Brand Identity That Still Looks Good 150 Years Later

Have you noticed how many modern luxury watches are shedding their skin more and more? It’s quite popular for watch to strip a bit and show you a view of their movement. Some watches are all movement, with no dial to speak of-mere hands floating above a landscape of gears. To accomplish this, watch makers must design movements to look nice, as well as perform properly. It is much easier to simply make a movement, rather than make an aesthetic looking movement.

Back in 1860 Girard Perregaux was one of the first watch makers to consider building a movement around aesthetic ideals. It wasn’t that watch movements were ugly before this, but rather that they displayed a sense of organic mechanical construction that was beautiful for what it was. Girard Perregaux implemented the idea of placing three symmetrical bridges as the main viewable element of a movement. Even today, symmetry in a watch movement (just as on a dial) is highly respected. The Girard Perregaux Tourbillon Three Gold Bridges watch continues in the brand’s tradition of releasing highly sophisticated tourbillion watches that prominently display the three gold bridges. The top bridge secures the mainspring barrel used to power the watch, the middle bridge helps secure the hour and minute hand, while the lower gold bridge secures the top of the tourbillion carriage (that also acts as the seconds counter). If the name of the watch sounds familiar, it is because the title has been used before, what you see is the 2010 version of the Three Bridge Tourbillon watch that enjoys a brand new style.

The 18k pink gold case is 41mm wide and houses a Girard Perregaux GP9600C automatic mechanical tourbillion movement (automatic tourbillion watches are less common than manually wound ones). You can see the movement number “9600” displayed on the watch dial. You will also find the watch’s number in the limited edition on the dial – there will only be 50 pieces of this Girard Perregaux watch model made. It comes on a black alligator strap with a matching gold buckle.

Some people will no doubt be confused by the style of the watch. While easily seen as attractive, the blend of an actual dial (barren and lightly engraved) and movement parts may seem an odd combination. However, the watch is actually an emblem of the brand. The iconic three gold bridge design signifies that the watch is not only a Girard Perregaux, but of the highest-end Girard Perregaux watches available. Ownership of a piece places you in a small club, and communicates to everyone else (who are in the know) of your affiliation with tasteful, classic timepieces. It is almost the anti-modern, modern watch. Price for each in the limited edition is $80,000.

Ariel Adams is the Haute Living Watch Editor and also publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Via: Girard-Perregaux