This renowned company originated in 1791, when talented watchmaker, Jean-Francois Bautte signed his first watches; after learning all of the trades of watchmaking, at that time, and completing his education. He set up a manufacturing company in Geneva, with all of the watchmaking elements of that time under one roof - which was unusual at that time. He became one of the most famous watchmakers of the era: trading with the European courts and receiving visits from Victoria, who would later become Queen. Girard-Perregaux & Cie was born in 1856, when Constant Girard (founder of the Firard & Cie Firm in La Chaux-de-Fonds), married Marie Perregaux. After taking control of the watch manufacturing company, his son also took over the Bautte House in 1906, and merged it with his family's company. Thus began a legacy of prestigious mechanical watches that came to have approximately 80 watch-making patents and originated many innovative concepts in their domain. Recently, they even announced themselves as the exclusive timekeeper of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures; with their new Chrono Hawk Hollywoodland being used by the museum as a canvas for paying tribute to film-making history.
The Tourbillon, a concentrate of ingenuity that is considered to be one of the most challenging mechanisms to create, has been the master complication in watch-making since 1801. This mechanism has no effect on the change in rate that accompanies a dial change from horizontal to vertical; improving timekeeping in the four vertical positions, and having no effect in the horizontal positions (because in these positions the balance is horizontal & not effected by gravity, as it turns). The first tourbillon was developed by French-Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Brequet around 1795; based on an idea formulated earlier, by John Arnold, who was an English chronometer. They have recently begun making a bi-axial tourbillon that is made of Tantalum, and they've already mastered it. In additions to others, they also make some amazing triple bridge tourbillons and traditional 1966 golden bridges (which is sort of a prequel to the Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges, that we're reviewing).
The Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges is their emblematic model. With movement that isn't just a functional and technical element, the three bridges were redesigned in the form of arrows that are parallel to one another and became an element of design in every way. The feminine version of this watch is elegant, luxurious, and graceful; cut in pink gold, with a bezel and flange that are set with more than 1.80 carats of diamonds that enhance the silhouette and simply illuminate the face of the watch. This, along with the exceptional watchmaking and entirely hand-polished finishing, highlight the superb architecture of the watch - which fits the most delicate wrists, gracefully.
Positioned perfectly on the movement is the delicately cut mother-of-pearl dial - the mother-of-pearl being optionally two-toned, natural white, or with a sparkling gold tone. The Lady's Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges is 38 mm, with a height of 11.16 mm, comes with the choice of a glassy red or navy blue alligator leather strap - both with buckles set with 18 diamonds. Both variants also come with an additional black alligator strap. Inside this watch, the tourbillon and it's components fit into a 10 mm diameter; and the GP09600 caliber is fitted with a platinum micro-rotor which is lodged into the barrel's surround, with the additional feminine touch - unique to this watch - of the floral pattern decorating the barrel drum. As the perfect finish to this useful, wearable work of art, the signature is on the case-back in delicate calligraphy.