Girard-Perregaux Showcases Two New Three-Flying-Bridge Tourbillons

Since 1791, Girard-Perregaux (GP), an independent timepiece manufacturer, has been on a mission to find the ideal balance between aesthetics and usefulness in its watches. Their skeleton-dial watches, for instance, are considered elaborate pieces of art that reveal the captivating motions that propel them. What’s more, Girard-Perregaux frequently plays around with the shapes of its iconic bridges. This kind of experimentation is in full new on the new Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges (Ref. 99296-52-3434-5CC) watch while the newly released 18-piece limited-edition La Esmeralda Tourbillon ‘A Secret’ Eternity Edition (Ref. 99274-52-3423-5CC) draws inspiration from La Esmeralda, a pocket watch manufactured by GP in 1889.

With sleek and uncluttered design, the flying bridges present an unobstructed view of their workings; the tourbillon-regulator, the gear train, and the barrel that make up the timekeeping train are placed both vertically and linearly, just like real bridges. As is customary, they are supported by three horizontal bridges on either side of the movement, which are fixed to the case rather than to the base plate, giving the movement a clear, airy appearance. Using a tiny piece of boxwood, each bridge is meticulously chamfered by hand — a method that has been used for hundreds of years.

Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges

This 44 mm timepiece gets a pink gold case, lugs, and a crown at 3 o’clock. There are 11 single baton hour markers while 12 o’clock gets dual baton-shaped hour markers with luminescent material (blue emission). The front and back sapphire crystals have a box shape, but they are curved. The pink gold dauphine-type hour, minute hands are skeletonised with luminescent material (blue emission) and are satin-finished. The tourbillon at 6 o’clock has a blued steel hand to indicate the seconds.

The Manufacturer's design team has increased wearers’ comfort by reducing the lugs and rounding down the middle of the case, which will be notably visible to those with narrower wrists. The three gold bridges positioned at the front of the watch remain dressed in black. The upper and lower surfaces of the pink gold bridges are dressed in black PVD while the chamfered edges eschew black coating, revealing a discreet sliver of gleaming pink gold.

Powering the watch is a self-winding Calibre GP09400-1273 with a 60-hour power reserve. Turning the watch over showcases the skeleton caseback with a white gold oscillating weight. This model is finished on a black rubber strap with a fabric effect and a pink gold triple folding buckle. There is also a complimentary black alligator strap with golden effect.

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Girard-Perregaux La Esmeralda Tourbillon ‘A Secret’ Eternity Edition

Since its release in 2021, the novelty has been available in a variety of case materials and enamel colours. The 2024 model is housed in a pink gold case that measures 43 mm in diameter and 15.10 mm in height. The centre of the case is coated in honey-coloured enamel that complements the dial; the case, the lugs, and the bezel all sport hand-engraved leaf designs. The dial gets a combination of sunray and circular guilloché motifs.

As a tribute to the 1889 La Esmeralda, three arrow-shaped gold mirror-polished bridges span the dial horizontally, with two hand-engraved gold horses alighting on two bridges. The first bridge, positioned over the rhodium-plated barrel, features a horse at 2 o’clock while the third bridge over the tourbillon has a horse at 7 o’clock. The area surrounding the vertical movement is decorated with circular guilloché and finished with honey-coloured Grand Feu enamel. The dauphine-style hour and minute hands in pink gold are complemented by a blued steel hand on the tourbillon at 6 o’clock to indicate the seconds.

Three horses are seen racing across a sunlit guilloché countryside, accented with Grand Feu enamel, on the pink gold caseback cover. Powering the watch is Calibre GP09600-2083, a self-winding movement with a 50-hour power reserve. Once the cover opens, it reveals a marking plate with the word, Secret, engraved on it, a pink gold motion-work bridge, and the engraving of the individual watch number out of 18. Finishing the watch is a hand-stitched brown calfskin strap with alligator lining and a pink gold engraved triple folding buckle. The timepiece will be delivered with a complimentary black alligator strap.