GIRARD-PERREGAUX

Girard-Perregaux was founded in 1791 by Jean-François Bautte. At that time, the brand was not called Girard-Perregaux. A few years later the brand merged with Girard & Cie in La Chaux de Fonds in Switzerland. In 1856 Constant Girard married Marie Perregaux. This wedding would give the brand the new name Girard-Perregaux. In 1880 Constant Girard made wristwatches for German naval officers. In 1889 Girard-Perregaux unveiled the Esmeralda watch, a tourbillon which is still one of the most famous Girard-Perregaux’s watch. In 1957 Girard-Perregaux introduced the Gyromatic, an ultra-thin automatic calibre and in 1965, Girard-Perregaux announced the Gyromatic HF, the first high-frequency mechanical self-winding movement (36,000 vibration per hour). In 1971, Girard-Perregaux launched a quartz movement, the first one produced in Switzerland. In 1994 the brand launched brand new ultra-thin in-house calibres, the GP3000 and GP3100. In 2008 the brand unveiled a prototype of a constant force escapement. In 2011 Girard-Perregaux was bought by the Kering group and in 2013 the first watch featuring a constant force escapement was presentend.