At first glance, Greubel Forsey and “Sport” don’t go together very well as a concept. On one hand, you have incredibly complex mechanisms and price tags that aren’t NFL insurance payouts; on the other, an activity designed to break watches. So it was a bit of a stretch to see the niche Swiss watchmaker join the Gerald Genta bandwagon…at first.
You see, calling the GMT Sport a sports watch isn’t entirely correct, just like you can’t discount other Greubel Forsey timepieces as non-sports watches outright. Despite the pure haute horlogerie on display, these movements are some of the most stable, shock-resistant, and thoroughly resilient available, tourbillon or not.
The difference is that they’re consistently big, thick pieces in precious metals, and finished to a degree that would make Abraham-Louis Breguet nervous. The Sport is definitely different in that regard.
The 45mm titanium case is very light despite its size, and sits nicely on the wrist, lacking some of the sharper edges and spherical crystal that used to house the globe at the bottom. It’s still big, but you can easily forget you’re wearing it worryingly.
Visually, though, this is one to keep in mind. It’s hard to pin down with a static image (you can check out our YouTube video on the subject for a clearer picture), but the construction of the bezel is like a Salvador Dali optical illusion. From the side, it’s oval, topped by an incredibly curved crystal; from a straight-on view, it looks round. I don’t know how they made the crystal fit, but it’s a cool aesthetic twist.
The movement, while new, is pure Greubel Forsey. The curved central hand is supported by a large bridge, adding a lot of architectural flair to the dial side, and leaving room for the GMT globe and the signature tilted tourbillon, this time at 25 degrees. Reading the local time is easy enough, though I have to admit that my global geography isn’t good enough to use the Earth as a universal time.
You can flip the watch over to display the 24 time zones written out on the back – with daylight saving time – but this requires taking the watch off, which is a bit annoying. But honestly, “a bit annoying” is what makes this watch hate it. That and the letters around the bezel spelling out the Greubel Forsey keyword like a watchmaking mantra.
Compared to other sports watches, the GMT Sport isn’t… well, comparable. Greubel Forsey isn’t too keen on getting in on all the sweet Gerald Genta action (although the timing of the release suggests otherwise). Instead, it’s simply made one of its signature pieces, the GMT Earth, more wearable and – a word I usually associate with the brand, as in sporty – practical.
Now they just need to put it on an integrated bracelet; rubber is nice, but come on. As far as sport-luxe is concerned, it’s all about the bracelet, even if the Greubel Forsey GMT Sport is in a league of its own.
Price and Specs:
Model Name: Greubel Forsey GMT Sport
Case/Dial: 42mm diameter x 15.7mm thickness, titanium
Water Resistance: 100m (10 bar)
Movement: Manual winding
Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
Power Reserve: 72 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, power reserve, second time zone, world time with daylight saving time, 24-hour rotating globe
Strap: Rubber with titanium folding clasp
Price: CHF 480,000, limited to 11 pieces
English 
Russian 
Italian 
German 
Danish 
French 
Swedish 
Dutch