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Girard-Perregaux is, as we mentioned on Monday, making a major push into the 21st century.  They’ve got a new website, a new owner’s club launching very soon, and a new blog for gentlemen (other types of men, need not apply).  Today we caught word that GP will be launching yet another initiative, this time showing us the other side of several of the manufacture’s youngest and most talented watchmakers – including activities such as horseback riding, skiing, playing the guitar, and playing chess. The journal will follow eight tof these young men and women not only at work, but also when they are with friends and at home.  The journal will be available in print and online at www.TheNewFaceOfTradition.com. 

This project will kick off with a special event at Cipriani Dolce in New York City, where guests will have the opportunity to participate in an in-depth one-on-one workshop with the watchmakers. The workshops will demonstrate the intricacies of the movements and include hands-on lessons on how they are built. In addition, Girard-Perregaux will feature the latest 2012 novelties and Museum pieces from its historical archives.  The tour will then go onto several other cities around the world. 

For more details on this cool new intiative from Girard-Perregaux, visit The New Face of Tradition here.

Here is a behind the scene look at the creation of this campaign:

YOU’RE INVTED:

On April 30th, GP will host a cocktail with watchmakers at their boutique on Madison Ave from 6-8 pm showing museum and new pieces. If you would like to attend, please call the boutique at 646.495.9915 or Girard-Perreaguax PR at 212.217.9065 to RSVP. Just mention HODINKEE and you’ll be all set.

From:HODINKEE

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Girard-Perregaux has been making watches for 221 years, but this year marks a big period of transition for the makers of both the beautififul and the bold.  GP was bought by luxury conglomerate PPR last summer, and just recently, GP North America was handed over to Mike Margolis (a fan favorite and regular Timezone contributor) who will be leading the brand’s relaunch into the US.

Along with a refocused image in North America, GP has an entirely new website, blog (Mechanics of Style – A Digital Journal For The Modern Gentleman) with a few familiar faces contributing, and has announced it will offer a special owners portal called Your GP World that will allows GP owners exclusive inside access to the brand, including the opportunity for all tourbillon owners to meet the watchmaker who built their watch! It is expected to launch in May.  These are just some of the new projects you can expect to see from the new Girard-Perregaux.

Click through for more details:

From:HODINKEE

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This was one of the more interesting products I saw at SIHH 2012 and I don’t even know if Girard-Perregaux is going to market it that much. The piece is sort of half-new half-existing, but you can of course call it a new model. A few years ago Girard-Perregaux was one of the brands making Ferrari-branded timepieces. At the time they had a gold watch called the Scuderia Ferrari Foudroyante Rattrapante. The Ferrari name departs and the watch gets a totally new dial for 2012. I don’t know how many of these watches will be around, but I really want one.

The piece will be simply called the Girard-Perregaux Foudroyante Rattrapante watch. It is a great value for the movement and the two exotic complications. Essentially the watch has a 30 minute split second (rattrapante) chronograph that measures 1/8 of a second on a dedicated hand (foudroyante). It also has the time. In my opinion this new dial is a lot nicer than the previous one on the Ferrari model. A lot of that has to do with the hands and the colors.

While the case is just 40mm wide the piece does sit a bit larger on the wrist due to the larger lugs and the prominent crown and pushers. The split second pusher is located in the crown itself for a cleaner look. As I state in the video what I love about this watch are the retro looks and use of dauphine hands on a sports watch. You rarely see that and I think the dial is able to pull it off really well. You also have applied hour markers and a very legible face. All it is missing is lume.

As a sports watch it is hard to call it modern looking. The case is rather modern – if not a bit chunky, but the dial is all old school, but in a good way. Proportions are pretty good and all the hands are easy to see. Watches like this tell other watches with stubby hands to suck it. Someday I know I am going to get into a fist fight with some industrial designer that makes watch dials with hands so short they mock clocks everywhere. For the sake of the children, please let’s focus on not totally forgetting how to design analog watch dials. Thanks for keeping it real GP. The dial itself has a sprinkling of red color and watching that arrow style foudroyante hand mechanically spin is a real pleasure. The periphery of the dial has a minute scale and a really covert tachymeter scale as well.

Inside the GP Foudroyante Rattrapante (say that five times fast) is an in-house made Girard-Perregaux Caliber 8020 automatic movement. The case of the watch is highly polished with brushed sides and I like the no frills caseback which is just a nice piece of polished steel. Attached to the watch is a fitted reptile strap for a nice refined look. There is a lot to like about this incredibly unpretentious high-end timepiece. Price isn’t that bad either considering the complications and the brand. Another upside is that this is a chronograph mechanism you’ll love to use because watching it in action is so fun. Brands like Jaeger-LeCoultre even built watches with constant foudroyante hands because some people like watching them all the time.

For me this is a stellar watch that might have never got the attention it deserved back a few years ago when the previous version was released. For people with a trained sense of taste and understanding of horology, this will make a great timepiece. Price is a very reasonable 13,200 Swiss Francs.

Related posts:

1. Girard Perregaux ww.tc Watches Hands-On …
2. Girard-Perregaux ww.tc Shadow Watch Review …
3. Girard-Perregaux Sport Classique Laureato Evo 3 Large Date Watch Available On James List …
4. Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk II Watch Review …
5. Girard-Perregaux ww.tc Cabinet de Curiosités Limited Edition Watch …

From:aBlogtoRead.com

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Girad-Perregauxwatches are available for sale at King jewelers Miami, Florida & King Jewelers Nashville, TennesseeVisit us at www.Kings1912.com for more information and fine luxury watches. ABOUT KINGS Established in 1912, King Jewelers has proudly styled jewelry aficionados from around the world. For five generations, the King family has owned and operated King Jewelers while building an outstanding reputation steeped in quality, value, and first-class service. Offering a magnificent selection of fine jewelry collections including the fashion-forward Italian designs, classics diamond creations, luxury Swiss timepieces, estate jewelry, modern designer jewelry, as well as colored gemstones and fancy-colored diamonds, King Jewelers is the one-stop-jewelry shop that prides itself in being one step ahead of the trend. At King Jewelers you will always find the best of the best, no matter what your style or budget may be. The salon also offers bridal, baby, and gift collections. In addition, King Jewelers offers on-site jewelry and watch repairs, custom design services, appraisals, estate buying, and corporate gift programs. The showroom features shop-in-shop boutiques from Bulgari, Harry Winston, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, and Brietling. Private viewing rooms and seating areas allow shoppers a private and comfortable shopping experience, not to mention the fully stocked, hip NYC-style bar. The new showroom also offers designer jewelry boutiques from Judith Ripka, Roberto Coin, A …
Video Rating: 5 / 5

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We’ve seen a lot of dial colors for dive watches – yellow, orange, blue, white and, of course, black. But, you rarely see green dive watches.  Sure, Rolex does it, but anybody else?

Girard-Perregaux has released a special edition of its Sea Hawk 1000 to be auctioned for the benefit of the environment. And while green is not a color known for its underwater visibility, that’s not necessarily the point of this one. According to GP, Green Auction is “a borderless collaboration of individuals, organizations and businesses engaged in spirit and action, in the protection and conservation of the environment.” Sounds like a worthy cause.

Other than its verdant dial and special name, the “Sea Hawk 1000 Green Auction” is identical to the Sea Hawk we took diving with impressive results two years ago. It houses the 27-jewel in-house Girard-Perregaux calibre GP033R0 with power reserve complication, inside a 44mm case with rubber-coated dive bezel. The watch comes on the excellent rubber strap with adjustable deployant clasp.

The Sea Hawk 1000 Green Auction will be open for bidding from March 29^th through April 19^th and you can see more information and place your bid here.

From:HODINKEE

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The Sowind Group has named a new president of its American operations. Sowind, which owns Swiss luxury watch brands Girard-Perregaux and JeanRichard, is planning a US expansion strategy for the Girard-Perregaux brand and the new president will be working closely with Sowind CEO, Michele Sofisti, and Girard-Perregaux managing director, Stefano Macaluso, to oversee this process.

Michael Margolis

“I am very excited and honored to join an iconic brand like Girard-Perregaux,” said Michael Margolis, the man who has been chosen to do the job. “I have admired the brand and its heritage from afar for many years.”

Girard-Perregaux does have an impressive and illustrious heritage. Although the Girard-Perregaux name was not established until the year 1856, the brand is generally considered to have been founded in 1791, by an orphan named Jean-François Bautte, when he signed his first watches at the age of 19. Bautte, an industrious youth, learned the various trades associated with watchmaking and became popular for the extra-thin models that he made. When he set up a manufacturing company in Geneva, Bautte decided to keep all of the various watchmaking trades under the one roof, and idea that was quite innovative at the time. In his lifetime, Bautte went on the trade with all the European courts and was even visited by the future Queen Victoria. Since that time, the company that would eventually become Girard-Perregaux has been renowned for innovation, style and prestige.

Right: 1840 Lepine Pendant Watch signed by J.-F Bautte & Co.; Center: 1870 Cross shaped pendant watch; Left: 1889 La Esmerelda Pocket Watch with Three Gold Bridges Tourbillon – owned by the President of Mexico, General Diaz.

Some historical highlights:

• 1867 – Girard-Perregaux won a prize at the Paris Universal Exhibition for a new tourbillon design. (The tourbillon was developed around 1795 by Abraham-Louis Breguet as a way to counteract the negative effects that gravity has on the more sensitive pieces of the watch escapement. By placing the escapement in a rotating cage, the pallet fork, balance wheel and hairspring were more insulated against shocks, gravity, magnetism and imbalance within the watch itself. Many variations on the tourbillon have been developed since.)

• 1880 – Constant Girard-Perregaux developed a wristwatch concept for German naval officers. Although Kaiser Wilhelm I ordered the watches and 2,000 were made, wristwatches did not gain in cultural popularity until the following century.

• 1889 – Constant Girard-Perregaux’s masterpiece, the famed Three Gold Bridges Tourbillon won a gold medal at the Exposition Paris Universal Exhibition; this piece so dominated the industry that it was disallowed from further competition in 1900.

• 1930 – Predicted by Girard-Perregaux some fifty years earlier, the wristwatch exceeded the pocket watch in popularity.

• 1945 – The rectangular, art deco inspired model was created. Fifty years later, it was revived and called the Vintage 1945.

Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 with Three Gold Bridges Tourbillon

• 1966 – Girard-Perregaux’s in-house R&D team developed the first high-frequency movement, at 36,000 vibrations per hour. These chronometers performed so well that, in 1967, a full 70 percent of certificates issued by the Neuchatel Observatory were awarded to Girard-Perregaux High Frequency Chronometers.

• 1970 – One of the first Swiss watch companies to get on board with the production of quartz wristwatches, Girard-Perregaux set the universal standard frequency at 32,768 Hz.

• 1981 – Girard-Perregaux was also one of the first to return to traditional mechanical timepieces after quartz had turned the Swiss watchmaking industry upside-down. Girard-Perregaux released a pocket watch containing the three gold bridges Tourbillon.

• 1992-1993 – Italian entrepreneur, architect and former racecar driver, Luigi Macaluso took over Girard-Perregaux and signed a “co-branding” agreement with Ferrari.

Ferrari watch face designed by Girard-Perregaux

• 1997 – Villa Marguerite, the building that would house the new Girard-Perregaux museum was purchased.

• 2004 – The first Girard-Perregaux boutique opened in Gstaad.

Margolis, the man who will now bring Girard-Perregaux into the US in the 21st century, was born in the States. He graduated from the University of Connecticut with a double major in Latin American Studies and Foreign Languages; he is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and German. Margolis has held positions at Crest Reprographics and at Nikon. It was while working for TimeZone.com, however, that he developed a passion for luxury watches. He moderated that site for almost 11 years before taking a job with Hublot as US sales director. Now he will be overseeing Girard-Perregaux’s advance into that same marketplace.

“Mike is a remarkable individual, with true passion for the craft,” said Sofisti. “We are glad to have him on board to lead the US team into this new phase of the brand.”

Margolis will assume office on Thursday, March 1.

From:Luxury Watches That Impress Review Blog

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For 2012, Girard Perregaux has added a minute repeater to their 1966 collection. With an enamel dial, applied gold Arabic numerals, blued hands and distinctive G-P movement bridges, it is a simple, elegant addition to the brand’s throwback line. The repeater’s tone is bright and clear, resonating through the 38mm rose gold case. No word yet on pricing.

From:HODINKEE

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How to begin with this one. I think a bit of history first. Girard-Perregaux is one of the oldest Swiss watchmakers, around since 1791. A maker of their own movements (‘manufacture’), they are mainly known for their formal and dress watches as well as the famous ‘Tourbillon under three gold bridges’ of 1884.

As mechanical watches regained popularity, there was a strong demand for sporty and especially dive watches. Looking back, it was probably started by the introduction of the Patek Philippe Nautilus, which demonstrated a market for high-end sport watches. After that, the marquee Swiss brands followed suit: Jaeger LeCoultre with the Master Compressor series, Vacheron Constantin with Overseas, Audemars Piguet with the Royal Oak and Offshore and Girard-Perregaux with the Sea Hawk.

Put yourself into the mindset of the person leading the effort. Your firm has literally centuries of proud history behind it; you’re not just going to bang out a ‘me-too’ design. You’re going to strive to integrate your firm’s themes and strengths into an entirely new design.

Voila.

• Model reference 49950-19-632-FK6A
• In-house GP033R0 automatic movement. 28,800 vph, 46 hour power reserve with sub seconds and date complications.
• Water resistant to 1,000m (3300ft)
• Double-domed sapphire crystal with dual-sided antireflective coating
• Rubber-filled 120-click unidirectional steel bezel with raised numerals
• Stainless steel case, 44.8mm by 15.1mm, 55.5mm lug to lug. 160g with strap.
• Fitted rubber strap with butterfly deployant, on-wrist pushbutton micro adjustments. Standard 22mm lugs.
• Automatic helium escape valve at two o’clock
• Signed 7.8mm crown, at four o’clock, with integrated crown guards.
• List price of approximately $ 9,700

Let’s take a close look at the dial and layout. Start with the figure-eight / infinity shape of the power reserve and sub seconds:

Also notice the date window – it’s very deeply set, with an sloped and mirror-polished well. You’ll not mistake this watch for any other.

As you’d expect, the case detailing and finishing is first-rate:

Interestingly, the Sea Hawk II is available on leather or rubber straps, but no bracelet. The strap is cut-to-fit, with a very nice pushbutton-release double deployant.

Those small holes on the ends are spring-release micro adjustments. This is a great idea, as you can expand the fit a bit on a warm day without taking off the watch. The clasp is brushed-finish and signed with the logo:

The rubber strap is very comfortable indeed. At 160g, it’s medium-weight and unobtrusive on your wrist. The bezel is raised-numerals with a rubber infill. Edging the bezel are square-cut crenellations that, combined with the rubber, make this the easiest bezel to grab I’ve encountered. Very grippy, very precise in feel, a very functional design.

Luminosity is supplied by multilayer SuperLuminova on hands, dial and bezel dot. Easily legible for 8-10 hours. Note an interesting design choice: the power reserve is lumed, but the second hand is not:

Most dive watches have either a matte-finish or glossy dial. The Sea Hawk is a very subtle speckle finish. This half-illuminated picture shows how in bright light the texturing is visible, but in anything less than full sunlight it looks matte black:

The movement is the in-house GP033R0. As it’s a solid case back, I have no pictures. Timekeeping was chronometer-grade, winding very smooth. Kind of what you expect from a top-tier Swiss diver.

For comparison purposes, here’s a shot next to my IWC. Notice how much better the anti-reflective coatings are on the Sea Hawk (The watches are nearly identical in size).

In fact, that one was one of the most striking things about wearing this watch; the crystal just isn’t there, to a greater degree than I’ve ever seen. A bit of research leads me to believe that they are using the services of a company called Econorm for their crystals’ coatings; serious optics-grade materials. Anti-reflective coatings are one of those small things that no one shops for, but make a big difference day to day.

Subjectively, the Sea Hawk II is a superbly detailed and finish diver from one of the old-school Swiss brands. Made in small numbers, it’s a brand and style that very few people will notice. I like the bold, unique design, first-rate visibility day or night, and of course the timekeeping too.

[Ed. note - I just wanted to mention that in addition to Paul's excellent review thoughts, I love how the crown guards and right strap lug are designed together for a very slick, integrated look. This is a fantastic high-end diver that should be on people's list when looking to spend in the $ 10,000 range for a top-notch luxury diver that actually has credibility "in the field."]

From:aBlogtoRead.com

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Did you really like (and want) the special piece unique watch that Girard-Perregaux had auctioned at the 2011 Only Watch Auction? If so (and you weren’t that one person to get it), then you sort of have another chance. Aside from the smoked sapphire crystal dial, this limited edition of just five pieces Girard-Perregaux ww.tc Cabinet de Curiosités watch has the same cool style with the white ceramic and titanium case. This is essentially the white version of the ww.tc Shadow watch that is part of their regular production right now. They do ceramic cases very well.

I wonder what this would look like on a while strap? How about a black and white striped NATO strap…. interesting thoughts. Limited to just five pieces, this watch is part of a unique series of relationships. The ww.tc Cabinet de Curiosities will be available exclusively at a concept store called Browns in London. I am not familiar with it, but it is said to be a lot like Colette in Paris.

Girard-Perregaux is actually working with a guy named Thomas Erber, who produced the Cabinet de Curiosities event. Last year it was actually at Colette, and it will be held at Browns this year in London. This watch (among whatever else will be there) will only be available from November 21st – December 23rd.

The ww.tc Cabinet de Curiosities watch is 43mm wide and contains the Girard-Perregaux in-house made caliber GP03378 automatic chronograph movement. This fantastic movement has a flyback chronograph, time, date, and special 24 hour disc that is used with a rotating bezel to offer a world time function. The overall ww.tc collection is among the finest world time watches around. I do quite enjoy this special version with the white ceramic case. I saw the Only Watch 2011 model in person and it looked fantastic. Not sure how this smoked dial version will turn out, but it should be cool as long as legibility is maintained. How much will this limited edition of five ww.tc Cabinet of Curiosities watch by Girard-Perregaux watch cost? Price is 17,900 British Pounds.

From:aBlogtoRead.com

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This beauty was a delight to review – which is often the case with high-end Swiss pieces from brands such as Girard-Perregaux. Called the “Shadow” this watch is a unique sports version of Girard-Perregaux’s iconic ww.tc watch collection. “ww.tc” stands for “world wide time control.” It should however be called “world wide time viewing,” but the Swiss are sort of control freaks. If they are able to come out with a watch that controls time, I will certainly be asking to review one.

For years I have looked at the ww.tc watches with respect. There have been a number of versions released coming with different dial styles, case materials, and functions. This model for example has a chronograph, but some others offer a more clean and simple dial with a less complicated movement. What puts all of these watches in the same family is the true world time function.

The 24 hour scale ring that goes around the dial moves like a GMT hand. It make a full revolution each 24 hours and is connected to the passing of the time. Think of it as a synchronized GMT hand. When you use it in combination with time zone reference city ring, you can know the time (based on the 24 time zone scale) all over the world. To set it properly you must first select the time zone you are currently in using the reference city indicator. This is done with the crown on the left side of the case that turns the city ring. Place your reference city at the top, and then you can use the 24 hour ring to know what the times are in the other zones, as well as whether they are in AM or PM time (which is shown by the light or dark color on the ring). Being able to know the time all over the world at a glance is useful and very convenient when presented like this. You can find complications such as this in other high-end watches combing from brands such as Patek Philippe and Jaeger-LeCoultre.

The chronograph complication includes a flyback feature and the dial also has a date window. These functions are part of the in-house made Girard-Perregaux caliber GP03387 automatic movement with a power reserve of about 46 hours. You can view the movement through the case back. Finishing is good with a mixture of polishes, and operation of the movement as well as winding was smooth. GP makes movements for other brands as well, and as a whole their movements are regarded well by the watch community.

Everything about this watch feels very precise. This includes the fit and finish as well as the attention to detail in the design. The dial for instance is incredibly well printed with everything being proportional and in the right place. This is very important as the dial is busy, but must retain a high degree of legibility. The hands and hour markers are coated in luminant for darkness viewing. Compared to other ww.tc models the Shadow certainly has the sport style dial – which includes the design of the hands and hour markers. The black and white tones with a hint of red (and yellow) on the dial are conservative but not boring. Overall the dial is about functionality and quality.

The case of the ww.tc Shadow is 43mm wide in black ceramic. This is easily one of the best ceramic cases I have seen. Not only does it look beautiful with a slightly shiny brushed finish, but it is soft and very pleasant to the touch. It almost feels oiled – it is that smooth. The caseback and interior housing of the case is titanium, while the pushers and crowns are all coated in rubber. Over the dial is a really high-quality sapphire crystal that is AR coated. Domed, you do get light reflection, but otherwise it looks like you can touch the dial with your finger. Not all sapphire crystals are equal. The best quality ones are also the most clear, and have the least distortion.

Girard-Perregaux has a long history of sport pieces, especially with their Sea Hawk diving watch collection. So pieces like this ww.tc Shadow are not totally out of the ordinary for the typically conservative brand – though this is a very restrained and subtle sport watch. It feels mature and composed, but also very satisfying and capable. Attached to the watch is a rubber strap that must be cut to size. The titanium butterfly push-button clasp is nicely engineered. I like how the strap is curved to match the shape of the case but there is a little gap between the case and the strap. I think it would have looked just a bit more refined if the strap was totally flush with the case. My only other issue is that I would have liked for the watch to have at least 100 meters of water resistance (it has 50 meters). OK to get wet in the rain and wash your hands with it, but not too much else.

In all the Girard-Perregaux ww.tc Shadow is a wonderful watch with a great pedigree, fantastic movement, and useful complications. While there are other world-time style watches, I tend to like these the most. Plus, they look pretty cool as well. Price for the ww.tc Shadow is $ 23,850.

From:aBlogtoRead.com

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