Unveiled during Baselworld 2016, Greubel Forsey’s Art Piece 2, Edition 1 is a tribute to the Double Tourbillon 30°, the first invention from Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, and is a subtle combination of artistic research and technological innovation.

The third watch in its Art Piece series, Art Piece 2, Edition 1 is dedicated to Greubel Forsey’s own uni­verse, and particularly to the Swiss watchmaker’s history. 

Housed in the case, an optical instrument allows the viewer to see a nano-engraved sketch of the Double Tourbillon 30º mechanism, Greubel Forsey’s first in­vention. This forms a subtle mise en abyme effect of the object within itself, given that the mechanism itself operates at the heart of this timepiece. This artwork was engraved by a secret process on a sapphire tablet. 

The first impression, is above all a showcase for the artistry that characterises this timepiece, in which the in­dication of time becomes of secondary importance and resembles a sort of conjuring trick. It is in fact necessary to activate a pusher that controls a bi-stable shutter mechanism in order to obtain an indi­cation of the hours and minutes. 

The first watch in the series, Art Piece 1 was launched in 2014. Co-created with Willard Wigan, it included a micro-sculpture by the British artist that could be viewed through a miniaturised “microscope”, the design of which required several years of research and development. 

This was followed by by a second watch called Art Piece 1 Tribute to Robert Filliu  as a tribute to the off -beat universe of the Franco-American artist, particularly noteworthy for its engraved maxim ‘Bien fait, mal fait, pas fait’ (Well done, badly done, not done).

Art Piece 2, Edition 1 will be produced in a strictly limited edition of just a few pieces per year and is priced at around $600,000.

In the UAE, Greubel Forsey timepieces are available at Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons stores.