What We Know
Greubel Forsey seems to be in the middle of a brand revamp. Last year, they bid farewell to the collector-loved Balancier Contemporain. Then co-founder Stephen Forsey stepped down from the board of the brand that still carries his name. Many of the changes were covered in Andy Hoffman’s interview with CEO Michel Nydegger, who has been overseeing a shift back toward small-batch, high-priced models (after a brief attempt to lower average prices) with a focus on wearability. And today, as yet another end of an era, the brand is saying goodbye to the Balancier Convexe S² (introduced in 2021), with two limited editions of 11 pieces in 11 white ceramic or black ceramic with rose gold bezel and caseback flange.
While the Balancier Contemporain featured a large front balance like the Balancier Convexe S², it had a slightly more traditional design and case. The Balancier Convexe S² has a curved, variable-geometry case and crystal, hugging the wrist with a 41.5mm caseband, a 44mm bezel width, and a 13.25mm thickness (14.8mm including the height of the synthetic sapphire crystal). The brand has placed most of the visible gearing on the front, with hours and minutes on a suspended arch bridge and a 30° inclined Greubel Forsey balance wheel system. It only has 30m of water resistance, so despite its sporty design, you still need to treat it like the complex watchmaking it is.
The curved case wears really well (from prior experience with the model) and has the sportiness of a brand like Richard Mille, but you get finishing quality and technicality (plus the case material technology) that far surpasses RM at the price. The movement dial side has a multi-level, openworked suspended-arch bridge, straight-grained and polished, polished bevelling and countersinks, with olived-domed jewels in gold chatons throughout the movement.
The movement side is a bit more reserved, but has a gold plate with engraved limitation number, circular-grained, polished beveling and countersinks, and straight-grained flanks. The movement runs at 21,600 vph and has two coaxial, series-coupled, fast-rotating barrels (1 turn in 3.2 hours), one of which is equipped with a slipping spring to avoid excess tension, and provides 72 hours of power reserve.
These models (again, limited to 11 pieces each) aren’t affordable, but they also don’t have finishing that implies anything but a high-quality example of sporty high-horology. The price is as expected for a watch like this: CHF 295,000.
What We Think
Greubel Forsey is a brand that I have been curious about for a while, and I’m glad to have been able to cover it more frequently over the last few years. The brand was once described to me as Richard Mille, but with a focus on finishing and traditional horology. I think that still holds true, but while Greubel Forsey has often leaned on escapement and balance work (plus their Handmade series), they’ve been adding more complications to the lineup beyond their oversized GMT.
The Balancier Convexe S2, while simpler, is hard to beat for what it is. The complex geometry of the case, dial, and hands shows an attention to detail that’s enhanced by the amazing finishing. When you look at the RM17-01 (which has a tourbillon) and retailed at over $500,000 when it launched in carbon in 2019, you can see that the GF more than matches its quality at a more reasonable (yet still impressively high) price.
The Basics
Brand: Greubel Forsey
Model: Balancier Convexe S²
Diameter: 41.5mm (caseband); 44mm bezel width
Thickness: 13.25mm (case); 14.8mm (height on synthetic sapphire crystals)
Case Material: White ceramic with curved synthetic sapphire crystal; black ceramic and 18k 5N red gold with curved synthetic
sapphire crystal
Dial Color: Titanium bridges and mainplate with black or white treatment matching the case
Indexes: Applied
Lume: Variable geometry hour indexes, polished, with Super-Luminova
Water Resistance: 30m
Strap/Bracelet: Hand-sewn textured rubber or rubber with text in relief, titanium folding clasp, engraved GF logo
The Movement
Caliber: Balancier Convexe S2
Functions: Hours and minutes, small seconds, power reserve, 30° inclined Greubel Forsey balance wheel system
Diameter: 37mm
Thickness: 10.05mm
Power Reserve: 72 hours
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 21’600 vibrations/hour
Jewels: 43 olived-domed jewels in gold chatons
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Frosted, polished bevelling and countersinks, black treatment; Multi-level, openworked suspended-arch bridge, black treatment, straight-grained and polished, polished bevelling and countersinks
Pricing & Availability
Price: CHF 295,000
Availability: Now through retailers
Limited Edition: 11 pieces in each material
For more, click here.
Mark Kauzlarich
2026-03-23 15:00:00