Robert Greubel, Stephen Forsey Consolidate Control of Greubel Forsey

[Ichiran]

https://watchesbysjx.com/2025/02/rob...el-forsey.html



Greubel Forsey has just announced that ownership of the company has once again reverted to Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, confirming rumours that have been circulating since Michel Nydegger replaced Antonio Calce as chief executive.

With Mr Calce’s departure, the brand was pivoted back to more traditional complicated watches, as exemplified by the recent Hand Made 2 and Nano Foudroyante EWT.

The shares owned by Mr Calce, was acquired by either the two cofounders or the company itself. The statement issued by Greubel Forsey states “Mr. Calce no longer holding any shares in the company or being affiliated with it.”

Mr Calce came on board in 2020, and redirected the brand towards high-end sports watches. Industry talk at the time was that he was not only pivoting the company’s products, but also engaged in a search for a buyer for the brand.

With a majority stake, Mr Greubel continues as the board’s chairman. Though his exact role is unspecified, Mr Forsey will presumably take off where he left off, as both a brand ambassador and watch constructor.

The return of the two founders as the company’s only shareholders is the latest twist in the story of the company. Besides Mr Calce, Richemont once owned a stake in the brand. The Swiss luxury group, which also owns Cartier and Lange, acquired 20% of the brand in 2006 but the hoped-for synergies or acquisition never came to pass. Richemont sold the stake back to Greubel Forsey in 2022 , just after Mr Calce came on board.

[Ichiran]

Right move in my view. I very much prefer their classic watches over their sports watches.

[enjoythemusic]

Congrats, independents gotta be independent

[Ichiran]

Calce once said he targeted an annual production volume of 500 watches. That is achievable if he go big on sport watches with no interior angles. Now that he is gone, not too sure what's the direction of the manufacture and their revised target production, if any. If they go back to complicated classic watches with hand-finishing, surely they have to compromise on the production number.

[ChetBaker]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Congrats, independents gotta be independent

I agree but there’s very few that are 100% independent in the sense of small production and owned by a single person or family. Of the established brands Berthoud, Moser, Ferrier, Grönefeld - who else? And there’s of course the micro-independents that make <50 watches but I think all of them really are too small to be considered viable acquisition targets or, like Simon Brette, are a combination of skilled artisans without a legal structure that binds them together.

[Ichiran]

More of this please. 38mm with beautiful carvings. This over the Balancier series all day everyday.

[subtona]

Originally Posted by Ichiran

More of this please. 38mm with beautiful carvings. This over the Balancier series all day everyday.

Persuasive argument.