What makes Girard-Perregaux’s Quasar the ‘supercar’ of timepieces?

Apr 18 , 2019

This ‘supercar’ of timepieces, Girard-Perregaux’s Quasar basically looks like a highly skeletonised movement floating on your wrist. Photo: Hodinkee

Originally published by Stephen Pulvirent on Hodinkee.

Girard-Perregaux has been making movements with the Three Golden Bridges (capitalisation theirs, not mine) for well over a century (discussed in more detail here), and the distinctive movement architecture remains an important part of the brand and its visual language today. This latest take on the three-bridged watch, the Quasar, takes that 19th century principle to a new level, rendering the movement in matt black titanium and wrapping it in a solid sapphire case.

Girard-Perregaux’s latest release, the Quasar, is wrapped in a solid sapphire case. Photo: Hodinkee

The movement itself is based on that of the Neo-Tourbillon With Three Bridges Skeleton released last year, but the sapphire case is something totally new for Girard-Perregaux. In this case, the sapphire takes more than 200 hours to make and machine into shape, and the result is a watch that basically looks like a highly skeletonised movement floating on your wrist.

Initial thoughts

The Quasar is one watch you have to see up close to appreciate and be impressed by. Photo: Hodinkee

This is one of those watches you have to see up close to appreciate. I only got a few minutes with it, but I’ll admit that it really impresses. This isn’t the first sapphire-cased watch we’ve seen over the last few years – hat tips to Hublot and Greubel Forsey here in particular – but it is one of the more interesting.

Many sapphire-focused watches either opt for maximum transparency, à la that Hublot, or simply wrap an existing calibre and dial in the material, à la that GF, but the Quasar instead goes for contrast. The lightness of the case (both physical and visual) juxtaposes nicely with the matt black titanium bridges of the movement, which you can appreciate on a whole new level now that you can see all the way through them and better understand the way they create the calibre’s fundamental structure.

While it is a gorgeous timepiece, the Quasar’s the only drawback is legibility. Photo: Hodinkee

My only real complaint here? Legibility. With all the negative space and the open worked hands, telling the time can be a bit of a pain. I know that is like complaining that visibility isn’t great out the back of your supercar, but such is the world of haute horology these days.

The basics

You can see all the way through the Quasar to better understand the way the calibre is created. Photo: Hodinkee

Brand: Girard-Perregaux

Model: Quasar

Reference: 99295-43-000-BA6A

Diameter: 45mm

Thickness: 15.25mm

Case material: sapphire dial

Colour: none

Indexes: none

Lume: yes, on hands

Water resistance: 30 metres

Strap/bracelet: black alligator leather strap with titanium triple folding clasp

The movement

The sapphire wrap takes more than 200 hours to make and machine into shape. Photo: Hodinkee

Calibre: GP09400-1035

Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, tourbillon

Diametre: 36mm

Thickness: 9.54mm

Power reserve: 60 hours

Winding: automatic

Frequency: 3Hz (21,600 vph)

Jewels: 27

Total components: 260

Pricing & Availability

Price: US$194,000

Availability: March 2019

Visit Girard-Perregaux to find a retailer.

Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Timepieces

At US$194,000, this super lightweight watch is rendered in matt black titanium and wrapped in a solid sapphire case