Having worked at the highest levels of the watch industry for nearly three decades, Antonio Calce is no stranger to top horology brands. Even so, heading Greubel Forsey has been an exceptional experience for this veteran, who became its CEO in December 2020. The ultra-premium independent brand is famous for its distinctive and innovative designs, as well as peerless finishes.
“It’s like having a piece of gold in my hands,” says Calce of helming Greubel Forsey. The brand’s founders are watchmakers Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey since 2004. He spoke to The Peak during the recent launch of the brand’s latest creation, the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Architecture.
The titanium watch possesses classic brand signatures such as a fast-rotating, inclined tourbillon. Also seen are newer features like a convex case and a lateral sapphire crystal ring. These features allow the movement to be seen from the side.
Calce has overseen product development at watchmaking giants Piaget and Panerai. He also headed Corum and Sowind Group, whose brands include Girard-Perregaux, as CEO. Despite these experiences, the Swiss national remembers being impressed by the extensive in-house competencies at Greubel Forsey. Also an executive board member and shareholder of the company, Calce says, “I had not seen this range of skills before; we employ about 125 people in our factory, including mathematicians and physicists. We have seven inventions as of now, and next year we will have another — that’s eight inventions since 2004. The skills and capacity of the brand are just amazing.”
His tenure has seen Calce implement a multifaceted strategy that includes strengthening the brand’s organisational structure, creating a new product segment, and streamlining distribution. He shares more about his plans here.