Introducing Girard Perregaux Unveils the Free Bridge Meteorite

Founded in 1791, Girard Perregaux is one of the oldest luxury watch manufacturers still in production today. The company's headquarters is in La Champ-de-Fonds, Switzerland, a city well known in the Swiss watch industry. The company "Girard-Perregaux" is owned by Sowind Group SA, which purchased both the Girard-Perregaux brand and the "Ulysse Nardin" brand from the French group Kering in 2022. Girard-Perregaux is now under the supervision of its CEO, Mr. Patrick Bruneau.

After the Loreato collection, which includes 28 models, the Bridges collection includes 44 editions, constituting the most comprehensive collection of the company's watches. The Bridges collection has its roots in pocket watches made by the company in the 1860s, which featured three bridges adorning the dial. So far, this collection displays these three arrow-shaped bridges. It is considered one of the company's luxury and high-priced watches. In an effort to make its artistic pieces accessible to a wider segment of watch lovers, the company introduced the “Bridge New” and “Free Bridge” versions. To make watches accessible to fans of the brand. The initial two Free Bridge models, launched in 2020, received favorable reviews. Today, the unveiling of the third and latest model, the Free Bridge Meteorite, enhances the collection with a captivating new material.

Meteorite dials are sought after by watch collectors for their natural flow lines and the unique appeal of extraterrestrial materials. Girard-Perregaux's Free Bridge Meteorite features pieces sourced from the Gibeon meteorite found in Namibia, renowned for its exquisite Widmanstätten pattern. Crafting the final plates involves cutting the meteorite into slices, machining them into the desired shapes, piercing them for screws, and treating them to enhance texture and patterns.

Girard-Perregaux unveils a new addition to its famous Bridges Collection. This latest model embraces modernity while simultaneously upholding the marque’s fondness for symmetrical styling. Incorporating two meteorite plates, This piece contains a piece of a meteorite dating back more than 4 billion years, which was found in the country of Namibia, which is located in the south of the African continent.

The case of a Girard-Perregaux Free Bridge Meteorite watch is crafted from stainless steel, with a size of 44 mm and a thickness of 12.2 mm. The case is characterized by clean lines and sophisticated finishes, reflecting the brand's commitment to precision and luxury, while sapphire crystal with AR treatment covers both the case and the case back.

The dial of the watch is skeletonized, with its main barrel and balance spring visible at the top and bottom of the dial. Because the movement is upside down, it exposes the bridges that hold the moving wheels, gears, and springs in place, creating an anchor point for the hours and minutes hands. The two meteorite plates cradling the hour and minute hands undoubtedly contribute to the specific allure of the Free Bridge Meteorite.

This technique dates back to 1889 when La Esmeralda, a chronometer with three gold bridges, won a gold medal at the Paris Universal Exhibition for its inverted movement.
The hour and minute hands, modeled on the Dauphine, are skeletonized and plated with rhodium and luminescent material. At the same time, the applied hour markers on the black inner ring, which is coated with a luminescent material, enhance the look. Furthermore, the prominent placement of purple jewels adds a touch of brilliance to the predominantly black dial.

The timepiece features Girard-Perregaux’s GP01800-2085 automatic caliber, an enhancement of its Caliber GP01800. Notably, its escape wheel, Pallet Fork, and balance wheel arms are constructed from lightweight silicon, optimizing efficiency and sustaining a power reserve of 54 hours. The in-house movement boasts an open-worked rotor adorned with the GP logo in gold, and plates adorned with the traditional Cotes de Geneve stripes, all visible through the exhibition case back.

The watch features a calf leather strap with a steel triple-folding buckle, and it is priced at $25,700 USD, which is equivalent to 94,400 AED.

For more information, please visit Girard Perregaux official website.