GREUBEL FORSEY – Double Balancier Convexe Carbon Edition

GREUBEL FORSEY – CONVEXE Double Balancier Convexe Carbon 42.5 mm Limited Edition 2023

Greubel Forsey provokes a sensation unveiling its very first carbon creation. For the occasion, the Double Balancier Convexe takes on new dimensions with a smaller diameter of 42.5mm. This totally unexpected timepiece shares the Atelier’s boldness combining structural complexity with the style of a highly technical material.

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Greubel Forsey delivers a new generation of carbon timepieces. The material becomes part of the Atelier's collections, offering collectors enhanced lightness and resistance.

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Recognised and appreciated by collectors, the Convexe case fully benefits from this design choice. On the case back, its form perfectly meets the curve of the wrist. On the dial, a three-dimensional, curved profile allows the movement to fully express itself. Since carbon fibres are never combined twice in the same way, the design of each piece will also be unique, reinforcing the exclusivity of the timepiece.

Pressing carbon to its limits

It was no mean feat to produce the convexe carbon case. The carbon case, as developed by Greubel Forsey, requires pressure 8 times greater than average (16 tonnes applied to a convexe case, compared to an industry standard 2 tonnes). 

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This mechanical effort makes it possible to obtain a much denser carbon for an almost identical weight, to be enjoyed by the collector.

Style at the service of performance

For Greubel Forsey, this specific technique opens up the possibility of executing fine watchmaking finishing by hand that affirm the Atelier’s identity and status. This is how you'll come to find finishes, from satin to matt and relief engraving on the Double Balancier Convexe, all complementing the natural work of the carbon fibres that Greubel Forsey has taken care to match with the converging lines on the convexe case. 

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This is carbon deployed at its best, both flexible and solid, with fibres between 1 and 5 microns thick, perfectly defined and mastered.

One case, two versions

The timepiece has a considerably more modern feel, perfectly in line with the direction of the signature brand. This is also the reasoning behind the reduced diameter of 42.5mm on the Double Balancier Convexe.

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Greubel Forsey demonstrates the power of these new carbon timepieces from the outset by offering its collectors two versions with strong assertive character. The first features a dominant iridescent green finish, with numerous rich blue hues to the main bridge incorporating the power reserve display, as well as the mainplate and the hour ring. This is complemented by a rubber strap in the same tone, creating a fresh feel and reinforcing the signature brand’s contemporary commitment.

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The second version brings black to the fore, asserting the timepiece's elegant simplicity. The carbon fibre weaves a homogeneous, decidedly contemporary configuration. By contrast, the salient feature that stands out most is the hand-finished movement, with its mirror polishing, sharp internal angles, straight and circular-grained surfaces, and curved hands with luminescent tips. In both the green and black versions, the Double Balancier’s calibre exudes technicality and precision.

The majestic Double Balancier

A truly unique expression of this sixth Fundamental Invention, while the invention itself has never stopped evolving. Its prototype mechanism was patented in 2007. It was first proposed as part of an EWT (Experimental Watch Technology) project, in which the two regulating organs were superimposed and inclined at 20°. A second calibre of just six timepieces followed close behind, with the two regulating organs positioned on three-dimensional planes and inclined, this time at 35°.

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In 2016, Greubel Forsey presented the invention in its current form: the two balance wheels are arranged side by side, inclined at 30°, and linked by a constant spherical differential visible between 6 and 7 o'clock. In each 4-minute period, it halves the margin of error and meets the performance, precision and reliability requirements that Greubel Forsey sets for all its timepieces.

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In this unprecedented compact version with a diameter of 42.5mm, only 22 pieces will be produced in each variation of the Double Balancier Convexe carbon, with the first available from August 2023.

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 TECHNICAL DETAILS

Double Balancier Convexe Carbon Limited edition

Hand-wound movement with 2 patents
Double Balancier • hours and minutes • small seconds •
4-minutes spherical constant differential rotation • power-reserve

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Movement
Movement dimensions
• Overall diameter: 37.70 mm
• Thickness: 9.46 mm
Number of parts
• Movement: 371 parts
• Escapement platform: 2 x 70 parts
• Spherical constant differential: 30 parts
Number of jewels
• 50
• Olived-domed jewels in gold chatons
Chronometric power reserve • 72 hours
Barrels
• 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
• Relief-engraved text, circular-grained, green or black treatment, polished chamfer
Balance wheel
• Variable-inertia with gold mean-time screws (10mm diameter)
Frequency • 21’600 vibrations/hour
Balance springs
• Phillips terminal curve
• Geneva-style stud
• Anti-shock system with gold pin
Bridges and main plates
• Titanium
• Frosted, polished bevelling and countersinks, green or black treatment according to the version
• Multi-level, openworked centre bridge, polished bevelling and countersinks
Movement side
• Flat black polished steel differential bridge
• Gold plate with engraved limitation number, circular-
grained, polished bevelling and countersinks, straight- grained flanks
Escapement platforms
• Inclined at a 30° angle
• Steel, straight graining, hand-polished bevelling and countersinks
• Polished steel pillars
• Openworked steel balance wheel bridges, hand-polished bevelling and countersinks, flat black polished
Gearing
• Involute circle profile
• Inclined gear with profiled teeth on fourth wheel
Displays
• Hours and minutes
• Small seconds
• 4-minutes spherical constant differential rotation
• Power reserve on a sector

Exterior

 Case
• Carbon and titanium with curved synthetic sapphire crystal
• Three-dimensional, variable geometry-shaped bezel, hand-finished
• Profiled lugs, screwed fixing
• Transparent back with curved synthetic sapphire crystal
• Titanium security screws
• Raised engraving “Double Balancier” and “Greubel Forsey”
Case dimensions
• Caseband diameter: 42.50 mm
• Bezel diameter: 44.40 mm
• Case height: 13.75mm
• Height on synthetic sapphire crystals: 14.35 mm
Water resistance of the case
• Water-resistant 5 atm - 50 m - 164 ft (standard NIHS 92-20/SN ISO 22810:2010)
Crown • Carbon, hand-finished with GF logo
Dial side
• Three-dimensional, variable geometry hour-ring with engraved and lacquered minute-circle
• Three-dimensional, variable geometry hour indexes, polished, with Super-Luminova
• Power-reserve indicator, engraved and lacquered
• Differential rotation and small seconds indicators in gold
Hands
• Hours and minutes, curved profile, polished steel with Super-Luminova
• Power-reserve, 4-minutes and small seconds in polished steel, blued according to the version, flat
black polished head
Strap and clasp
• Non-animal material, rubber with texture in relief, titanium and carbon folding clasp, engraved GF

🔰 Limitation 
Limited Edition of 22 pieces.

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Press Release - 2023
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GREUBEL FORSEY SA
For further information: 
Communication Department 
press@greubelforsey.com – +41 79 194 2884
Eplatures-Grise -16 P.O. Box 670 
2301 La Chaux-de-Fonds - Switzerland
+41 32 925-4545
+41 32 925-4502
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ALPINA – HERITAGE Carrée Mechanical 140 Years Edition

ALPINA – HERITAGE Carrée Mechanical 140 Years Anniversary Limited Edition 2023

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Alpina celebrates its 140th anniversary with two historic mini-series

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Founded in 1883, Alpina turns 140 in 2023, and in honour of the occasion, the Swiss watchmakers are unveiling a timepiece that revives their illustrious heritage. This isn’t some re-edition or a piece inspired by a predecessor: it really is the original, made in 1938. Alpina has unearthed two 14-piece series of the authentic Calibre 490, released exactly 85 years ago; only a very few of these are still in existence. 

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The fully-restored movements, dubbed Heritage Carrée Mechanical 140 Years, have been housed in a rectangular silver case in tribute to an outstanding wristwatch in Alpina’s history. One series features a black dial, the other a silvered dial. The feeling when you behold a perfectly-finished, rectangular-shaped movement with a sedate frequency (2,5 Hz), already fitted out with early levels of protection against water and dust, is indescribable. These are two highly limited editions, produced for History.

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“If you don't know where you've come from, you don't know where you're going” is a saying that applies to most art forms – and all the more so in watchmaking, where progress has involved a process of accretion over a period of 250 years that continues to inform the watches we wear today.

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In its 140^th anniversary year, Alpina has thus sought to provide a reminder of the contribution made by its Calibre 490 movement to contemporary watchmaking. It represents something of a crossroads: a shape and top-level finishing typical of the refined elegance befitting distinguished watches, intersecting with a number of innovations bearing witness to Alpina’s concomitant desire to launch into the world of sturdy and robust watches designed by the firm today. In sum, it’s a rare and valuable calibre, unveiled at a key moment in Alpina’s history.

A highly accomplished movement

Back in 1938, the Calibre 490 already embodied Alpina’s emerging vision. It features a patented crown incorporating protection against dust – an key milestone, already making the case airtight and a first step on the way to the watertight case that would later become standard.

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The movement, protected by Swiss registered patent no. 158882, is characterised by a simple, robust construction but no less perfectly finished for that: all of its components are bevelled, and the ratchet is sun-brushed. It’s also worth noting that this is a genuine in-house calibre, designed, assembled and finished by one of the firms in the Union Horlogère,  

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Alpina’s original entity – a particularity seldom seen in the 1930s when generic ébauches (movement-blanks) were the market norm and manufacture movements the exception. Only a few period examples of this historic calibre have survived; Alpina has found and restored a small number of them to mark its 140th anniversary celebrations.

An avant-garde construction

This exceptionally rare witness to Alpina’s golden age is thus making a comeback in its original form in 2023. It’s a shaped movement in the finest watchmaking tradition, according to which the movement should reign supreme, dictating the shape of the case rather than the other way around.

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Hand-wound like almost all calibres of its day, it comprises 17 jewels and oscillates at 18,000 vibrations per hour (2,5 Hz), the standard frequency for Thirties timepieces. Its 42-hour power reserve is notably capacious for its time; another distinctive feature is the slender anchor design required to fit within the rectangular layout of the Calibre 490.

A highly robust case

Back in the day, the case was made from steel or gold depending on the model. One steel case was itself protected by a patent (No. 207378) and described as being ‘stainless’, offering further evidence of Alpina’s obsession with making its timepieces resistant to wear and tear.

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The few such cases that have survived are equipped with a number of components designed to maintain two seals under pressure to achieve some degree of watertightness. Several firms went on to draw inspiration from the patent in question in pursuit of the same goal.

Clad in silver

Today, Alpina has designed a new bespoke case to house its Calibre 490, naming the new model after it: Heritage Carrée Mechanical 140 Years. Made from mirror polished silver, it measures 29.5 x 35.7mm. 

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With a thickness of just 9.71 millimetres, it features an anti-glare sapphire crystal on both front and rear, through which the venerable beauty of the period Calibre 490 can be admired. The timepiece comes on a light brown ostrich leather strap, with vintage white stitching and pin buckle.

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Two variations of the piece are available, each in a limited edition of 14. Both feature Alpina’s period logo, two slim central hands and the small seconds hand display at 6 o’clock so typical of the 1930s. A ‘railtrack’ minute circle, also typical of the period, runs around the dial. 

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On one version the dial is black with solid Arabic numerals, accompanied by beige hands and a circular small seconds hand display. The other version sports a silvered dial, black hands and the squarer outline Arabic numerals favoured in the Roaring Twenties, along with a square small seconds hand display.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Model:  HERITAGE Carrée Mechanical 140 Years Edition 

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Reference AL-490BA3C10 - Black dial
Reference  AL-490SA3C10  - Silver dial

Movement
AL-490 caliber, hand-winding  

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42-hour power reserve, 18’000 alt/h, 17 jewels
Functions
Hours, minutes, small seconds 
Case
Polished silver 2-part case
Dimensions of 29.50 x 35.70 mm
Height of 9,71 mm
Anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal
Water-resistant up to 3 ATM/30m/100ft
Engraved and see-through screwed case back
Dial

Black dial with matt finishing

Beige printed Arabic numerals and beige graduation
Beige hour and minute hands

Silver dial with matt finishing

Black printed Arabic numerals and black graduation
Black hour and minute hands
Small second counter at 6 o’clock with beige hand
Strap
Light brown Ostrich leather strap with off-white stitching
Pin buckle

🔰Limited edition  to 14 pieces

🔴 Price :  € 4,995 EUR 💰

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Press release - 2022
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For more information on our watches, please visit our website or feel free to contact us directly. 

You can email Mrs. Camille Merré, PR Manager, at cmerre@alpina-watches.com

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