Signature 1, Piece Unique, Steel

The Greubel Forsey Signature 1 represents a distinctive chapter in the story of one of Switzerland’s most revered independent watchmakers. Greubel Forsey was founded in 2004 by Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, two master watchmakers celebrated for pushing the boundaries of precision with highly technical tourbillon-based movements. However, the Signature 1 is notable for being the first timepiece from the brand created without a tourbillon, instead focusing on what Greubel Forsey describes as horological essentials executed flawlessly. It was also the first Greubel Forsey made in steel. The watch was imagined, developed, and overseen by Didier J.G. Cretin, a long-time senior watchmaker of the Greubel Forsey team whose name appears on both the dial and movement—a rarity that underscores the personal imprint of the craftsman behind it. This configuration is unique to this example, made in steel but with a black gold dial, frosted black mainplate, and blued screws—elements usually only seen on precious metal examples. This is the only Signature 1 of its kind. 

The journey from concept to finished wristwatch was anything but quick. Development took around six years, an unusually long timeline for a ‘simple’ time-only watch, driven by the creation of an in-house proprietary architecture, unique 12.6mm balance wheel, and balance spring, optimized for precision in lieu of the brand’s usual complications. Calibre GFS1 resulted. 

The bridge architecture was inspired by vintage pocket watches, with smooth frosted finishes and perfectly sharp angles resolved in countless places. Screw heads are beveled on the inner channel. Its gear teeth are beveled, jewels set in gold chatons. Interestingly, the mainspring click is integrated into the tripod-bridge lower side. Black polished finger bridges have perfect execution, there simply is nothing like it. At 41.4mm, the Signature 1 is not slender by traditional standards but slender by Greubel Forsey standards (11mm thin). The case is carefully finished, with sating tops and sides offset by a perfectly mirrored bevel.  

The dial-side impression is equally dramatic with innumerable details. The bridge between the dial and main plate sports immensely wide and flat striping terminating in a miraculously wide curving bevel. The dial is solid gold, with true engraved, oven-fired enamel markers, then diamond-finished. Its petite seconds is floating above, a design note from Cretin, who wanted ‘some mystery as to how small seconds attached to the movement.’ At time of debut in 2016, this was the most expensive time-only (non-gem set) watch that had ever been made, priced at 150,000 CHF in steel, which set it considerably above RWS, Dufour, and the PLM Richard Lange. 

The Signature 1 was Greubel Forsey’s utmost watchmaking paired back to its most elemental form. This distilled watchmaking only revealed Greubel Forsey’s strengths further, to the extent that the philosophy continued in both the Balancier Contemporain and Handmade series. Greubel Forsey’s Signature 1 represents a pure and focused philosophy, seen through the lens of one of the most capable and technically-superior independent watchmakers of contemporary times.  

This Signature 1 presents in exceptional overall condition. It bears only extremely light signs of any surface wear. It comes with its full set and all original accessories.

This example is modelled on an average-sized 7-inch wrist.