Introduction: A Rare Reunion in Haute Horlogerie
Two of the most celebrated watches in recent memory stand side by side: the Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 and Hand Made 2. Crafted to demonstrate that nearly every component can be finished by hand, these timepieces are not merely products of extreme craftsmanship; they are declarations that the human touch can define the pinnacle of modern watchmaking. This article delves into how these two watches, though distinct in character, share a radical philosophy and a shared dedication to artisanal excellence.
The Mission That Underpins the Hand Made Series
Rooted in the Time Æon Foundation’s broader aim to safeguard traditional watchmaking skills, the Hand Made line extends a centuries-old craft into the 21st century. From the Naissance projects to contemporary masterpieces, Greubel Forsey and allied artisans have championed handmade techniques against industrial standardization. The Hand Made 1 (2019) and Hand Made 2 (2025) embody this lineage, proving that a watch constructed almost entirely by hand can rival, and even surpass, machine-made benchmarks in precision and beauty.
The Hand Made 1: A Tourbillon as Mechanical Poetry
The Hand Made 1 presents a restrained silhouette: an 18k white gold case, 43.5 mm in diameter and 13.5 mm thick, exuding quiet classical elegance. Its core claim is audacious: roughly 95% of the timepiece is handcrafted using traditional tools. From conception to completion, each watch demands around 6,000 hours of work, with only a few produced annually. The tourbillon at six o’clock is not just a spectacle but a narrative of precision: its carriage weighs merely 0.52 grams and consists of 69 components, all finished by hand. A balance wheel shaped on a jig borer maintains precision in the face of manual imperfections, while the hand-rolled, hand-flattened, and hand-coiled balance spring harks back to a near-extinct craft.
Every one of the 308 movement parts, selected with care from over 800 fabricated pieces, tells a story of human effort. Even the smallest screws—a total of 83 in 24 variations—undergo up to eight hours of hand finishing across up to twelve operations. The result is a movement whose wheels are cut tooth by tooth and beveled by hand, with interior angles so sharp they must be seen at magnification to be believed. The baseplate features a unique gratté finish, a shimmering brushstroke pattern achieved through a painstaking sequence of polished and scraped steps that can take 70–80 hours per plate.
Decorative mastery meets technical marvel in the Hand Made 1. German silver bridges gleam with mirror-polished anglage, and the tourbillon cock is rounded, beveled, and darkened to a cathedral-black polish after hours of work. This is haute horlogerie as sculpture—an ode to the human hand on every facet.
The Hand Made 2: Subtlety, Enamel, and Architectural Brilliance
With a more intimate footprint—40.9 mm in diameter and 12.8 mm thick—the Hand Made 2 emphasizes the quiet, architectural beauty of handmade finishing. It forgoes the tourbillon for a focused trio of indications: hours, minutes, small seconds, and a power reserve. Yet the 96% handmade construction remains a tour de force, with 270 components crafted, finished, and assembled by a small, dedicated team. A conical jewel for the power-reserve mechanism, cut by hand, adds a refined flourish to the mechanism’s functional elegance.
The aesthetic shifts to frosted German silver bridges and Grand Feu enamel sub-dials, which glow with depth under natural light. Bluest steel hands sweep across the enamel dials, with red rubies in gold chatons and gold wheels that provide striking highlights against the restrained backdrop. Every surface is treated with care: bridges exhibit broad anglage, cocks are rounded and polished, and even the steel components receive deep black polishing that recalls polished jet ink. The result is a watch whose architecture is visible from every angle, blending quiet grandeur with extraordinary craftsmanship.
Performance and Rarity
The Hand Made 1 features a manually wound movement ticking at 21,600 vph and delivering a 60-hour power reserve, while the Hand Made 2 extends to a 72-hour reserve and 21,600 vph as well. Production remains intentionally limited—only two to three pieces per year for each model—ensuring that ownership remains as exclusive as the craft itself. The two watches, while sharing a devotion to the human touch, diverge in expression: the Hand Made 1 is dramatic and tourbillon-centered, whereas the Hand Made 2 conveys restraint, elegance, and enamel-driven depth.
Conclusion: The Enduring Case for Handcrafted Perfection
Together, the Hand Made 1 and Hand Made 2 stand as twin embodiments of Greubel Forsey’s radical belief: that an almost entirely hand-made watch can achieve the highest levels of precision and beauty in an era of automation. One presents a bold, kinetic statement through the tourbillon; the other whispers through enamel, frosted bridges, and architectural balance. Both argue that the human hand, guided by patience and discipline, remains the ultimate instrument of horological perfection.
