At a time at which many watchmaking companies are suffering to a degree – Swatch Group will be announcing a 12% drop in sales for the first half of 2016 for the group, with a 50-60% drop in profits – entry-level watches in 1960s style seem to represent an ever-popular option (other examples include the Certina DS-1 Powermatic 80 and the Glashütte Original Sixties Iconic Collection). The Girard-Perregaux 1957 is based on the 1960s Gyromatic watch. The period feel comes from its integrated case design with lugs flowing gracefully; the modern version has a chunkier feel to it with larger, thicker case and lugs. In the images below, the 1960s Gyromatic (left), and the Girard-Perregaux 1957 (right).
The new piece has a simple champagne dial with sunburst finish, dauphine hour and minute hands coated with SuperLuminova, and applied indices. The sapphire watchglass has a shape based on the Plexiglas crystal used on the Gyromatic. The case is in stainless steel, 40 mm across, 9.45 mm thick, water resistance 3 bar (30 metres, no swimming or showering). The strap is in black alligator.
The watch has a sapphire caseback revealing the classic Girard-Perregaux GP03300-0130 self-winding movement, with Côtes de Genève and circular graining decoration. It runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hertz), and provides about 46 hours power reserve. The image below is of a Girard-Perregaux 1966 which uses the same movement.
Price and reference
The Girard-Perregaux 1957 is reference 41957-11-131-BB6A. It is a limited edition of 225 pieces, price €10,700. Relatively low for a watch with an in-house movement and that could well become a collector’s piece given the small size of the edition.
