This watch has a case design dating back to 1945, but its style looks back even further to the Art Deco period. It has now been released in a new version with sapphire dial that provides a look into the in-house GP 03300-0105/0062 movement. The neat function is the jumping date, with two wheels that miraculously resolve into the date at 12 o’clock. The date changes instanteously in just 5 milliseconds at midnight, and the two numerals appear as a single number, with no dividing line between them. Girard-Perregaux achieved this by means of a first black disc with the tens in white, and a second transparent disc above with the numerals on its undersurface.

The moon phase indicator also plays with transparency, with the heart-shaped screen revealing a shadow of what lies below, therefore the second moon symbol. Moon phase can be adjusted using a recessed corrector on the side of the case; date and time are set using the crown. The 4 Hertz movement (28,800 beats per hour) is self-winding, with 46 hours power reserve.

The watch glass and caseback are transparent, while the dial has a smoked colour obtained by surface metallization. The rectangular window cut through the dial is therefore the only part of the movement viewed in its normal colours, which increases the bold contrast of the date indication.

The Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Large Date, Moon-Phases watch is available in stainless steel (reference 25882-11-223-BB6B) or pink gold (25882-52-222-BB6B) versions. The case is relatively small at 36.1 mm x 35.25 mm, mounted on a black alligator strap. Price €14,000 for the steel version, €29,500 for the pink gold version. More info from the Girard-Perregaux website.