of the realistic three-dimensional sphere representing the earth draws all attention to its size and details. Only after having fully absorbed its presence and significance in relation to the rest of the watch, do our eyes amble toward the recognizable 25-degree-inclined 24 second tourbillon. From there features like the GMT display, the multi-function pusher and the power reserve indicator lead us to the back of the watch where the 24-hour time zone world time indicator takes center stage. As Stephen Forsey puts it, "The piece has a very fresh and different approach to the whole question of time zones."
 

The second new product presented was the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain, a unique edition of 33 pieces in platinum powered by Caliber GF01c. This is a visually striking piece due to the royal blue treatment of the titanium plates and bridges and the three-dimensionality of the structure highlighted by the synthetic sapphire crystal tourbillon bridge. The third new piece was the Quadruple Tourbillon Secret that follows a growing trend of understatement on complicated timepieces where it is preferable to hide the main mechanical focus of attention under the apparent simplicity of a dial. Following this philosophy, the new GF03j caliber transforms the original structure of the Invention Piece II movement by opting for an uncut dial and an open structure on the back, totally renewing the cages of the quadruple tourbillons in the process.
 

Along with the most recent EWT (Experimental Watch Technology) project being developed for a perpetual calendar that can easily be adjusted both forward and backward without the need for any further settings, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey presented a set of remarkable creations. Pieces bursting with technology, horological know-how and ideas that very clearly evolved over a lifetime of work and dedication to watchmaking. Exhibiting all this under the umbrella of the SIHH has unquestionably potentiated the duo's path to success.

Four years for Richard Mille
The first aspect that strikes me when I viewed the new products by Richard Mille at SIHH was definitely the quantity and the level of innovation of the new pieces. Six new creations, each more stunning than the next, starting with the new RM037 and its debuting CRMA1 automatic caliber, followed by the incredible RM056 Felipe Massa tourbillon split-seconds chronograph with a case completely made of transparent sapphire crystal (also available as RM050 with a carbon nanotube case), the daring RM052 Skull, the RM053 Pablo Mac Donough tourbillon, and ending with the RM057 Dragon Jackie-Chan tourbillon. Few, if any brands exhibiting at this year's SIHH, presented such a concentrated dose of high watchmaking virtuosity per piece as Richard Mille.
 

If one considers the sheer joy with which Mille himself describes the new pieces and talks about his work, everything makes sense and falls into place. The 2012 collection is, after all, the result of a decade-long evolution that was boosted by the brand's presence at the SIHH over the last four years. "The brand's entry at the SIHH in 2009 was undoubtedly an important step," says Mille. "Let us remember that the brand had not yet entered its tenth year of existence even if in 2007 we had already joined the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, organizers of the fair. We were particularly happy when they invited us to join the SIHH. Our privileged relationship with Audemars Piguet was also a catalyst to our entrance to the SIHH. This very prestigious show is a major event for professionals of watchmaking and every year welcomes a large number of international media. The contacts at the SIHH and the results are such that we cannot imagine a better opportunity to present our novelties. It is also necessary to thank the remarkable work provided by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, which is totally thorough in all aspects."