Girard-Perregaux are one of the hardest brands to ascribe a generalised design philosophy to. Their horological stable contains the sporty Laureato, the retro Casquette, the cutting edge Neo series and the technical and highly skeletonised Three Bridges, all of which are vastly different in style. On top of that there’s the ultra-luxe La Esmerelda, which is relevant today because GP have released a new edition of the La Esmerlda called the ‘A Secret’ Eternity alongside a new Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges for 2024.
Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges 2024
This watch is a 2024 update to the 2021 original Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges in rose gold. The updates to be found are very subtle, to the extent that they’re almost imperceptible unless someone points them out to you, which is why at first glance the two watches look virtually identical. They’re also focussed mainly on quality of life and wearer comfort.
Getting into it, the hour markers have been redesigned and the baton marker at 12 o’clock has been doubled up. The sapphire crystal glass and exhibition caseback have both been refined to give the box-style shape a touch more curve and offer a closer symmetry between the two. The crown is also larger and rounder, making it easier to use. The idea of being rounder is also seen in the smoother contours of the case as well as the shorter lugs and curvier case middle.
There are also a few updates that are mostly aesthetic and visual rather than altering the physicality of the piece. For one, the central hands now have a satin brushed finish and they feature more Super-LumiNova for low-light legibility. They’re small changes but ones that you’ll come to appreciate if you own the watch.
Beyond these updates, it’s the same Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges as we have known it over the last few years. It has a 44mm gold case housing the GP09400-1273 automatic movement with white gold rotor. It has a 60-hour power reserve and is equipped with hours, minutes, seconds by way of a tourbillon, all mounted on the titular three bridges that span the void of the watch’s display.
It has a price tag of £146,000, which is a bit higher than the 2021 edition’s original price of £121,000. But frankly (and I will admit to not doing the maths) that seems like it’s not too far off the rate of inflation, especially as gold has been hit particularly hard in the last few years.
Price and Specs:
La Esmerelda ‘A Secret’ Eternity Edition
Proving that Girard-Perregaux really are fascinated with the year 2021, their second release at Geneva Watch Days is another update to a 2021 original. It’s the La Esmerelda Eternity redressed as the new La Esmerelda ‘A Secret’ Eternity in honey gold. Essentially the blue decorations of the original are now presented in a rich honey gold tone.
That includes the rose engine turned guilloché dial coated with grand feu enamel. The same is true of the champlevé enamel flanks on the side of the 43mm diameter case. The intricate engraving and horse motifs are inspired by a heritage pocket watch from 1889, which also means 2024 is the 135th anniversary of that original timepiece. According to Girard-Perregaux, it’s the meaning of the horse motif that constitutes the watch’s hidden secret.
It’s the pocket watch heritage that inspires the La Esmerelda ‘A Secret’ to have a hunter style caseback, which is a style of back that has a cover that can be opened to reveal an exhibition window. Traditionally this was so that a watch could have a solid, protective caseback for vigorous activity while allowing you to admire the movement when in more polite surroundings. Here though, the delicate decoration and enamelling of the three-horse cover means neither is particularly suited to harsh treatment.
The movement inside is the GP09600-2083, which is essentially a non-skeletonised version of the Tourbillon with Three Bridges. Although the specs are notably different with only a 50-hour power reserve compared to the 60-hours of the standard edition above. But that can be excused considering the insane level of finishing on display here.
As you might expect, the price is a fair bit more extreme too with a ticket of £381,000. It’s available in a limited edition of 18 pieces, making it exceptionally exclusive to boot, if the price wasn’t already enough to make that the case.
Price and Specs:
More details at Girard-Perregaux.
