Uber high-end watchmaker Greubel Forsey has just announced the opening of another point of sale in the US and it’s kind of a big deal.
Greubel Forsey x Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry
Now, I know what you’re thinking; watch brands open new points of sale all the time, who cares about one more? And in 99% of cases you would be absolutely right. However, this is Greubel Forsey we’re talking about here, arguably one of the best high-end watchmakers of the modern age and not surprisingly also one of the hardest to come by.
You see, despite the fact that an average Greubel Forsey timekeeper will set you back somewhere close to half a million dollars, demand for these mechanical marvels remains exceedingly strong. In large part that is attributable to the fact that they almost universally recognized as being the best in class, with the company’s founders Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey point blank refusing to ever compromise on any aspect of the design or construction of a timepiece. For example Stephen Forsey once told me it took 18 months just to develop the first complete globe for the GMT (pictured below) as they just weren’t satisfied with the first few attempts.
This pursuit of perfection has come at a price however, namely in the form of extremely low production quantities. Now entering its eleventh year, Greubel Forsey produced just over 1,000 watches in its lifetime. In comparison, F.P. Journe, another well-known independent watchmaker whose timepieces are also considered quite hard to come by, averages a production volume of about 800 pieces a year. That’s not to detract from Journe in any way of course – anyone who has ever worn one knows the watches are simply superb – but simply to provide some context to what we are discussing.
So what does all this mean exactly? Well, at the micro level it suggests that Greubel Forsey is growing, both in capacity but more importantly in status, which is obviously good news for the brand. At the macro level meanwhile it seems to suggest that America’s appetite for extremely expensive and sophisticated luxury timepieces is also growing as more and more collectors not only become aware of the brand but also feel more confident financially to invest in it.
Credit: Fontjeon Photography
This also of course means that the team at Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry have quite a task on their hands but then again, these guys know a thing or two about high end luxury. Perhaps better known for their Signature Collection line, which features exquisitely jewelry handcrafted from platinum and 18 karat gold and using only the very finest diamonds and colored gemstones, Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry is considered one of America’s premiere timepiece and jewelry houses. And now with the addition of Gruebel Forsey things in northern California will never be quite the same.
For more information about Greubel Forsey and their amazing timepieces please visit their website www.greubelforsey.com. For more information about Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry please visit their website www.stephensilverfinejewelry.com.
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