Girard-Perregaux Presents Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges Pocket Watch

In 2010, Girard-Perregaux is pleased to unveil its present-day re-edition of the Tourbillon with three gold Bridges pocket watch. The outstanding timepiece pays tribute to a tradition dating back to the 1860s, initiated by La Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaker Constant Girard-Perregaux. At the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1889, the very same model received a gold medal.

The pocket watch boasts a sophisticated movement distinguished by its construction and unique finishes.

The Tourbillon cage acquired the form of a lyre, the signature of Girard-Perregaux since the 1880s. It is built from 92 components and reflects remarkable precision and skill of its creators. The same as all top-quality timepieces that appeared in the 19th century, the model incorporates a Guillaume-type bimetallic balance compensating for temperature variations to guarantee supreme rate precision.

The Tourbillon created by Constant Girard-Perregaux incorporated a pivoted detent escapement, the mechanism that is really difficult to produce and adjust. Its total length is just 8.5 mm, and the gold detent spring is just 0.04 mm thick.

The movement is constructed from 249 components. Before the final assembly, all components, one by one, are pre-assembled, disassembled, adjusted, checked, dismantled and decorated. The eye-gladdening movement’s architecture reflects meticulous adjustment and a great number of checks.

The same as in the 19th century, the operation of the movement was tested by an independent organization. Having demonstrated exceptional results, the movement received the chronometer title, with the average rate variation over 15 days not exceeding 0.1 second per day.

The aesthetics of the Girard-Perregaux pocket watch evoke the brand’s well-maintained tradition - the design demonstrates the exact configuration of three parallel, arrow-shaped bridges with absolutely unique finishes.

The brilliance of the three bridges that support the tourbillon, the gear train and the barrel required a whole month’s painstaking work. The surfaces of the bridges and screws are polished to get a uniform luster. With spectacular finish, the arms of each bridge are curved to come up with an arched surface.

Following the steps of the brand’s classic pocket watches, the dial of the watch is rendered in white enamel. The hours are marked by Arabic numerals and indicated by blued steel hands. The minutes are shown with help of a minute scale on the edge of the dial. The small seconds are featured at 6 o’clock on an offset dial with a minute scale.

The case of the Girard-Perregaux pocket watch is sculptured in solid pink gold and is created in the hunter style. The zest of the case is a hidden mechanism used for opening the cover on the dial side. The watch owner has to press the push-piece on the crown to open the cover and read the time.

The movement is reliably protected by two covers, one of them revealing a fine engraved decoration and the other left absolutely blank. The future owner of the Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with three gold Bridges pocket watch will have a nice opportunity to choose the engraving and guilloche decoration to embellish the piece to his personal taste.

Look through a fine selection of Girard-Perregaux watches: