With grace and sophistication
Girard Perregaux has been in the right place at the right time since as far back as 1791
The tourbillon seems to be the leading trend in haute horlogerie this year - if you can call a complication a trend, that is.
One brand that is well known for the quality and elegance of its tourbillons is Girard Perregaux. This year, the watch manufacturer - which traces its roots back to 1791 - certainly does not disappoint. The brand is releasing two excellent watches with tourbillons this year: the ww.tc Tourbillon Hours of the World and the Cat's Eye Tourbillon.
The most striking of the two is the former, an elegant men's watch with a world time complication. A relatively thick city ring inside the bezel clearly shows major centres from the various time zones, while a more slender ring slips between this and the dial rotating to show the time on the 24-hour clock.
But the most noticeable feature of this watch is that its tourbillon is nowhere to be seen. Conventionally, tourbillons are shown off through a window in the dial. Girard Perregaux has shirked this practice to give its watch a more understated, classic look; the tourbillon is only visible through the sapphire-crystal back of the watch.
The Cat's Eye Tourbillon is the brand's second tourbillon ladies' watch, and it too has been carried out with a great deal of grace and sophistication. Many ladies' tourbillons on the market are simply a men's watch with a few feminine touches added on, but this is a ladies' watch through and through.
The case comes from the elegant Cat's Eye collection, which has helped the brand win over many female clients. An oval dial inset with unusual black mother-of-pearl creates a distinctive and elegant feel for the watch, and plays well against the 18-carat gold case.
Other new complication watches from the brand this year come in the Laureato Evo3 range, an automatic chronograph and a chronograph with a perpetual calendar. The Laureato watch was first released in 1975, but these two references take the design right up to date. The automatic chronograph features a titanium case attached to a rubber strap to create a tough, lightweight watch for today's active lifestyle. The perpetual calendar takes a more genteel approach, with a pink-gold case and a dark brown crocodile leather strap.
Girard Perregaux also produces a wide selection of jewellery watches, among which the Cat's Eye watch has been selected as lady's watch of the year in Japan and Switzerland. Another highlight is the Vintage 1945 collection, which exudes seductive retro glamour.
Girard Perregaux recognises that the company it keeps has a big effect on its public image, and it has forged relationships with a range of prestigious companies and sporting events.
The company recently launched a partnership with pen maker Montegrappa to produce a special fountain pen on the theme of the tourbillon.
For more than a decade, the brand had a partnership with Italian sports carmaker Ferrari. That partnership came to an end recently, but the watchmaker maintains a link with motor sports through the Monte Carlo historic car rally.
Girard Perregaux is also a sponsor of the BMW Oracle yacht in the Americas Cup and is developing a line to celebrate this connection.
