Countdown to the ONLY WATCH Auction, 28th September, 2013. Post #16: Girard-Perregaux- Chrono Hawk Only Watch

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Today's post presents Girard-Perregaux's, Chrono Hawk Only Watch

Girard-Perregaux 

The history of the Girard-Perregaux manufacture dates back to 1791 when watchmaker and goldsmith Jean-François Bautte signed his first watches. He created a manufacturing company in Geneva which, for the first time ever, handled all the facets of watchmaking in one location, starting with the design and engineering of the watch all the way to the final hand assembly and hand polishing of each watch.

In 1852, the watchmaker Constant Girard founded the Girard & Cie Firm in La Chaux-de-Fonds. He, then, married Marie Perregaux and the Girard-Perregaux Manufacture was born in 1856. In 1906, Constant Girard-Gallet, who took over control of the Manufacturer from his father, took over the Bautte House and merged it with Girard-Perregaux & Cie. Since then, the brand has pursued its activities by reinforcing from its position in the domain of prestigious mechanical watches.

The Manufacture holds approximately 80 patents in the watch-making domain and is the originator of many innovative concepts.

In 1880, Constant Girard produced the first ever major commercial production of a wristwatch, made for German naval officers and ordered by German Kaiser Wilhelm I for his German naval officers. Two-thousand such watches were ordered and produced, which represents the first important commercialization of wristwatches.

In 1884, Constant Girard submitted to the United States Patent Office a patent of the design of the movement “Tourbillon with three gold bridges.” The Tourbillon complication had been invented in 1801 by Abraham-Louis Breguet. Girard was fascinated and decided that he wanted to produce a tourbillon bearing the companies name within his lifetime.The three bridges were redesigned in the form of arrows and placed parallel to each other. The movement was no longer just a functional and technical element, but it also became an element of design in every way. In 1889, the Tourbillon with three gold bridges was awarded a gold medal at the Universal Exposition of Paris. In 1980, Girard-Perregaux decided to make 20 pieces to conform to the original of 1889: 1500 hours of work were necessary to create the first one. To celebrate its bicentenary in 1991, the company created a miniaturised wristwatch version of its famed Tourbillon with three gold Bridges.

 "La Esmeralda" (below), is the most celebrated example of the famous Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges, Constant Girard-Perregaux's masterpiece. 1889. Pink gold hunter watch sumptuously engraved with "CG" monogram. Enamel dial. Movement with three parallel gold bridges, a tourbillon detent escapement and gold wheel plates. This watch was given to the President of Mexico,Porfirio Díaz, at the end of the 19th century.

"La Esmeralda"

Two-sided pink gold hunter pocket watch (below) signed "Girard-Perregaux", circa 1890. Enamel dials with the hours, minutes and seconds on one side, and the days, months and lunations on the other. This watch belonged to King Farouk of Egypt.

Two-sided pink gold hunter pocket watch

Enamelled yellow gold cruciform pendant-watch (below) signed "Girard-Perregaux", circa 1870. The front of the cross is decorated with painted enamel religious motifs. The back is engraved and enamelled with the Ave Maria in Latin. White enamel dial encircled by a bezel set with brilliants. Cross-shaped movement.
 

Gold Cruciform Pendant

   Book-shaped pendant-watch (below) signed "Girard-Perregaux", circa 1860. Engraved yellow gold case decorated with blue enamel. Enamel dial protected by a small grill surmounted by a multicoloured medaillon. Double photograph frame inside.

Book shaped Pendant Watch

One little known fact is the Girard-Perregaux is also the pioneer of Quartz movements. In the late 1960's, it was one of the few manufacturers with a seperate research and development team. This in-house research allowed the company to introduce and manufacture the first Swiss-designed Quartz watches in 1970. In 1973 they had introduced the first Quartz watch with Light-emitting Diode (LED) and has become a significant Swiss supplier of Quartz movements and OEM watches to other famous brands. Everyone knew by then that the future of the wristwatch was in Quartz and Girard-Perregeaux quickly realised that unlike mechanical watches, quartz watches are able to be easily mass produced by machines. Seiko proved that Japan could produce more efficiently and at a lower cost. The rest is history.

Being a sole manufacture, Girard-Perregaux still hold true to the traditional approach. All movements and watches, cases and bands are brought together in-house. Every step involves different components and watchmakers, engineers, decorators, polishers. All artisans in their own fields with dedication to the time honoured craftsmanship ensuring the highest possible quality.

Chrono Hawk Only Watch
Clad in a matt-black ceramic case set with a rare silvery-white palladium bezel, the Girard-Perregaux Chrono Hawk Only Watch declares its bold identity. Hints of red on the dial and the strap underline its attachment to the Only Watch charity auction.

Girard-Perregaux Chrono Hawk

Catalogue Description:

Girard-Perregaux Chrono Hawk for Only Watch Girard-Perrgaux Chrono Hawk, Ref. 49970-32-1304SBF60 A fine and unique, ceramic and palladium self-winding wristwatch with chronograph and date. Accompanied by a fitted box and certificate.

C. Ceramic case, palladium bezel, caseback held by 6 screws, sapphire crystals D. Black carbon-finish, subsidiary dials for constant seconds and 30-minutes counter, aperture for date. M. Girard-Perregaux GP03300, 61 jewels, 46 hour power reserve

Estimate: 14,000 EUR - 18,000 EUR

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