In anticipation of the 2017 edition of the Sihh, which opens its doors on 16 January, here is a juicy Girard-Perregaux preview, represented by the 1966 WW.TC, equipped with the complication called world hours, whose invention accompanied the pioneers of railways and, later, civil aviation. For the first time, this function is available in the House's most elegant collection of urban watches, the 1966. The long history of Girard-Perregaux, which celebrated its 225th anniversary this year, is studded with a wealth of landmark creations. The 18th century greeted the advent of ultra-flat models and watches with automata created by Jean-François Bautte, the watchmaker who originated the manufacture; while the 19th century gave us the fabulous Tourbillon with Three Golden Bridges, for which Constant Girard-Perregaux won a prize at the 1889 Universal Exhibition. In the mid-20th century, the in-house Research and Development department - one of the few existing at the time - presented the Gyromatic HF, the first high-frequency movement with its 36,000 vibrations per hour. It was during this period, in 1966, that Girard-Perregaux won the Centenary Prize at the Neuchâtel Observatory for its expertise in chronometry. More recently, the constant-force escapement - a revolutionary innovation based on a silicon blade - caused a sensation and represented a turning point for both the House and the watchmaking industry in general. Holder of 80 patents, Girard-Perregaux today embraces the entire spectrum of watchmaking expertise, from movement development to finishing operations. The 1966 WW.TC, which stands for World Wide Time Control, has two crowns, one on each side of the case, and is surprisingly easy to read and use. The rotating 24-hour disc on the outside of the ring with the hour markers has a white and a black semi-circle to distinguish between day and night. Adjustment is made by means of the two crowns at 9 and 3 o'clock: the first serves to position the reference city at noon; the second to set the hours and minutes, with which the 24-hour disc automatically synchronises itself. Powered by an automatic manufacture movement and an additional module developed in-house, the 1966 WW.TC has a 46-hour power reserve. Further demonstrating its excellent finish, the calibre allows the time and the reference city to be changed in both directions, an operation not permitted by most movements. Finally, the continuous motion of the small seconds hand at 6 o'clock is a reliable indication of operation. Paying homage to a particularly important year for Girard-Perregaux, the 1966 collection is distinguished by a number of elegant features: the case is topped by a polished, slender bezel framing an opaline dial, protected by a sapphire crystal and traversed by the collection's signature leaf-shaped hands. The transparent back reveals a mechanism meticulously subjected to edge-drawing, beveling, circular-graining, and decorated with côtes de Genève. Girard-Perregaux's 1966 WW.TC is available in two versions: one in pink gold with a black alligator strap, the other in steel.
Data sheet
1966 WW.TC
Case: steel or 18k rose gold (40 mm diameter, 12 mm thick).
Glass: sapphire.
Back: sapphire.
Dial: silvered opaline.
Hands: leaf-shaped,.
Water resistance: 30 metres.
Movement: GP03300-0022/0027 calibre, mechanical with automatic winding (diameter: 25.60 mm; thickness: 5.71 mm), 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz)
248 components, 23 jewels, power reserve of at least 46 hours.
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, world time with day/night indication.
Bracelet/Strap: alligator strap with stitching; steel bracelet.
Buckle: steel or 18k rose gold folding clasp.
Reference 49557-52-131-BB6C (pink gold model, alligator strap).
Reference 49557-11-132-BB6C (steel model, alligator strap).
Reference 49557-11-132-11A (steel model, steel bracelet).
