Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Greubel Forsey · Hand Made 1
Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 40 mm Blue 18k
Reference 21968OR.38
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Greubel Forsey
- Collection
- Hand Made 1
- Model
- Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 40 mm Blue 18k
- Reference number
- 21968OR.38
- Year / era
- 2021 · 2020s — modern production
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 40 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Bezel
- Bidirectional 24-hour Cerachrom
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 55F — In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Number of jewels
- 40 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Chronograph, tachymeter, date
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2021 – 2037
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 40 mm Blue 18k sits within Greubel Forsey's Hand Made 1 line, introduced in 2021. It carries the house codes established since 2004 — 18k yellow gold case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and in-house tourbillon, manual-winding — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
Greubel Forsey
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 2004
- Founder
- Robert Greubel & Stephen Forsey
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- Double Balancier, Hand Made 1, GMT, Tourbillon 24 Secondes, Balancier
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Anti-magnetic silicon escapement · Hand-applied guilloché dials
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor · In-house automatic micro-rotor · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished · In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Notable watches
- Greubel Forsey Double Balancier 40 mm Salmon 18k (2004) · Greubel Forsey Double Balancier 37 mm Blue Sapphire (2004) · Greubel Forsey Double Balancier 41 mm Silvered 18k (2004) · Greubel Forsey Double Balancier 42 mm Black 18k (2004)
Brand history
Greubel Forsey has spent more than 22 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Double Balancier, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Robert Greubel & Stephen Forsey established Greubel Forsey in 2004, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Greubel Forsey calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
2004
Robert Greubel & Stephen Forsey founds Greubel Forsey in Switzerland.
2024
Greubel Forsey continues to produce Double Balancier, Hand Made 1, GMT and other icons in limited numbers.
More Hand Made 1
Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 41 mm Salmon 18k
Ref. 36353OR.82
Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 43 mm Slate Quartz
Ref. 34893OR.80
Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 43 mm Skeletonised 18k
Ref. 45830OR.44
Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 44 mm Salmon Carbon
Ref. 64494OR.40
Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 40 mm Salmon 18k
Ref. 80176OR.31