Introduction: A Rare Reunion of Two Masterpieces
It isn’t often that collectors and enthusiasts witness two of the most exquisite watches of recent years presented side by side. The Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 and Hand Made 2 are not merely exceptional timepieces; they are living demonstrations of a philosophy: that in the 21st century, a watch built almost entirely by hand can redefine haute horlogerie. This article revisits their origins, their extraordinary craft, and what their juxtaposition reveals about modern watchmaking.
Origins: A Mission to Preserve Traditional Craft
Greubel Forsey’s Hand Made line sits within a broader movement sparked by the Time Æon Foundation, founded by Robert Greubel, Stephen Forsey, and Philippe Dufour. The goal was to safeguard traditional skills threatened by industrialization and to pass them along to future generations. The Naissance d’une Montre projects demonstrated that handwork could yield modern, technically ambitious watches, from the tourbillon-dominated Montre École to the inverted movement with constant-force regulation in Naissance d’une Montre 2. The Hand Made 1 (2019) and Hand Made 2 (2025) extend this lineage, proving that artisanal methods can meet contemporary tolerances and complexity head-on.
The Hand Made 1: A Tourbillon as Technic and Art
The Hand Made 1 presents a quiet exterior that belies its radical interior. Measuring 43.5mm in diameter and 13.5mm thick, its 18k white gold case wears a traditional silhouette with enamelled chapter rings and flame-blued hands. Yet behind this restraint lies a project where approximately 6,000 hours of work yield a movement rebuilt almost entirely by hand. Only two or three pieces are produced each year, underscoring its rarity.
Key technical feats include a six o’clock tourbillon with a carriage of 69 components weighing 0.52 grams, crafted without modern machinery. The balance wheel is shaped on a jig borer, the balance spring is hand-rolled and coiled, and the escape wheel is cut tooth-by-tooth with four polished faces per tooth. The movement comprises 308 components, selected among more than 800 fabricated parts. Even the finest edges—sapphire crystals, case gaskets, mainspring—remain hand-finished when possible. Among the most storied details is the gratté finish on the baseplate, achieved through 70–80 hours of alternating flat polishing, abrasive paste work, and manual scraping. This is the most time-consuming aspect of the watch, and it makes the Hand Made 1 a singular artifact of human precision.
The result is not just a timekeeper but a statement: human touch, meticulous craft, and patient correction can rival, and perhaps surpass, machine-driven perfection. The aesthetic remains classical, but the technical execution is a manifesto of artisanal endurance.
The Hand Made 2: Refined Simplicity with Enamel and Frosted Bridges
In contrast, the Hand Made 2 is a study in refined restraint. At 40.9mm with a 12.8mm thickness, it omits the tourbillon for a more compact, intimate presence while delivering hours, minutes, small seconds, and a power reserve. The majority of its 270 components are still handmade—96%—with every screw individually turned and polished and even the balance spring rolled and coiled by hand. A conical jewel for the power reserve mechanism is shaped by hand, a small flourish that elevates functional components to objects of craftsmanship on par with sculpture.
Visually, the Hand Made 2 emphasizes a different beauty: frosted German silver bridges, Grand Feu enamel sub-dials, blued steel hands, and carefully chosen gold chatons, accents of ruby red jewels, and black-polished screws. The result is an architecture of movement that feels almost architectural in its quiet, balanced composition. Finishing is exhaustive: broad anglage, frosted surfaces, and mirror-bright countersinks are found throughout, with even the smallest steel parts treated to a depth of polish that evokes ink in a pool. Though not a tourbillon, the Hand Made 2 is equally demanding in its production, with around 5,000 hours of manual work per watch.
Both watches share a philosophy: they demonstrate that high precision and extraordinary beauty can emerge from patient, hands-on labor. The Hand Made 2’s more restrained aesthetic carries each component into the foreground, inviting the eye to follow the artisanal journey from wheel to jewel and back again.
A Shared Ethos: The Hand Made Line’s Place in 21st-Century Horology
Together, the Hand Made 1 and Hand Made 2 stand as kindred spirits in Greubel Forsey’s ongoing mission: to reject automated production in favor of the artisan’s intimate touch. The Hand Made 1 is grand and kinetic, with a central tourbillon that commands attention; the Hand Made 2 is more subdued, inviting a closer, almost reverent inspection of its enamel dials and frosted bridges. Both insist that perfection is not solely the product of machines but of patient human hands, skillfully guided by tradition and refined by decades of collective experience.
Final Thoughts: A Rare Glimpse into the Pinnacle of Haute Horlogerie
For collectors and connoisseurs, the Hand Made 1 and Hand Made 2 are not simply watches; they are cultural artifacts of modern horology. They reveal that the deepest mastery of technique and aesthetics can coexist with time-honored methods, even in a world accustomed to automation. If you seek a tangible reminder that human craftsmanship remains the apex of watchmaking, these two timepieces offer a compelling, resonant testimony.
