Greubel Forsey Closes the Balancier Convexe S2 With Two Ceramic Editions

Calibre retirements at the very top of Swiss watchmaking are rare, deliberate, and almost always collector events worth tracking on the day they are announced. Greubel Forsey confirmed exactly that scenario on March 23, announcing the Balancier Convexe S² would exit production with two final ceramic editions, 11 pieces each, at CHF 295,000 apiece. Twenty-two watches total. No reprints.

The two editions differ in a single but decisive material choice. The white ceramic version pairs a white ceramic case with titanium bridges and mainplate in a matching white treatment, variable geometry hour indexes finished with Super-Luminova, and a curved synthetic sapphire crystal. The black ceramic version carries the same architecture but adds an 18k 5N red gold bezel and caseback flange, a warmer alloy than standard rose gold, set against matte black ceramic with titanium components in black treatment. Both measure 41.5mm at the caseband, 44mm at the bezel, and 13.25mm thick, with a total height of 14.8mm on the sapphire crystals. The Convexe case geometry, first revealed in 2019, uses a double-curved construction designed to follow the wrist's natural contour and present the movement as a sculptural object.

That movement is the Balancier Convexe S2 calibre: 37mm in diameter, 10.05mm thick, manually wound at 21,600 vph with a 72-hour power reserve drawn from two coaxial fast-rotating barrels. The 43 olived-domed jewels are set in gold chatons. The defining feature is Greubel Forsey's 30-degree inclined balance wheel, positioned to reduce positional errors and improve chronometric stability across orientations. The brand describes the finished result as an "urban landscape," with multiple suspended bridges, openworked multi-level architecture, and the large inclined balance dominating the lower half. Hours and minutes display on a suspended arch bridge beneath the curved crystal; small seconds and a sector-style power reserve integrate directly into the layered structure beneath it.

The finality here is not marketing language. Monochrome reported that production of the S² movement will permanently cease in 2026 as the brand transitions to a new generation of mechanical developments. Greubel Forsey has been in a visible strategic shift: co-founder Stephen Forsey departed the board, and CEO Michel Nydegger steered the brand back toward small-batch, high-priced production after a period of broader price accessibility. The Balancier Contemporain was retired the prior year. These ceramic editions close a calibre story that began in 2021, not a chapter that reopens.

For acquisition: Hodinkee confirmed CHF 295,000 and availability now through authorized retailers, while Monochrome listed price as upon request at launch. Confirm current pricing directly with an authorized dealer before committing; the discrepancy likely reflects regional press office practice rather than a pricing difference. With 11 pieces per edition, allocations at established retailers will resolve quickly, and any units that surface on the collector market will almost certainly price above issue given the confirmed end of calibre. Request serial number verification, full papers, and service documentation at point of purchase. For gifting, the 41.5mm caseband requires a wrist measurement first: the double-curved Convexe geometry wears close and intentional, and it fits differently than a conventional round case at that diameter. Confirm travel insurance coverage for a CHF 295,000 piece before it leaves the retailer. Strap sourcing post-production-end is worth clarifying with the authorized dealer now: the production-issued hand-sewn textured rubber strap and titanium folding clasp with engraved GF logo are standard, but aftermarket supply depends on how Greubel Forsey supports the S² once the movement line formally closes.

The Balancier Convexe S² arrived as one of the more visually uncompromising propositions in the brand's modern catalogue. The ceramic editions close it on the most demanding material terms the calibre ever saw.