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Girard-Perregaux a Brief Look at 2012-Part One The Watches
Sun, 25 November 2012 19:09
2012-The Year at Girard-Perregaux in Review
With the end of 2012 comes all of the anticipated buzz about 2013 and the upcoming releases at SIHH and Basel. This is a good time to look back on some of what happened at G-P in the previous year.
When I started this endeavor I thought that due to the limited amount of watches and exclusiveness of the brand that this would be a relatively quick undertaking. As I dug into press releases and looked back at some of my old posts it was clear-small as Girard-Perregaux is it has been a very busy year and 2013 will be even busier. That said I will just look at a small amount of what G-P did over 2012
SIHH 2012
Girard-Perregaux started of this year as it has others by previewing its latest offerings at Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva. Since its inception SIHH has been a venue for fine watch makers to show their much anticipated pieces for the coming year and Girard-Perregaux has been a steady participant.
G-P had a strong presence with the announcement of several pieces going from basic timekeeping instruments to highly complicated pieces. This year there was no major overhaul of any particular line but rather enhancements to some of their strong lines such as the 1966 and 1945 Collections
1966 Petite Seconds
This limited edition watch which was released at SIHH pays homage to the watchmakers of the past with a modern sized 38 mm wrist watch in the present.
The slightly curved case-back is adorned with delicate engraving commemorating two important dates: In 1889, Girard-Perregaux won the Gold Medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris for its pocket watch later known as "La Esmeralda", the most famous example of Tourbillon with three gold Bridges.
Produced in a numbered, limited edition of 100 pieces, the Girard-Perregaux 1966 Small second loudly proclaims the noble heritage of its name.
1966 Annual Calendar & Equation of Time
Is it really necessary to know what the variations between mean time and solar time-maybe? The fact that a wrist watch through the use of gears, cams and springs has the ability to do this and in the case of the 1966 Annual Calendar with grace and elegance is a true marvel.
The case, in 18kt rose gold, measures 40mm x 10.5mm. It has double sapphire crystals and is water resistant to 30 meters.
The annual calendar presenting the date and month automatically takes the length of the month into account, requiring only the occasional correction every 28th February of non-leap years.
With its hand at 4.30, the equation of time indicates the difference between the real solar time and the mean or civil time. The length of a solar day actually varies daily due to the elliptical shape of the Earth's orbit. This astronomical complication is based on an ingenious mechanism incorporating an annual disc with an elliptical cam that reproduces the Earth's movement around the Sun.
Taking technical sophistication even further, corrections to the calendar are made with the crown, in both directions. The system is simple to use and the absence of a corrector on the case leaves the purity of its harmonious curves intact.
Movement is the Swiss automatic Girard-Perregaux in-house caliber GP033M0 with 44 jewels, 28,800 vph and a power reserve of 46 hours. In a further touch of sophistication, Girard-Perregaux has equipped the calibre with its own Microvar variable inertia balance wheel. It features six adjustable screws and two inertia-blocks on its rim, used respectively to set the balance wheel's equilibrium and enable fine adjustment of the movement. This exclusive development ensures increased precision and more stable adjustment.
1966 Minute Repeater
This 2012 release has achieves the harmonic resonance of it's sound through the perfect balance between the diameter of the caliber and the interior diameter of the 42 mm case
The watch's special design required thorough research into acoustic qualities. In particular, the Manufacture worked on three construction points on the case. The diameter of the calibre and the interior diameter of the case are perfectly balanced, a ratio that guarantees maximum resonance. The case-back is curved in order to increase the volume of air between the movement and the case, which significantly improves the propagation of the sound. Finally, the lower part of the case-back is diamond-polished, an operation that allows acoustic interference to be reduced.
Even with all of this work each piece can be assembled and disassembled several times to make certain that perfect tune is reached for each watch
Vintage 1945 Large Date Moon Phases
The Vintage 1945 has been a mainstay in G-P collection for over 50 years. This year at SIHH saw the introduction of 1945 Large Date Moon Phases. Taking its strong lines from the Art Deco movement, the Vintage 1945 Large Date Moon-Phases incorporates an emblematic design. Its case, with its skilfully rounded shapes in both directions, houses a Girard-Perregaux mechanical movement with automatic winding that displays a large date and moon-phases on an equally curved dial.
Post SIHH Releases
SIHH is the starting point for previewing watches but Girard-Perregaux had several releases throughout 2012. One was the Chronosport GMT. This watch showed that G-P continues to be a multi-faceted manufacturer with an ability to make Sporty and Haute watches all under one roof. Don't look to hard for this one in the wild though I do not have final numbers but I believe there were less than 100 of these pieces produced
Here is a picture of one in La Chaux-de-Fonds on its way to its new home.
Big Blue is the name this Sea Hawk was given. It was a release of 15 pieces made to commemorate a World Oceans Day Celebration with Susan and David Rockefeller. The Seahawk 1000 "Big Blue" features a steel case and blue rubber strap with blue highlights on the dial and showing the world map, the focus of this important cause. The theme of the event "Protect what is Precious" relates both to the state of the world's oceans and the rare art of fine watchmaking.
As the year progressed G-P released more complicated pieces such as the 1945 Tourbillon with 3 gold bridges, the 42mm Tourbillon with three gold Bridges and the DLC Titanium Bi-Axial Tourbillon. All of these where stunning and had the bar set incredibly high with the release of the Laureato Tourbillon with three Bridges at SIHH 2012 earlier in the year. The DLC Titanium Bi-Axial is an alliance of innovation and tradition. The bi-axial Tourbillon combines two concentric cages that enable the regulating part to make multi-dimensional rotations. This complex construction compensates for rate irregularities due to the Earth's gravity. An internal cage bearing the balance wheel, balance spring and escapement completes one full turn on its axis in forty-five seconds. In addition, an external cage completes one revolution in one minute and fifteen seconds, enabling a rotation on its second axis. A full revolution is completed in three minutes and forty-five seconds. This aerial ballet offers an extraordinary spectacle, while the alternation of positions enables excellent rate precision. The sophisticated mechanism has an astounding delicacy: the two cages weigh just 0.80 grams, yet comprise a total of over one hundred and ten components.
This is a limited release of 8 pieces
The 1966 line also saw changes in the year. The 38 mm remained in the line but a 41 mm was added to the line giving you the same timeless elegance along with a more modern case size. Both the 38 and 41 mm are shown here.
The 1966 chronograph also saw the addition of a 42 mm case size
As I look back on 2012 I personally believe that G-P has made new releases that stay true to the vision of the founders along with adding innovation and modern design. I applaud an outstanding 2012 and cannot wait for what is to come in 2013.
Kevin
Moderator, Girard-Perregaux Forum and Glashütte Original Forum
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning
- kev5366