1. Established in 1791 and a founding
member of the elite Swiss Haute Horlogerie
Foundation, heritage watch-maker Girard
Perregaux is a label combining old world
charm with modern day sophistication,
as Tracey Porter writes.
HANDS
Unique Luxur y 117
ON HIS
TIME
116 www.uniqueestates.com.au
Girard-Perregaux is world-renown for
its precise attention to detail in the
creation of its luxury timepieces

2. 118 www.uniqueestates.com.au Unique Luxur y 119
There can be few greater joys in life for a fine watch connoisseur
than to land a role heading one of the oldest and most prestigious
timepiece labels in the world.
Which is why 48-year-old Italian-born Antonio Calce, who holds
degrees in microtechnology and management studies, is today a
very happy man.
Speaking just weeks ahead of his first Australian visit since taking
over as chief executive of Sowind, the brand’s parent company back
in January, Calce admits being entrusted with the guardianship of
Girard-Perregaux - a label whose history dates back two centuries -
is something of a dream come true.
“I am a person dedicated to the products and craftsmanship, [I am
also] a fine watches enthusiast and as a passionate person I have
a collection that I cherish. From the beginning I was excited to
undertake this new challenge for a company deserving deep respect
in the watch industry. The watch industry is the place where the
essence of beauty comes across the mechanical expertise, which
explains my deep fascination for this field.”
The origins of the label can be traced back to 1791 and pocket
watchmaker Jean-Francois Bautte, a craftsman the history books
will refer to as a man on a constant quest for precision.
Bautte, who was a goldsmith but also trained in case assembly and
guilloché application, created a manufacturing company in Geneva
becoming the first watchmaker to combine the entire watch making
process – from the engineering of the watch to the final hand
assembly and polishing of each piece - under one roof.
The label was quick to establish a high quality industrial and cultural
heritage, regularly receiving recognition for its achievements in
chronometry, the science of accurate time measurement, from the
early 1800s.
In 1852 Constant Girard founded the Girard & Cie, later renaming the
entity Girard-Perregaux following his marriage to Marie Perregaux.
In the early 1900s Constant Girard’s son Constant Girard-Gallet, took
over the Bautte House and merged it with Girard-Perregaux & Cie.
Today Girard-Perregaux continues to design, create, develop and
produce both the external components of a watch and its “heart” -
the movement in its manufacture, from its La Chaux-de-Fonds base
in Switzerland, just south of the French border.
Calce says the label’s core follower tends to be a watch enthusiast,
not unlike himself, who holds a deep interest in mechanical
watchmaking.
Regarded as among the world’s best for its watch-making
craftsmanship and technical abilities, Girard-Perregaux’s design
capabilities have also helped to set the company apart with its most
prominent piece entitled “Tourbillon with three gold bridges” winning
global acclaim.
First patented by Girard senior in 1884, the three bridges were
redesigned in the form of arrows and placed parallel to each other.
Nearly a century later Girard-Perregaux decided to make 20 pieces
to conform to the original, requiring 1500 hours of work to create
just the first one. To celebrate its bicentenary in 1991, the company
created a miniature wristwatch version.
In 2013, the brand was awarded the Aiguille d’Or at the Geneva
Watchmaking Grand Prix for its groundbreaking Constant
Escapement LM timepiece that took five years to build.
Presented in a round 18kt white gold case and featuring an alligator
leather strap with 18kt white gold buckle, an off-centre open-worked
dial with black hands, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, the watch
certainly looked the part but it was what went on beneath the face
that truly made it a stand out.
Top: L-R – Girard-Perregaux
Neo-Tourbillon with Three Bridges
Titanium, Cat’s Eye High Jewellery,
Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon Minute
Repeater with Gold Bridges
Bottom: L-R – 1966 Steel,
Cat’s Eye Small Second
A Swiss watchmaker carefully
details the brand's The New
World timepiece

3. Unique Luxur y 121
The timepiece was the first of its kind to introduce true constant
force – meaning the watch will beat at a constant rate no matter
how much power remains in its barrels, something of a revolution
at the time.
Calce says while not every piece produced by Girard-Perregaux
requires that degree of technical engineering, the process can
take anywhere from 16 months for a “quite simple development”
to five years for a complex piece depending on the type of
product being designed.
“The process starts with an inspiration, which must be in line with
a coherent and sustainable product strategy. The project becomes
real when the design blends in perfectly with the technical
expertise,” he says.
Rather than anoint a design head, Calce says the brand prefers to
take a collaborative approach to the products it produces with its in-
house research and development at the core of its design philosophy.
“We continue to develop and realise products in-house with a
commitment to innovation and excellence. An internal development
team has the mission to develop all the new watches: a part of this
team is dedicated to movements development another team group
is more focused on dial, straps and cases. This is a team project
gathering dozens of skilled professionals and craftsmen.”
It is for these reasons the brand commands an entry-level price
point of around $10,930 while its more expensive pieces retail for
upwards of $1.5 million.
Calce says each timepiece has more than 100 “crafts” to become a
work of art. Some pieces, such as the label’s Chamber of Wonders,
require more than 50 hours solely for the dial.
“Beveling and polishing one of our iconic Gold Bridges takes three
days for a traditional top-of-the-range finishing, the main plates and
bridges in particular are finished and decorated, even if their surface
is covered and hidden by other components.”
It’s Cat’s Eye High Jewellery watch collection features 50 carats of
precious stones – including no fewer than 645 emerald cut white
diamonds with one rose cut diamond embedded in the crown - and
takes more than 120 man hours to create.
Calce says he doesn’t concern himself with the unique challenges
involved in producing items for such a discerning audience.
“We do not think in that way, we try to produce an emotion that
remains our main challenge. Of course, we’re careful about
producing the right product with the right price.”
In fact part of Calce’s remit in taking up the new role is to give the
brand a new lease of life and make sure “everybody knows what
Girard-Perregaux is”.
In accordance he plans to develop what he describes as “product
families” which will see the launch of new watches at tiered pricing
levels based on the company’s high-end models.
“Today, our strategy is to build our collections vertically, within strong
families of competitive products in line with the brand’s identity.
You’ll discover soon… some new products that were missing until
now in important segments. This year for the first time ever the 1966
[collection] will be unveiled in steel [instead of gold].”
Currently its Three Gold Bridges design is only available in haute
horlogerie with the tourbillon (an addition to the mechanics of a
watch that transfers energy to the timekeeping element and allows
the number of its oscillations to be counted). However Calce says
the company is now working on new models, including two-gold
and one-gold bridge timepieces, in order to make the brand more
accessible to a wider audience.
In addition he has made it something of a pet project to use the
brand’s museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds, which he claims is under-
utilised, as a way to explain the company’s history.
There are also a host of activities planned for the next year with
the birth of an “exclusive piece”, the details of which remain under
wraps, as well as a tribute to the brand’s antique Esmeralda in
commemoration of its 225th anniversary.
The company joined the Richemont Group and Audemars Piguet to
form The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie in 2005 to promote fine
watchmaking internationally. The Foundation, through its activities,
fosters and promotes Fine Watchmaking’s values of creativity,
culture and tradition.
As the gold standard of how remaining true to your values can help
aid your longevity, Calce says it is important that the company –
and the entire Swiss watch industry for that matter - continues to
communicate its pedigree.
Calce recently told The Financial Times that it’s important to let
people know that when they purchase a Girard-Perregaux Swiss-
manufactured timepiece, they were aware that what they were
really purchasing was a durable piece of art.
“It is not a trend. It is the acquisition of craftsmanship, of an
exclusive product.”
The high-end watch industry is beyond compare, certainly with the
likes of today’s aspirational time pieces – such as smart watches.
“The positioning of Girard-Perregaux is totally different from smart
watches. When [our clients] choose a Girard-Perregaux, they choose
codes of elegance and tradition.
“A mechanical watch has a heart.”
120 www.uniqueestates.com.au
Girard–Perregaux CEO
Antonio Calce
The Tourbillon Minute
Repeater with Gold Bridges