====== Girard-Perregaux ======
{{wst>menue|Girard-Perregaux}}

**Girard-Perregaux** is a Swiss watch manufacturer, currently part of the [[Kering]] group but being spun off to its management team, [[Sowind Group]], as of [[2022]].

{{wst>image_r|GP_9600|The [[Tourbillon]] Calibre [[GP 9600]] with three gold bridges|193px}}
The manufacturer Girard-Perregaux is one of the few truly authentic Swiss [[manufacture|manufactures]]. The company draws not only from a big name in the past, neither is it some anonymous flagship of a holding company, but since the beginning of its existence, it has been active with high quality in the area of continous development of the mechanical watch.

===== History =====
In the year [[1852]] [[Girard, Constantin Othenin|Constantin Othenin Girard]] founds the company **Girard & Cie**. Two years later he marries Marie Perregaux, and from the fusion of their names and through collaboration with [[Perregaux, Henri|Henri Perregaux]] in [[1856]] in [[La Chaux-de-Fonds]] the [[manufacture]] Girard-Perregaux is created. The aim of the manufacture is the production of precision watches.

===== Successes and Awards =====
{{wst>image_l|Girard,_Constantin|Constantin Othenin Girard (1825-1903)|140px}}
Between [[1866]] and [[1876]] Girard-Perregaux wins several awards at [[chronometer]] competitions of the Observatory of [[Neuchâtel]].

[[1867]] [[Constantin Girard]] presents a [[tourbillon]] and with it wins a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris. In [[1889]] his showpiece, the famous [[tourbillon]] watch with three gold bridges, which development had taken several years, obtaines a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris, before due to their inaccessibility it is no longer allowed to compete in the years since [[1901]].

{{wst>image_r|Girard-Perregaux_Tourbillon_mit_3_Goldbrücken_s|[[Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with 3 Gold Bridges]], [[skeletonized]]}}
{{wst>image_l|Bautte,_Jean-Francois|Jean-Francois Bautte (1772-1837)|140px}}
From [[1880]] Constantin Girard developes [[wristwatch]]es for the German naval officers on behalf of Kaiser Wilhelm I. and then manufactures two thousand of them - which thus become the first mass-produced wristwatches ever. Unfortunately not one of the original series has been found anymore - that would certainly have been of great value to collectors of today -, so for the company's museum one copy had to be reconstructed according to the original plans.

[[1903]] [[Girard, Constantin Othenin|Girard]] dies. His son [[Girard-Gallet, Constant|Constant Girard-Gallet]] takes over the management of the company. In [[1906]] he additionally purchases the company Bautte, founded by [[Bautte, Jean-Francois|Jean Francois Bautte]]. Because this talented watchmaker, guillocheur, case maker and goldsmith had already begun to sign the watches with his own name in the year [[1791]], Girard-Perregaux since then counts this date as the beginning of its history.

=====Otto Graef and MIMO=====

In [[1920]] years the company specializes in wristwatches. In [[1928]] [[Graef, Otto|Otto Graef]] acquires the majority of shares in Girard-Perregaux, later combining the company with his own firm, [[MIMO]]. In [[1930]] for the first time more wristwatches than [[pocket watch]]es are sold. About [[1940]] the brand Girard-Perregaux is very successful both in Europe and America, especially with the [[waterproof]] model //Sea Hawk// (see below). The brand [[MIMO]] (Manufacture Internationale de Montres Or), however, is at this time mainly active with sales on the European markets.

=====Charles-Edouard Virchaux and Girard-Perregaux Holding=====

Paulette Graef was owner of Girard-Perregaux in the immediate post-war period, and she married Charles-Edouard Virchaux in [[1951]]. Virchaux owned the brand [[Consul]], which he brought under the banner of Girard-Perregaux Holding in [[1969]]. The combined company sold watches under the Girard-Perregaux, Consul, and Landi brands through the 1970s, until it was purchased by [[Desco von Schulthess]] in [[1979]].

[[1957]] the [[self-winding]] movement with [[Gyromatic]] is presented to the public. [[1966]] Girard-Perregaux introduces in the [[Gyromatic]] family the first high-frequency movement with 36,000 A/h.

Girard-Perregaux tracks the progressive development of the [[quartz watch]] technology very consistently and in [[1970]] can thus address the industrial production of quartz wristwatches as the first company in Switzerland. The  frequency applied of Girard-Perregaux is 32,768 A/h, later this becomes the international standard for quartz watches.

=====Desco von Schulthess=====

Facing challenges in the face of the [[quartz crisis]], the company was sold to Asian distributor [[Desco von Schulthess]] in [[1979]]. This made it a sister to Desco's in-house brand, [[Maurice Lacroix]] through the 1980s. A bold advertising campaign focused on high-end quartz in Japan followed, but this was not a success. Desco sold the majority stake to General Manager [[Francis Besson]] in [[1989]]. Besson re-focused the company on ​​mechanical watch movements, and his efforts were enough to stabilize the company. Since Girard-Perregaux still builds its own movements into the watches, the company can count with full rights to the handful of reputable [[manufacture]]s that exist today.

[[1991]] a [[wristwatch]] version of the legendary [[tourbillon]][[ pocket watch]] with three gold bridges is presented. In the meantime this is one of the most popular wristwatches with tourbillon at all.

===== Luigi Macaluso buys the company =====
[[1992]] the Italian entrepreneur, architect and former racing driver Luigi Macaluso takes over the management of the company. As a watch importer who had already introduced GP in Italy a long time ago, he boldly took the chance that came his way, and bought the company from Francis Besson, who had taken it over only a few years earlier from the Zurich trading house Desko of Schulthess. By agreement with [[Ferrari]], a line of [[Girard-Perregaux Ferrari]] models was created, and between [[1994]] and [[2004]] also a collection of sports models and [[Grande Complication|Grandes Complications]].

Massimo Macaluso, son of the proprietor, is responsible for the subsidiary company [[Daniel JeanRichard]] (later [[Jeanrichard]]).

===== The major watches collections of GP =====
{{wst>image_cl|Girard-Perregaux|Sea Hawk II Pro|[[Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk II Pro]]}}

In [[1945]] Girard-Perregaux had brought a rectangular [[Art Déco]] model to market. In [[1995]] this model experiences a renaissance under the name [[Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Carrée|Vintage 1945]]. //Vintage 1945// is so successful internationally that of this model a //Lady// series and a [[column wheel]] [[chronograph]] with automatic winding is derived, and even a magnificent [[Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Tourbillon with Gold Bridge|Model with automatic tourbillon and with a gold bridge]] or even [[Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Tourbillon with 3 Gold Bridges|with 3 gold bridges]].

The [[1993]] started //Richeville// series includes models with elegant [[tonneau]] shape, in the variant as a mechanical [[chronograph]] with [[automatic]] winding or as [[self-winding]] watch with [[small seconds]].

{{wst>image_cr|Girard-Perregaux|1966 Vollkalender|[[Girard-Perregaux 1966 Full Calendar]]}}

The [[Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk II Pro|Sea Hawk]] series goes back to the 1960s and 1970s of last century. It gradually developed to a series of [[dive watch]]es. After the 2nd World War the name "Sea Hawk" was taken for watches that have been used for active operations, particularly in products for the marine and shipping.

The collection [[Girard-Perregaux 1966 Full Calendar|Girard-Perregaux 1966]] contains simple watches which have the very elegant design and style of the 1960s, including not only a very elegant three-hand watch, but also the so-called "Fleming-Watch" with full calendar and [[moon-phase indication]]. (The name refers to the description of just such a clock, which the James Bond author Ian Fleming had published in his classic "From Russia with Love".)

In [[2003]] Girard-Perregaux presents the third evolution of the [[1975]] created collection "Laureato" under the name //Laureato EVO 3//. The case design adapts the classic theme of the octagonal [[bezel]], but in softer lines than before, which is also true for the integrated bracelet. The new version contains a mechanical [[chronograph]] movement with [[automatic]] winding and several [[complication]]s including [[perpetual calendar]].

The series [[Girard-Perregaux ww.tc - Financial|ww.tc]] (the acronym stands for World Wide Time Control) is a [[world timer]] with a high recognition value - a stylish [[automatic]] [[chronograph]] in the luxury class with time zone indication.

The company refreshed its [[Girard-Perregaux Laureato|Laureato]] line in [[2016]] to compete with steel sports watches like the [[Audemars Piguet Royal Oak]] and [[Patek Philippe Nautilus]]. A [[perpetual calendar]] model was added at [[SIHH]] in [[2019]].

===== The GP Museum =====
In the [[manufacture]]-owned museum, the Villa Marguerite acquired in [[1998]], the milestones in the history of watchmaking can be admired, especially pieces of the brand itself. (In the summer of [[2007]] was broken into the museum and there were almost all watches stolen, worth several million Swiss francs. 48 hours later, the watches were secured by the police.((See [[http://www.uhren-schmuck.de/aktuelles/topnews/Uhrenmuseum-von-Girard-Perregaux-ausgeraeumt.html|uhren-schmuck.de: Uhrenmuseum von Girard-Perregaux ausgeräumt]], 6.7.2007 (retrieved 1.1.2008) )))

===== Literature =====
  *Armbanduhren Spezial Girard-Perregaux. Watches for the Few Since 1791. With großer Modellübersicht]]; Author [[Peter Braun]]; ISBN 3898808041 
  *[[Girard-Perregaux - Meisterwerke der Schweizer Uhrmacherkunst]]; Author Chaille, Francois; ISBN 2080210262
  *[[Das große Uhrenlexikon]]; Author [[Fritz von Osterhausen]]; ISBN 3898804305

===== Address =====
Girard-Perregaux\\ 

(Groupe Sowind)\\ Place Girardet 1\\ CH-2301 La Chaux-de-Fonds\\ Tel. +41 32 911 33 33\\ Fax +41 32 914 04 80

===== Weblinks =====
  *[[http://www.girard-perregaux.ch|Girard-Perregaux]]


{{tag>Watch_brands Watch_brands_Switzerland Manufactures La_Chaux-de-Fonds Kering Sowind_Group FHH Luxury_watch_brands}}