Inspired by one of the brand’s most famous pocket watches, which already won a gold medal in 1889 on the Paris world fair, Girard-Perregaux now introduces the La Esmeralda Tourbillon in white gold.
Since developing the first tourbillon in 1860, the manufacture kept innovating new techniques and over time created a mechanism, that was not only functional and technical, but also was a design element by itself. The name of the model – La Esmeralda – as well refers to the last century. After the world fair in Paris, the watch trader and owner of shops in Paris and Mexico – named Esmeralda – was instructed with the sales of the watches.
For its 225th anniversary Girard-Perregaux already presented the La Esmeralda Tourbillon in rose gold, which was in the same year awarded as the Tourbillon of the year at the Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie in Geneva. Hence, it is not surprising, that now this model is also produced in white gold.
The design of the watch is marked by the mainplate, which is fitted with solid gold bridges, the barrel, the gear train and the tourbillon. Their double arrow-shaped designs are entirely hand-decorated and inspired by the bridges of the historic Esmeralda. The surface of the arrows is mirror-polished, the edges are hand-bevelled and the sides are straight-grained.
To increase visual contrast, the bridge arms are carefully rounded by hand using a burnisher. In their centre, the diamond-polished chatons, held in place by two screws, require the barrel, the centre wheel and the tourbillon carriage to be aligned on the same plane.
In total the tourbillon cage is made of 80 components, arranged in the form of a lyre – representing the signature of the manufacture. It houses a balance wheel with a high moment of inertia oscillating at 21,600 vibrations per hour (3Hz).
The 16-ligne caliber GP09400-0016 – 36.60 mm in diameter – is manufactured of 310 individual pieces and measures 8,41 mm in thickness. The unidirectional automatic winding system uses a micro-rotor concentrically placed beneath the barrel and no longer around its rim.
The model is equipped with a power reserve of 60 hours and is delivered with a hand-sewed, black alligator leather strap with a triple folding clasp in white gold.
