In fine watchmaking, the golden bridge is considered a mechanical art form, inspiring reinventions and new twists.
Girard-Perregaux's vintage 1945 Jackpot Tourbillon watch (HK$3.95 million) features the gold bridge, with the design incorporating a tourbillion and a slot machine equipped with a striking mechanism.
The brand spent months developing the entirely integrated calibre, which required the miniaturisation and integration of all functions. The gaming machine feature is operated by a rack, which starts and stops the reels and activates the chimes.
It has launched a limited-edition watch featuring a tourbillion with three gold bridges (HK$1.5 million). The three gold parallel bridge is a modern interpretation of Girard-Perregaux's 19th-century invention.
The three golden bridges have been redesigned in a vintage 1945 case (HK$1.62 million) to hold the movement wheels in the shape of arrows, and set them in parallel, aligning the barrel, the wheel train and the tourbillon in the same axis.
Inspired by an art deco-style watch, the crown has been integrated into the case to retain the balance of the lines. The tourbillon comprises 72 components, all of which fit into a diameter of just one centimetre and weighs 0.3 grams. Accompanying it is a self-winding calibre, a platinum micro-rotor, incorporated behind the barrel, to preserve the architecture of the movement.