Tag Archive for: Girard Perregaux

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Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Ti 230 

Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Ti 230 

La Chaux-de-Fonds, 3 August, 2021 – Girard-Perregaux was founded 230 years ago in 1791, the same year an English clergyman, William Gregor, discovered titanium in Cornwall. With the release of the Laureato Absolute Ti 230, the new model unites the Manufacture’s know-how with the lightweight element. The resultant two watches are contemporary, rich in character and repeatedly play with contrasting shades and shapes. Further highlighting this important anniversary, the Ti 230 blue dial reference will be distributed exclusively through Wempe for the first month following its launch.

This year marks the 230th anniversary of Girard-Perregaux. As part of its celebrations, the Manufacture is revisiting its iconic models and releasing a number of new creations. The story of the Maison began in 1791 when Jean-François Bautte, aged just 19, produced his first pocket watch. However, the most romantic chapter in the brand’s history is when Constant Girard married Marie Perregaux in 1854, culminating in the birth of one of the greatest names in watchmaking.

In 1791, clearly a remarkable year, an English clergyman, William Gregor, discovered a black sand called menachanite in Cornwall. He analysed it and concluded that it contained oxides of iron and an unknown metal. This metal was subsequently identified as titanium, an element named after the Titans, the children of Uranus and Gaea in Greek mythology. Today, titanium is widely used, not only in watchmaking but also in the fields of aerospace, medicine and motorsport, selected for its array of benefits.

The Laureato Absolute Ti 230 unites the two stories of Girard-Perregaux and William Gregor, drawing on know- how amassed over 230 years. Titanium comes in many forms, sometimes alloyed with other elements. Girard- Perregaux prefers to use Grade 5 titanium as it is particularly strong, corrosion resistant, lightweight and hypoallergenic; attributes that enrich the wearer’s experience.

Another reason for using Grade 5 titanium is that the metal can be polished. Girard-Perregaux presents the Laureato Absolute Ti 230 in a 44mm lightly sandblasted case that encompasses polished facets, providing a beautiful gleam and subtle contrast. Successfully combining both types of finish proves more demanding, however, as Girard-Perregaux has repeatedly shown, it never shies from a challenge.

Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Girard-Perregaux, remarks, “With the release of the Laureato Absolute Ti 230 we wanted to create a new version of our iconic watch from 1975. This model is modern but encompasses traditional craftsmanship. The sandwich dial construction and GP’s world-premiere Rubber Alloy strap, this time incorporating titanium, are further sumptuous details that also feature on this watch. Finally, while the price may be more inclusive, the quality remains typically Girard-Perregaux and the watch feels just as exclusive as our other models.”

Kim-Eva Wempe, managing owner of Gerhard D. Wempe KG of Wempe, comments, “Once again, Girard- Perregaux kindly approached us and offered exclusivity for this new model prior to its worldwide launch. We are delighted to have this opportunity and we appreciate the close working relationship we enjoy with Girard- Perregaux, forged over several years but solidified last year when we were fortunate to become their exclusive retailer across Germany.”

The combination of curves and lines are juxtaposed with the octagonal bezel and crown, beautifully playing with contrasts. The Laureato Absolute Ti 230 is available with a choice of a blue or grey dial, augmenting eye-appeal. For the first time, the Maison offers a Laureato Absolute where the crown is encircled with a rubber ring, matching the hue of the rubber strap. This detail may not be obvious at first glance, but it will be familiar to those in the know.

The dial is of a sandwich-type construction, comprised of an upper layer, perforated with numerous openings, sat upon a lower layer. The apertures in the upper layer afford partial sight of the lower layer, presented in grey. By adopting this design approach, the apertures form recessed luminescent baton-type indexes, wonderfully playing with depths, thereby heightening the overall appearance of the dial.

Beating at the heart of the Laureato Absolute Ti 230 is a self-winding Manufacture movement, the Calibre GP03300-1060. It contains 218 components, all produced to Girard-Perregaux’s exacting standards.

Upholding Laureato tradition, the strap is integrated, a characteristic found on the original model released in 1975. The strap, made of GP Rubber Alloy, this time containing titanium, perfectly matches the colour of the dial, and features a fabric effect texture, tastefully enlivened with grey stitching. Girard-Perregaux, consistent with its no-compromise attitude, has selected FKM rubber, a specification that provides greater suppleness and resistance than conventional rubber. The Manufacture has chosen to pair the strap with a titanium folding clasp with a micro-adjustment system, allowing the wearer to fine tune the size to deliver the optimal wrist fit.

The Laureato Absolute Ti 230, as previously stated, is offered in two variants, blue and grey. Each option is limited to 230 pieces

The blue dial version of the Laureato Absolute Ti 230 will be sold exclusively by Wempe for one month in its ten boutiques across Germany as well as its flagship stores in New York and London. Thereafter, the model will be available in all authorised Girard-Perregaux retailers and on the brand’s e-commerce site.

With immediate effect, the grey dial version is available in all authorised Girard-Perregaux retailers as well as the brand’s e-commerce site.

About Girard-Perregaux

Founded in 1791, Girard-Perregaux is one of the oldest fine watchmaking manufactures still in operation and is appreciated by those in the know. This year the company celebrates its 230th anniversary, a fitting testament to the brand’s watchmaking expertise. Indeed, the firm’s history is dotted with exceptional creations that skilfully blend aesthetics and functionality. These models include the iconic Laureato, born in 1975, as well as the legendary Tourbillon ‘With Three Gold Bridges,’ a watch that made the invisible visible, transforming bridges from just a technical element to an integral part of the timepiece – a first in watchmaking. Girard-Perregaux’s place at the vanguard of horological innovation is confirmed by over one hundred recorded patents together with numerous prizes and distinctions. It remains one of the few watchmakers to retain Manufacture status for over two centuries by mastering all the required horological skills in-house and making watches infused with a notable degree of authenticity. While Girard-Perregaux respects its heritage, it continues to look ahead, embracing new technologies, state of the art materials, and fresh takes on iconic shapes.

Girard-Perregaux is part of the Kering Group, a world leader in luxury apparel.

Technical specification

LAUREATO ABSOLUTE TI 230

Reference: 81070-21-001-FB6A (grey dial) Reference: 81070-21-002-FB6A (blue dial) World Price: CHF 8,260

Case

Material: Grade 5 titanium Diameter: 44.00 mm

Height: 14.65 mm

Glass: sapphire anti-reflective

Case-back: secured by 6 screws, engraved Laureato Absolute logo Dial 1: blue, cut out ‘baton’ type indexes with luminescent material Dial 2: grey, cut out ‘baton’ type indexes with luminescent material Hands: ‘baton’ type with luminescent material

Water resistance: 300 metres (30 ATM)

Movement

Reference: GP03300-1060

Self-winding mechanical movement Diameter: 25.95 mm (111/2’’’) Height: 3.36 mm

Frequency: 28,800 Vib/h – (4 Hz) Number of components: 218 Number of jewels: 27

Power reserve: min. 46 hours

Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date

Bracelet

Material: blue rubber injected with titanium, fabric effect and grey stitching Material: grey rubber injected with titanium, fabric effect and grey stitching Buckle: titanium, folding clasp with micro adjustment system

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Girard-Perregaux – Luxury Watch – Bridges Quasar Azure

Girard-Perregaux – Luxury Watch – Bridges Quasar Azure

BRIDGES QUASAR AZURE REF : 99295-43-002-UA2A

The ability to reveal the art in precision engineering is among Girard-Perregaux’s greatest achievements. The Quasar Light honours this legacy by engineering transparency to the extreme. Named after the most brilliant of astronomical entities, it is an epic masterpiece with gleaming aerial views of the Manufacture’s most iconic movement encased in Swiss-made Sapphire, exclusively available in just 8 pieces.

SEDUCED BY THE LIGHT

The Quasar Azure is a brilliantly bold expression of the company’s technical mastery, contemporary design and rich heritage. Sapphire is extremely difficult to craft because of its hardness. The case is formed, coloured, milled and polished by Girard-Perregaux artisans through a protracted process, taking over 200 hours. Set within the azure blue case, the tourbillon seemingly floats. The wearer is also indulged with aerial views of the Neo Bridges, a Girard-Perregaux signature inspired by architectural structures.

THE CALIBRE GP09400-1035

The GP09400 is developed and manufactured in-house. Thanks to its ingenious construction, the barrel was resized in order to house a longer barrel spring and to offer a longer power reserve, min. 60 hours instead of 48 hours for the traditional model.

WATCH

CASE

Material:  Blue sapphire
Diameter:  46,00 mm
Height:  15,25 mm
Case-back:  Sapphire anti-reflective “box”
Dial: No dial
Water resistance:  3 ATM

STRAP

Material:  Shiny anthracite Fabric
Buckle:  Triple folding
Buckle material:  Titanium DLC
LIMITED EDITION OF 8 TIMEPIECES

MOVEMENT

CALIBRE

Number: GP09400-1035

Type: Self-winding mechanical movement

Diameter: 36.00 mm (16”’)

Height: 9,54 mm

Frequency: 21,600 Vib/h – (3Hz)

Number of components:  260

Jewels: 27

Power reserve: Min. 60 hours

FUNCTIONS

Hours, minutes, tourbillon, small seconds on the tourbillon.
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GIRARD-PERREGAUX HERITAGE & DUTY – For over 229 years a high-end Swiss watch Manufacture

GIRARD-PERREGAUX

HERITAGE & DUTY

For over 229 years, Girard-Perregaux, a high-end Swiss watch Manufacture, has been seeking horological perfection in both technical and aesthetic terms. The brand’s origins date back to Geneva in 1791, when Jean-François Bautte, whose workshops were acquired by Girard-Perregaux in 1906, created his first watches. The brand name was established in 1856 in the watchmaking town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, thanks to the marriage of Constant Girard and Marie Perregaux.Throughout its history, Girard-Perregaux has consistently perpetuated this expertise, placing its watches firmly in the vanguard of horological innovation, as confirmed by the 100 patents currently held by the Maison.

JEAN- FRANÇOIS BAUTTE

Girard-Perregaux’s oldest roots lie in the work of Jean-François Bautte, the Geneva watchmaker-jeweller who presented his first creations in 1791 and whose succession was acquired in 1906 by Girard-Perregaux, born in 1856 from the union of Constant Girard and Marie Perregaux.

Bautte was born on March 26th 1772 in Geneva. At just 12 years old, having been orphaned at an early age, he began serving a series of apprenticeships as a jeweller, goldsmith and case assembler. Endowed with lively and passionately dedicated mind-set, he also gained a knowledge of watchmaking and engine-turning (guillochage). His undeniable qualities as an artisan were backed by remarkable commercial abilities. From 1795 onwards, Jean-François Bautte began travelling to sell his creations. He developed his fabrique (the French name for watch production facilities), which was the most comprehensive that had ever existed, employing 180 workers there, assisted by 120 home-based artisans.

In addition to his boutique in Geneva, Bautte also owned a branch in Paris, as well as another in Florence. Correspondence from the Russian and Danish courts testify to his close ties with European elites.  His renown was such that no eminent foreign visitors to Geneva missed out on the opportunity to visit his Maison, following the example of Balzac, Dumas and the future Queen Victoria.

LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS

’ Watchmaking metropolis’ is the nickname acquired by the town of La Chaux-de-Fonds. The city has been living in step with the rhythms of watchmaking since the late 17th century. From the early 19th century onwards, after the great fire that devastated the town in 1794, a brilliant urban planning scheme was implemented. The streets were to be wide and straight, running from east to west and thus following the path of the sun. The height of the houses was strictly regulated. In an age when artificial light was ineffective, watchmakers thus enjoyed the best possible lighting, that of the sun. This distinctive feature that is unique in the world has earned La Chaux-de-Fonds a place on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites.

It was thus a natural move for Girard-Perregaux to establish its Manufacture there. But rather than housing its workshops in a brand-new, soulless construction, Girard-Perregaux installed them in a beautifully restored early 20th century building.

The origins

LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS

’ Watchmaking metropolis’ is the nickname acquired by the town of La Chaux-de-Fonds. The city has been living in step with the rhythms of watchmaking since the late 17th century. From the early 19th century onwards, after the great fire that devastated the town in 1794, a brilliant urban planning scheme was implemented. The streets were to be wide and straight, running from east to west and thus following the path of the sun. The height of the houses was strictly regulated. In an age when artificial light was ineffective, watchmakers thus enjoyed the best possible lighting, that of the sun. This distinctive feature that is unique in the world has earned La Chaux-de-Fonds a place on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites.

It was thus a natural move for Girard-Perregaux to establish its Manufacture there. But rather than housing its workshops in a brand-new, soulless construction, Girard-Perregaux installed them in a beautifully restored early 20th century building.

The Manufacture

PILAR OF THE SWISS WATCHMAKING

By developing and manufacturing its components entirely in-house, Girard-Perregaux can legitimately lay claim to the status of a ‘Manufacture’. The brand seeks perfection expressed not only through the immediately visible external appearance of its timepieces, but also through their hidden faces: their movements.

Constant Girard-Perregaux considered movements as a technical element of his watches, yet enhanced their architecture to the point of making them an unmistakable signature feature. His immediately identifiable watches earned Girard-Perregaux the highest distinctions, as was the case with the Esmeralda, Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges presented in 1889 at the Universal Exhibition in Paris and rewarded by a gold medal.

New markets

CONQUERING THE WORLD

During the second half of the 19th century, it became vital for Girard-Perregaux to find new markets. In an age when journeys were long and often perilous, watchmakers were prepared to set off for remote destinations.

In 1859, Constant Girard-Perregaux’s brother-in-law François Perregaux headed for Singapore where he spent over a year, before settling in Japan. He noted that the time measurement system was completely different to that prevailing in the West, which meant that watches were of no use there. He thus decided to have Girard-Perregaux produce authentic objects of curiosity greatly appreciated by rich Japanese clients. This marked the start of the brand’s longstanding presence in the country.

In 1865, Girard-Perregaux opened a dealership in Buenos Aires, headed by another of Constant Girard-Perregaux’s brothers-in-law, Henri Perregaux. It was to welcome some of the Manufacture’s finest creations: tourbillons, minute repeaters and other refined Grande Complication models with weighty, richly decorated cases that delighted wealthy South American clients.

The Chronometry

THE QUEST FOR PRECISION

The birth of chronometry dates back to the mid-19th century. Constant Girard-Perregaux took an early interest in the tourbillon, which served to achieve superior regularity of rate. He focused his research on the actual structure of the movement and the shape of its components. From the mid-1850s onwards, he began working on creating a timepiece equipped with a tourbillon regulator fitted on a calibre with three parallel bridges. Presented at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867, this watch won him a first medal.
In 1957, the watchmakers of the Manufacture introduced the Gyromatic, an ultra-thin high-performance automatic winding system enabling the production of remarkably thin watches. This principle reached its peak in 1965 in equipping the world’s first ever high-frequency mechanical self-winding movement, the Gyromatic HF, beating at a rate of 36,000 vibrations per hour.

At the end of the 1960s, Swiss watchmakers, who considered watches above all as precision instruments, decided to take a further step in this direction by resorting to quartz. In 1971, Girard-Perregaux presented the first quartz watch ever produced in Switzerland, whose 32,768 Hertz frequency has become the benchmark among manufacturers worldwide.

From the idea to the object

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Progressing from the first idea of a watch to the finalised object takes time. Throughout a process involving studies and analyses, as well as scale models and prototypes, the initial concept is repeatedly verified and adjusted. Once the machining, decoration and assembly operations have been determined for each of the components, production of the new mechanism can begin.

Presented as a first prototype in 2008 and manufactured as of 2013, the Constant Escapement L.M. represented a technological revolution in the watch industry. It enabled Girard-Perregaux to solve a problem that had been occupying the profession for over five centuries: that of constant force. And yet the idea is in fact brilliantly simple: a silicon blade placed at the heart of the escapement stores up the decreasing energy from the barrels and transmits it in a smooth and regular manner.

Behind the case

ABOVE AND BEYOND VISIBLE ASPECTS

Because a watch must be as beautiful inside as it is on the outside, and because the tiny imperfections of machining are detrimental to the smooth running of a mechanical movement, today – just as in 1791– all components pass through the hands of experienced bevellers.

In producing its movements, Girard-Perregaux works with the most innovative technologies, particularly in the development and machining phases of the various components. The decoration, assembly and adjustment stages are entirely performed by hand, using traditional methods. Long months at the bench are required to accomplish these feats, even though they often remain concealed behind the steel or gold exterior of the case.

 

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