[F]Greubel Forsey Presents The Nano Foudroyante EWT

What better way to celebrate 20 years than with a small party? No, even a small party is too much for Greubel Forsey, the preeminent luxury watchmaker. That’s why the brand is hosting a nano party. This is big news because the Nano Hudroyante EWT is Greubel Forsey’s 10th “invention”. The main talking point of this watch is the Nano Fudroyante set inside a flying tourbillon with a directional reading axis. As a bonus, the hand-wound chronograph movement has a flyback feature and also has a column wheel for crisp, precise movement. The finish of the movement is also very beautiful, making it a pleasure to watch.

Forget about micromechanics. Nanomechanics is here. The Greubel Forsey Nano Fudroyante EWT is a watch that needs to be looked at differently because it was built differently. For example, the energy of the movement is managed on the nanojoule scale. why? That’s because GF had to drastically reduce the number of components to realize its ambitious plans. The technical aspects of the monumental Nano Fudroyante EWT are puzzling, but so is the watch’s beauty. The challenges the brand faced in creating the breakthrough movement it envisioned also resulted in a watch with an understated, somewhat paradoxical appearance and similar proportions. The case is precious white gold, and the bezel is made of solid tantalum, giving off a subtle shine but not too flashy. It’s also only 37.9 mm wide and 10.49 mm thick. Nevertheless, this is a monumental event, as it is the world’s first Nano Fudroyante watch and the first flying tourbillon in the brand’s history.

Greubel Forsey’s 10th fundamental invention is Nano-Fudroyante EWT

Before you get too excited, know that the Nano Fudroyante EWT is limited to 11 pieces and priced at CHF 465,000. All 11 watches are also already assigned. So relax and enjoy the idea of ​​this watch being essentially “just” another chronograph. But, of course, this is not because Greubel Forsey is determined to become ever more compact in its mechanical watchmaking. Is the brand inspired by the Ant-Man movies? Of course not, but digging deeper into the 428-part movement certainly gives you the idea of ​​slipping into the Nanoverse.

GF has gone beyond component miniaturization to the nanometer level. For the tenth innovation piece, it’s all about controlling energy on the nanojoule scale within a mechanical movement. Energy is the most precious thing within a watch movement. Therefore, it should be used with caution. The movement inside the Nano Foudroyante EWT is built to consume significantly less energy.

One of the tricks was to use fewer components. Yes, that’s right. Fewer components. As I wrote before, the caliber is made up of 428 parts. However, if it had been made traditionally, that number would have been much higher. Remember, this is a chronograph tourbillon movement with a hood royante operating independently of the chronograph mechanism.

like lightning

Foudroyante means “lightning bolt” in French, and that’s exactly how fast the hands at the top of the flying tourbillon move. The Fodroyante hands rotate once per second, dividing them into segments according to the movement’s 3Hz frequency. Each oscillation of the balance produces two beats, for a total of six beats per second, and the hands divide the second into six segments. This function, also known as ‘flying seconds’, normally consumes a lot of energy, but Greubel Forsey has redesigned and re-engineered it to manage energy on the nanojoule scale, making it an extremely energy-efficient mechanism. We realized this.

Nano Foudroyante operates on just 16 nJ (nanojoules) per jump, reducing energy consumption by a factor of 1,800. Traditional fudroyante consumes 30 μJ (microjoules) per jump. Because energy and size are closely related, GF reduced the volume of the mechanism by more than 90%. The Faudroyante is placed on top of the flying tourbillon and dispenses with the traditional gear train, drawing energy directly from the movement via a low-inertia wheel. It is also impressive that the Fodroyante is always running and its indicator is always positioned at 12 o’clock for optimal readability. This is eternal proof that a revolutionary vision has been materialized.

The smallest Greubel Forsey watch ever makes a big impact

Seeing the Nano Foudroyante EWT in action in the metal was one of the highlights of the 2024 Geneva Watch Days event (the other was the Greubel Forsey creations, but I can’t say anything yet) . The smallest GF watch ever made certainly left a big impression. And aside from the mesmerizing Fodroyante flying around on a spinning tourbillon, the watch’s details are very introverted. The finishing of the movement is of the highest quality, with a straight brushed white gold case with sharp bevels and a glossy polished finish on the front and rear tantalum bezels. And since we’re talking about finishes, the movement shows flat-surfaced bridges with hammered finishes and polished angles, while the chronograph mechanism shows black-polished steel components. I am. The gold chatons and gold gear train provide a rich contrast to the gray shine of the bridge and other steel components.

The relatively busy dial has a large opening that shows off the flying seconds, which moves 60 times faster than the tourbillon underneath, giving it a monochromatic, crisp, and clean look. The chronograph measures elapsed seconds with a centrally mounted hand and has a 60-minute counter at 9 o’clock. Another seconds display is also located between 7 and 8 o’clock.

hypothetical dilemma

As for the seconds display, it’s a bit strange to see a red triangle and display on the outside, on a watch with a tourbillon that also functions as a seconds display. If you specify Nomos Tangente 2date flak for showing the same feature twice, you should also mention it here. And I did. It’s also the only aspect of the watch that I don’t care about. The dial would have been even cleaner without the extra subdials.

If you were in the position of buying one of the 11 watches, would the double seconds display be a deal breaker? I can’t answer that right now. It takes a bit of effort to get into character, so to speak. That question can only be answered if you can fully understand what is going on in the minds of the most “spoiled” watch collectors. You can ask me later.

One thing I can say is that handling and wearing a watch is incredibly special. The pusher at 2 o’clock starts and stops the chronograph. The pusher inside the winding/setting crown is the reset/flyback pusher. Both pushers have a delicate mechanical feel. The diameter of the watch is small, but the proportions are a bit stocky, giving it a presence on the wrist. If that wasn’t enough, the sight of the tourbillon spinning the flying seconds hand is truly spectacular.

What do you think about Greubel Forsey’s 10th fundamental invention, the Nano Fudroyante EWT? Can you understand the engineering that went into this watch? Share your thoughts in the comments.