The combination of avant-garde design and innovative technology defines thehistory of Girard Perregaux watches. A history whose origins date back to 1791, the year when Jean François Bautte, a talented watchmaker known for his ultra-thin models, began his high-quality industrial and cultural legacy. More than a century later, in 1852, Constant Girard founded Girard & Cia which, four years later, would become the manufacturerGirard Perregauxwith workshops in the well-known Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland. From this moment on the history of watchesGirard PerregauxIt goes hand in hand with the creation of revolutionary concepts that expand the brand's reputation throughout the world.
The development of master creations such as the three-bridge gold tourbillon, which demonstrates the use of gold as a purely functional metal within a watch, is worthGirard Perregauxnumerous awards. Furthermore, the brand was ahead of its time and, already in 1880, developed the concept of wristwatches for the German navy. A step forward that would not be recognized until the beginning of the following century when his precocious vision was recognized parallel to the rise of this type of machines. The purchase of a large part of the shareholder capital ofGirard Perregauxby Otto Graef diversifies the brand and models. The Sea Hawk appears, a waterproof model, or the Vintage 1945, an iconic Art Deco model.
The history of watchesGirard PerregauxIt continues to be marked by numerous innovations such as the Gyromatic, its first automatic movement with ruby bearings, or the Girotrones, which marked a return to the concepts and technical advances of Constant Girard's time. This family of models was periodically improved until achieving a high-frequency Gyromatic in 1965 that oscillated at 36,000 vph and which earned Girard Perregaux the centenary prize of the Neuchâtel observatory in 1966.
In the 60s and 70sGirard PerregauxIt is committed to having development and research departments that create revolutionary movements for the brand. One of the results of this commitment to industrial development and scaling is the first watchGirard Perregauxwith a quartz movement and a vibration frequency of 32768 Hz, henceforth universal standard for quartz watches. Another notable step is the inclusion in its pieces of a perpetual calendar that includes complex mechanisms beyond the usual calendars, minute repeater, etc.
Despite the bet ofGirard PerregauxDue to quartz movements, the brand is one of the first Swiss watchmakers to redevelop mechanical watches and expand its manufacturing capacity by introducing new families of ultra-thin movements such as the GP3000 and GP3100 with automatic winding, predecessors of the GP3200 and GP3300 movements.
The history of watchesGirard PerregauxIt has also been marked by the creation of numerous associations with the world of motors such as the one made with Ferrari in 1993 under the direction of Luigi Macaluso and which gave rise to an extraordinary collection of sports models and complications.
Currently, watchesGirard PerregauxThey are grouped in the Echappement Constant and Tourbillon collections with three gold bridges at the top, the three traditional collections - Vintage 1945, Girard-Perregaux 1966 and Cat's Eye - and the two sporty families - Hawk and Traveler - which had been preceded by models such as the Laureato. Since 2011, the brand has become part of the French multinational Kering focused on the luxury sector.
Despite the success achieved,Girard Perregauxhas continued to innovate and create new models that include improved versions of its flagship movements such as the automatic version of its famous three-gold bridge tourbillon. Other advances have been the new date display systems and moon phase indicators or the new tourbillons such as the biaxial one, which performs multidimensional rotations and compensates for possible irregularities due to gravity. The brand has also continued to invest in quartz movements and has developed a whole new family of movements of this type. Girard Perregaux has continued to work on the miniaturization and precision of its mechanical movements demonstrated in its most recent and spectacular innovation: the constant force escapement. With this addition, the brand will give a new twist to the entire watch industry in terms of technique, concept and materials by including a silicon sheet thinner than a human hair.
For more than two centuries the brandGirard Perregauxhas created watchmaking pieces that combine technical mastery and a great passion for design down to the smallest detail. This has meant that the brand is distinguished as one of the main ones in the world of luxury watches. Creativity and the combination of constant research and development have allowed it to create a portfolio that honors its tradition and innovation within watch manufacturing.
Curiosities
- In 1880 Girard Perregaux carried out the first major sale of wristwatches: 200 pieces for the German navy.
- A Girard Perregaux watch was used by Ferdinand Von Zeppelin during aeronautical tests of his airships.
- Girard Perregaux watches equipped with the Gyromatic movement are so accurate that 70% of the COSC certificates issued in 1967 by the Neuchâtel observatory were for chronometers of this family.
- Girard Perregaux has more than 80 patents in terms of chronometry and more than 100 versions of high-end movements.
- Various global personalities have been brand ambassadors such as Anne Igartiburu, Hugh Jackman and Sergio Ramos.
- Personalities such as Nicolas Sarkozy and Pierce Brosnan use it on occasion.
- The Girard Perregaux company is part of several philanthropic projects together with various organizations such as the We Are Family Foundation and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. He has also developed his own projects such as the reconstruction of the Tohoku region in Japan.
- Girard Perregaux's initiative, the Young Watchmakers Tour, takes members of its workshops to carry out their work on the streets of cities such as Tokyo, New York, Paris and Beijing.
- Girard Perregaux is the exclusive timekeeper and founding partner of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures that will open in 2016 in Los Angeles.
- Girard Perregaux has been an official sponsor of several events such as the Monte Carlo Rally and a partner of the BMW Oracle Racing team in the 32nd America's Cup.
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