Girard-Perregaux
Swiss luxury watch manufacturer
The origins of Girard-Perregaux can be traced back to 1791 when Jean-François Bautte, whose company was later acquired by Girard-Perregaux, created his first watches in Geneva. The name Girard-Perregaux itself appeared in 1856 following the marriage of Constant Girard and Marie Perregaux. Constant Girard-Perregaux distinguished himself in the research into the field of chronometry and especially the tourbillon. The consecration came in 1889 when La Esmeralda, one of his famous Tourbillon with three gold bridges won a gold medal at the Paris Universal exhibition. Fast forward to the late 20th century, Girard-Perregaux was one of the first manufactures to herald the return to mechanical watchmaking under the aegis of Luigi Macaluso. The company is part of the Kering Group since 2011.
Part of the elite of Swiss Haute Horlogerie, Girard-Perregaux is lauded for being a holistic manufacture developing and producing in-house every aspect of a watch and its movement. During the renaissance of mechanical watchmaking the 1980s and 1990s, Girard-Perregaux was one of the rare brands to manufacture movements in-house, in particular with its iconic Tourbillon under three gold bridges and the GP3000 series. Backed by a century-old tradition and such expertise, the brand gave birth to some of the most exceptional creations.
Among these, the Girard-Perregaux Constant Escapement LM is regulated by a revolutionary regulator. Taking advantage of the bi-stable states of a buckled silicon blade, the escapement delivers constant power to the oscillator whatever the force provided by the barrel springs. Girard-Perregaux received numerous award for this development, including the most prestigious one, the Aiguille d’Or at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2013.
Among the current collections, the Girard-Perregaux 1966 pays tribute to the brand’s achievements in the field of chronometry in the 1960s, in particular the serial production of the high-frequency movements beating at 36.000 vibrations per hour. The model embodies the brand’s expertise in the design of timeless classics.
One of the most expressive designs of the brand, the Laureato was originally created in 1975. The GP take on the luxury sports watch stands out with its octagonal bezel, cushion-shaped case and integrated bracelet.
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