Girard-Perregaux Watches

Girard-Perregaux: Where History Meets Watchmaking Artistry

Inspired by the landscapes of a small town in Switzerland, Girard-Perregaux made a name for itself after being awarded in the Universal Exposition of Paris for its “tourbillon with three gold bridges”. This was back in 1889, where tourbillons were simply for technicality and precision. Girard-Perregaux reinvented its use. The tourbillon became more than just a horology engineer’s most prized secret. It turned into something admired by everyone — because everyone can see its technology. 

Because of this, the brand still runs the famous Girard-Perregaux Bridge, an ode to what it is best known for. In the same innovative spirit, the brand has created other collections such as the Girard-Perregaux Laureato, Girard-Perregaux Competizione, and Girard-Perregaux Cat's Eye, one of the best feminine Girard-Perregaux ladies' watches. 

How much is a Girard-Perregaux watch?

Girard-Perregaux’s Collections 

Prices for the Girard-Perregaux 1966: Timeless Dress Watches 

If you are looking for a sleek and timeless design that captures the brand’s classic touch, any watch from the Girard-Perregaux 1966 collection will do. How much is a Girard-Perregaux watch under the 1966 collection, you ask? Its prices range from $7,500 USD to $17,000 USD, depending on the extra features and finishes of the watch. 

The Girard Perregaux 1966 collection strikes a balance between simplicity, modernity, and artistry. Inspired by the 1960s, watches under the 1966 collection have Girard-Perregaux watches for men and women.

Hallmarked by its round faces and mechanical technologies, the 1966 watches are a remnant of its era all while being timeless. Its watch cases are thin with hand dials shaped like leaves. In the ‘60s, a classic watch was your look’s pièce de résistance.

As for its technology, this collection from Girard-Perregaux celebrates its own chronometry innovations. Back in 1966, not all watchmakers received the Neuchâtel Observatory Centenary Prize. Girard-Perregaux began moving the dials forward by introducing the first high frequency calibre, beating at 36,000 vph. 

Prices for the Girard-Perregaux Laureato: Elegant and Sporty

The Girard-Perregaux 1966 collection stands still in timelessness. The Girard-Perregaux Laureato collection joins it in holding the line. 

A classic timepiece from 1975, Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato collection is sleek and functional. Like the 1966 watches, the Laureato collection celebrates another Perregaux accomplishment from the 20th century: slim and precise quartz movement. Moreover, it boasts its iconic octagonal bezel, which is what the Laureato is known for. 

Since then, the collection has amassed different innovations. This ranges from small changes like watch colors and sizes to skeleton timepieces. The Laureato collection has the meticulous sparkle of many crinkle-cut diamonds. It also has the highest quality titanium holding it all together. 

The Laureato watches offer a sleek and wearable design that perches on your wrist like art. This is Girard-Perregaux in its purest form: a classic that pushes the boundaries, without sacrificing elegance for innovation. Its prices range from $8,500 USD to $142,000 USD. The latter is the price for Girard-Perregaux’s coveted Laureato skeleton model. These offer some of the best Girard-Perregaux watches for men. 

Prices for the Girard-Perregaux Competizione: A Must-Have for Racing Enthusiasts

With its current ties to Aston Martin and its long-running history of timepieces, the Girard-Perregaux Competizione collection came to no one's surprise. This is one of Perregaux's collaborations with the world of car racing. 

The Girard-Perregaux Competizione line debuted at Baselworld in 2016. Its most popular pieces, the Stradale and Circuito Chronographs, were designed to capture the elegance and balance of racing. 

The Competizione line has a vintage feel never captured before. This comes to no surprise either. Girard-Perregaux chronograph watch models have been popular since before the ’60s. With their 42mm case and two days of power reserve, the Stradale and Circuito chronographs do not just dress the part: they act the part, too. 

Made with the highest quality steel, titanium, and carbon composite, the Competizione Line is thick and hefty, but also comfortable and timeless. It is wearable with a semi-wide array of straps, and is priced at about $9,000 USD to $10,000 USD. 

Prices for the Girard-Perregaux Cat's Eye: Sensual Watches with Mechanical Grit

In fashion, the cat’s eye is sleek, elegant, and feminine. The brand’s rendition, the Girard-Perregaux Cat’s Eye collection, is no different. In fact, it even redefines what it means to sport a ‘cat’s eye’. These are the ultimate Girard-Perregaux ladies’ watch models. 

Debuted in 2004, Girard-Perregaux’s Cat’s Eye collection has oval-shaped cases that make them easy to spot and admire. Made from the finest elements of the Earth, these series of watches are unafraid to glimmer, sparkle, and wow. 

While these watches win the most points in showmanship, you can expect that they still adhere to the philosophy of the company. Through the Cat’s Eye, Girard Perregaux found a way to match sensual watch shapes to high-class mechanical watch movements. 

Live out the saying “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. In fact, like your watch, dare to add more: the Cat’s Eye collection also has golds, pearls, and aventurines. How much is a Girard-Perregaux watch that has these features? A timepiece from this collection lands at about $15,500 USD to $303,000 USD. Its highest priced piece contains a gold tourbillon. 

Prices for the Girard-Perregaux Bridges: A Watchmaking Icon

The Swiss brand is the intersection of artistry and engineering. This is most clear in the Girard-Perregaux Bridges collection, revealing the precise inner workings of each watch. Prices for this fall between $18,300 USD and $858,000 USD. 

It is to everyone’s knowledge that Girard-Perregaux’s legacy began when it transformed watch bridges back in the 19th century. The company, as early as it was, sought beyond the norms. Because of this, Girard-Perregaux pioneered a "tourbillon with three gold bridges”.

Through these, the company managed to push watch bridges to the forefront of craftsmanship. Girard-Perregaux’s Bridges collection lays its technology bare for you to revel at, leaving onlookers to revel at you. 

Its stand-out pieces include the Neo Bridges and Quasar Light, which sport the classic nature of the ‘three gold bridges’ without getting too complacent. The Neo Bridges, for example, is a chromatic rendition of the timepiece. 

Later, you will see what "Tourbillon with three gold bridges" really means. It is more than just a design component of Perregaux; it is an engineering legacy.

Girard-Perregaux's Milestones and Innovations 

Girard-Perregaux owns one of the oldest watch making manufacturers in the world. Because of this, the brand has been at the forefront of horology. Girard-Perregaux watches have top-notch features rivaled by no one else in the industry. It strikes a balance between dial variety, minute repeaters, and award-winning tourbillon design. Girard-Perregaux chronograph watch models, for example, offer some of the best Girard-Perregaux watches for men and Girard-Perregaux ladies’ watches. However, the brand shows innovation in other fields as well. 

Sustainability and Collaborations 

Girard-Perregaux also joins its Kering Group family in following a “Sustainability Strategy”. Under this mandate, they focus on three core pillars: caring, collaborating, and creating. It uses 100% traceable raw materials and reduces its carbon emissions by 50%. Girard-Perregaux follows standards for raw materials and environmental welfare. 

Girard-Perregaux has ties with luxury’s most prestigious names. Currently, it is the official watch partner for the Aston Martin. Many can expect a watch that ties up the elegant and sporty nature of both brands. Girard-Perregaux will be featured on Aston Martin’s team cars in the 2021 F1 season. 

Girard-Perregaux's Vintage Watches

Wearing a Girard-Perregaux is a callback to a timeless aesthetic. The Girard-Perregaux 1966, Girard-Perregaux Laureato, and Girard-Perregaux Competizione collections, for example, remain inspired by the ‘50s to ‘60s. 

However, Girard-Perregaux can get more vintage than this. Its Vintage 1945 collection sports Art Deco aesthetics inspired by the 1940’s. Encrusted with a sapphire crystal, this watch is delicately shaped into a curved square. Bejeweled, Vintage 1945 watches are also great Girard-Perregaux watches for men. 

The most vintage of this line also sports Arabic numerals, which was the standard for watches at the time. It even has a railway minute track for added sophistication and sentiment. Vintage 1945 is one of Girard-Perregaux’s most iconic watches, powered by an all in-house movement. 

Other vintage watches under Girard-Perregaux include watches from specific collections. These are mostly Girard-Perregaux chronograph watch models. For example, back in 2002, the company released a Ferrari watch in line with the Formula One World Championships. This had a black Girard Perregaux rubber strap, the Ferrari logo, and red accented subdials. It can be found in only a few markets for about $3,000 USD. 

As for more top-of-the-line vintage watches from Girard Perregaux, another popular choice is its Chronograph 4956. With leaf shaped dials and gold accents, Girard-Perregaux watches price of this model retail at around $11,000 USD.

Girard-Perregaux’s Iconic Bridge & Tourbillon Technology 

It would be a waste to discuss Girard-Perregaux without the phrase “tourbillon with three gold bridges”. These five words skyrocketed Perregaux from a budding luxury brand to a household name in 1889. This was a first for horology: seeing the technical elements of each watch. 

The “tourbillon with three gold bridges” design placed watch bridges parallel to each other. By doing this, Girard-Perregaux introduced a new and patented way of producing watches. Before its time, bridges simply served a technical purpose. Because of Girard-Perregaux, it became a design element. This also became a looking glass into the world of precision engineering. 

The “three gold bridges” design was revolutionary for its time—being awarded a gold medal at the Universal Exposition of Paris. However, its sphere of influence grows wider as Girard-Perregaux continues to innovate and create. 

Updating the Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges

Girard-Perregaux strikes a balance between tradition and modernity with its sporty-chic watches. Bringing an iconic design very early on—the 1880’s to be exact—it would have been easy for the brand to let its past eclipse its present. 

This is certainly not the case for Girard-Perregaux. It takes on the “Tourbillon with three gold bridges” as a challenge. Perregaux reinvented it twice in its long-running history. In 1991, the company made a smaller watch that had the Tourbillon with three gold bridges. This showed how far Girard-Perregaux’s design has gone. It went from taking thousands of hours to create to being condensed for leisure. 

Another reinvention took place in 2016. On its 225th anniversary, the Tourbillon with three gold bridges wowed people once more. Girard-Perregaux released a watch with a Free Bridge. With this design, watch dials seem to float inside its 44mm case. It is also a modern take on a classic design; made with the highest-grade silicon and topped by a clean sapphire crystal.

History of Girard-Perregaux

Based in Switzerland, Girard-Perregaux makes its watches around the Jura mountains. Its landscapes serve as an inspiration to the company. 

As it stands, Girard-Perregaux is one of the oldest watchmaking Manufactures in Switzerland. It began writing its history in 1791 and never stopped innovating since. From its Three Bridges technology all the way to its partnerships with luxury car brands, Girard-Perregaux keeps it simple, elegant, and timeless every step of the way. 

Beyond aesthetic, functionality is a key component of Girard-Perregaux watch models. Its award-winning use of the tourbillon has made watches forceful and more beautiful ever since. Also, with over two centuries of craftsmanship, the city in which Girard-Perregaux operates is a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Mergers, In Every Sense of the Word

The company also owes a great debt to its founders, Constant Girard and Marie Perregaux. Through their marriage, two watchmaking families bridged together. Starting in the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, their small Atelier was a hub for innovation and creativity. Horology has not been the same since. 

However, this may not have been the case without their acquisition of the Maison of Jean-François Bautte of Geneva. The company has been a luxury for many royals and high-income families all over the globe. Beyond Europe, Bautte also managed to capture the East Asian market. Particularly, the company has been an influence to China.

Since this merger, Girard-Perregaux has been at the forefront of luxury and precision engineering. Because of this, the company challenged the fine lines of horology and fashion. In many ways, Girard-Perregaux managed to bridge these two together---its most successful merger. 

Five Reasons to Buy a Girard-Perregaux Watch

1. Legacy of Tourbillon with three gold bridges 

Girard-Perregaux’s Tourbillon with three gold bridges is a patented design that shows the creativity of horology. Many take watches for granted, especially with the rise of smartphones. However, Girard-Perregaux’s iconic design will pique one’s interest even today. 

See what makes your watches tick and revel in the beauty of precision through Girard-Perregaux. Tourbillons are more than just parts of a watch: they are a piece of art. It holds your watch accountable not only to mechanical accuracy but also to its industry. This technology is so revolutionary that it has not found any alternative since 1889. Girard-Perregaux has not found its match for hundreds of years, making it at the forefront of watchmaking.

2. Elegance and Uniqueness

Girard-Perregaux watches are a perfect fit to prestigious racing cars for a reason. These are simple but elegant additions to anyone’s look, no matter their style preferences. Topping off your look with a Girard-Perregaux watch brings a certain level of power and class that only the brand’s encrusted jewels and classic housing can bring. One can even choose between five different finishes. 

More than that, each piece is made in-house. Manufactured and designed in Switzerland, Girard-Perregaux watches are artisanal and unique. The company was the first to keep development within itself. By doing this, they have made each watch even more special and quaint without being too showy.

3. A piece of history with you 

As mentioned above, Girard-Perregaux owns one of the world’s oldest watch manufacturers. Perregaux watches are a celebration of horology and its varied craftsmanship. If it were not for mergers of jewelry and families, Girard-Perregaux would not have come to fruition. 

Owning a Perregaux is a statement that need not be screamed. It is a testament to the thousands of hours it uses to make its first Tourbillon with three bridges, and a piece of art. An elegant watch never goes out of style. Girard-Perregaux is a founding father of luxury watches, making it a must-have for anyone who wants to make a watch investment worthwhile.

4. Power 

A Girard-Perregaux watch walks the talk. It looks powerful and is as such. With centuries of experience under its belt, a powerful chronograph is expected. This is exactly what you get in a Girard-Perregaux watch. For example, a classic Absolute Wired from the Girard-Perregaux Laureato has a self-winding chronograph with over 400 components. In such a small space, this watch manages to beat 28,000 vibrations per hour. This precision is a standard for almost all of Girard-Perregaux’s offerings. Moreover, most watches also have a little less than a two-day power reserve (46 hours).

5. Strength and Durability 

Smooth and polished, each watch from Girard-Perregaux is carefully handcrafted by the industry’s most experienced artists. Each watch is handled by a different expert, making each watch precise yet one of a kind. 

Girard-Perregaux also only uses horology’s finest and most high-tech materials. Stemming from the example above, the Laureato Absolute Wired is composed of carbon glass. This material is both durable and light, perching on your wrist causing no problems at all. Only artisans have a hand in each Girard-Perregaux watch. The brand doubles down on the artistry of watch making, and owning a piece (or more) makes you a part of the industry forever.

Girard-Perregaux: Telling Stories Through Its Watches

Any watch can tell time, but not all watches tell a story. Girard-Perregaux manages to tell its story again and again with its watches. From its 1966 line all the way to its iconic Bridges, the brand adds an elegant touch to horology. 

Where other brands may want to conceal the fine mechanisms of watches, Girard-Perregaux celebrates it. Known best for its Tourbillon with three gold bridges, the brand no longer needs further explanation. Girard-Perregaux ladies’ watch models compliment Girard-Perregaux watches for men beautifully. In contrast, almost anyone can enjoy a Girard-Perregaux chronograph watch. 

The three parallel bridges are a perfect symbol for Girard-Perregaux. As a brand, it is clean-cut and precise. Made in-house in the landscapes of Switzerland, it also promises creativity and innovation. Owning one of its pieces is a substitute for no other watch: it is truly in a league of its own.