Greubel Forsey’s GMT watches have always treated world time as something sculptural rather than merely practical.
The latest GMT Balancier Convexe keeps that theatre intact, but it arrives in a slightly more wearable titanium case with a vivid blue dial architecture and a new power reserve display worked into an already complex layout.
It’s still a large, assertive piece of independent watchmaking, yet the refinements show a brand paying close attention to how such an ambitious watch actually lives on the wrist.
At a glance
- Greubel Forsey has introduced a blue GMT Balancier Convexe with a smaller titanium case and revised ergonomics.
- The watch combines a 24-hour rotating globe, a 30-degree inclined balance wheel and a new 72-hour power reserve indicator.
- Production is limited to 22 pieces, with pricing set at CHF 380,000.
A more compact Convexe case
The case remains unmistakably Greubel Forsey, with the Convexe profile giving the watch its curved, architectural stance.
For this edition, the titanium caseband diameter has been reduced from 43.5mm to 42.9mm, while the bezel diameter moves from 46.5mm to 44.9mm.
Those numbers won’t make it a small watch, especially with a thickness of 15.1mm and 17.6mm including the domed sapphire crystals.
The point is refinement rather than miniaturisation.
The curved profile, lugless construction and reduced bezel overhang help the watch sit closer and flatter than its technical presence might suggest.
Greubel Forsey also reworked internal elements, including the seals, to make room for the added power reserve mechanism while trimming the external dimensions.
The trade-off is water resistance, now rated to 50 metres.
The finishing remains central to the appeal, with hand-polished and straight-grained titanium surfaces playing against the sweeping bezel and domed crystal.
A titanium crown with blue rubber grips continues the colour story, while the engraved rectangular pusher on the case advances the GMT indication in one-hour steps and turns the globe in parallel.
The globe takes centre stage
The dial is built around a rotating titanium terrestrial globe, complete with relief-engraved continents and blue oceans.
It completes one full rotation every 24 hours, offering an intuitive reading of time across the planet, with day and night shown around the globe’s 24-hour scale.
The deep, amphitheatre-like construction is part of the visual drama.
Frosted ocean-blue bridges surround the globe, diffusing light across the dial while keeping the three-dimensional architecture legible.
The local time is indicated by red arrow-tipped hands with luminescent inserts, while the second time zone is shown on a gold GMT counter at 9 o’clock using a solid red arrow-shaped hand.
A gold small seconds display sits at 5 o’clock, read by a blued steel hand.
On the caseback, universal time can be read through 24 engraved reference cities aligned to a 24-hour scale, with an inner ring for daylight saving time.
It’s a practical layer hidden behind a highly theatrical front display, which feels exactly in keeping with Greubel Forsey’s approach to complication design.
An inclined balance and a new power reserve display
Instead of the tourbillon used in earlier Greubel Forsey GMT creations, this watch uses the brand’s inclined balance architecture.
The balance wheel sits across the lower dial area at a 30-degree angle, spanning from roughly 6 to 8 o’clock and appearing almost suspended above the movement.
It beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour, or 3Hz, and is held by a mirror-polished steel bridge.
The balance itself is a substantial 12.6mm component made from 59 parts, with the inclination designed to improve chronometric performance.
The newest functional addition is the power reserve indicator, positioned in the upper-left area beside the globe.
Its elongated hand points to a 72-hour scale, adding useful information without overwhelming the already dense dial composition.
That display adds 73 components to the construction, which makes the reduction in case size more notable rather than merely cosmetic.
The manually wound movement comprises 496 parts and 72 jewels, with two series-coupled fast-rotating barrels delivering the 72-hour reserve.
Mirror-polished internal titanium flange walls help bring more light into the dial, a small but important detail on a watch where depth and shadow are part of the experience.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Greubel Forsey |
|---|---|
| Model | GMT Balancier Convexe |
| Case size | 42.9mm caseband diameter, 44.9mm bezel diameter |
| Thickness | 15.1mm, or 17.6mm including sapphire crystals |
| Case material | Titanium |
| Crystal | Domed synthetic sapphire crystals |
| Water resistance | 50 metres |
| Dial | Ocean-blue frosted bridges with rotating titanium terrestrial globe and relief-engraved continents |
| Movement | Patented manual-winding movement |
| Movement dimensions | 37.8mm x 13.8mm |
| Components | 496 parts, 72 jewels |
| Frequency | 21,600vph, or 3Hz |
| Power reserve | 72 hours |
| Regulating organ | In-house variable inertia balance wheel inclined at 30 degrees |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, small seconds, GMT counter, rotating globe world-time display, day and night indication, power reserve, universal time on caseback with 24 time zones and daylight saving time indication |
| Strap | Blue textured rubber strap with titanium folding clasp |
| Optional bracelet | Titanium bracelet available on request |
| Limited edition | 22 pieces |
| Price | CHF 380,000 |
The blue GMT Balancier Convexe is aimed squarely at collectors who want Greubel Forsey’s mechanical theatre with a little more thought given to ergonomics.
It hasn’t become discreet, and it shouldn’t, but the smaller case, added power reserve and stronger dial contrast make this one of the more considered evolutions of the brand’s globe-driven GMT language.
