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FRANCAIS
THE FAMOUS JEAN-FRANÇOIS BAUTTE
Although orphaned at a very early age, Jean-François Bautte had a determined approach to life. He learned the trades of case assembler, guilloche applier, watchmaker and goldsmith in turn, and completed his education. In 1977 he signed his first watches, aged 19. The origins of Girard-Perregaux are associated with this date.
He created a manufacturing company in Geneva regrouping all the watch making trades of that time.
In 1837 Jacques Bautte and Jean-Samuel Rossel took over from the illustrious Jean- François Bautte, who had left them an exceedingly high quality industrial and cultural heritage. Later, Rossel continued his work alone, soon to be assisted by his son. Their remarkable work in the field of chronometry was regularly rewarded in international exhibitions.
CONSTANT GIRARD THE VISIONARY
Constant Girard
Marie Perregaux
The second iconic figure in the history of Girard-Perregaux was a native of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Born in 1825 in the city nestled in the Neuchâtel mountains, Constant Girard founded the Girard & Cie firm in 1852. Two years later he married Marie Perregaux (1831-1912), born to a family of important watch merchants from Le Locle. The Girard-Perregaux Manufacture was born from the marriage of their two names in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1856.
Constant Girard-Perregaux was particularly acclaimed for his research into escapement systems, notably the tourbillon escapement. The quality and beauty of his creations were rewarded by a number of prizes and distinctions at national and international competitions, and also at Universal Exhibitions. In 1867, he presented a tourbillon which was a prizewinner at the Paris Universal Exhibition. The culmination came in 1889, when his famous Tourbillon with three gold Bridges, established as the icon of the Girard-Perregaux firm, won a gold medal at The Paris Universal Exhibition.
The watchmaker was a true visionary. In 1880, he developed a wrist watch concept aimed at German naval officers, which was ordered by the German Kaiser Wilhelm I. The glass was shielded by a grille to protect it from shocks. Two thousand watches were produced, making this model the first major commercial wrist watch ever developed. However, the idea, which was revolutionary at the time, failed to catch on immediately. Indeed, it would not be until the beginning of the following century that the wrist watch would achieve its familiar popular success.
INTERNATIONAL RENOWN
Nurtured and developed by the Girard Perregaux family, the Manufacture gained recognition well beyond Europe. It was among the first to introduce the Swiss watch in America, where Constant Girard-Perregaux, along with his brothers-in-law Henri (1828-1893) and Jules Perregaux (1838-1903), set up offices. In 1865, Henri set off for Argentina, accompanied by his wife. He set up in Buenos Aires as the special agent for Girard-Perregaux
in various North and South American States. From 1872, his remit extended to the West Indies. He spent sixteen years of his life helping the Brand prosper and flourish in all the American markets.
Girard-Perregaux expanded its global presence to Asia, a remarkable achievement made possible by one of Marie’s brothers, François Perregaux (1834-1877), who was among the pioneers of Swiss watchmaking in Japan. In 1859 he left for Asia with a mandate from the Watchmaking Union to establish an export business. In 1860 he settled in Yokohama, thus becoming the first Swiss watch merchant to establish himself in the Land of the Rising Sun. In 1865 he founded F. Perregaux & Co. One of the leading figures in the French-speaking community in Japan and one of its longest-established residents, he was the official agent for
Girard-Perregaux until his death in 1877.
THE PURSUIT OF EXPANSION
At the dawn of the 20th century, Girard-Perregaux enjoyed unparalleled renown. Its predominance at international exhibitions was such that the firm was judged ineligible for awards, then appointed a permanent jury member of the international watch exhibitions in recognition for its constant quest for precision. Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin himself measured his flight tests using Girard-Perregaux timepieces. When Constant Girard-Perregaux died in 1903, his son Constant Girard-Gallet (1856-1945) took over control of the Manufacture. In 1906, he took over the famous Bautte firm, merging it with Girard-Perregaux and Cie. And so two celebrated names in Swiss watchmaking were united forever. In 1928, Otto Graef (1862-1948), a watchmaker of German origin established in La Chaux-de-Fonds since the age of 20 and owner of the MIMO Brand (Manufacture Internationale de Montres Or), took over the capital stock of Girard-Perregaux. His company took on a global dimension. In 1930, sales of wrist watches exceeded those of pocket watches for the first time, fifty years after Constant Girard-Perregaux had conceived this method of wearing a timepiece. In the 1940s, the Girard-Perregaux Brand pursued its development both in Europe and the Americas, especially with the Sea Hawk water-resistant model, while the MIMO Brand was primarily distributed on European markets. The year 1945 saw the creation of a rectangular Art deco inspired model, which would be revived fifty years later and dubbed the Vintage 1945.
THE ROUTE OF INNOVATION
Girard Perregaux Gyromatic
In the late 1960s, Girard-Perregaux was one of the very few manufactures to have its own internal R&D team. This research department would enable the Brand to develop several revolutionary movements. In 1966, it presented the first high frequency movement, with a 36,000 vibrations/hour balance: the Gyromatic HF. This discovery fundamentally changed the world of chronometry. Watches equipped with this movement naturally achieved excellent rate performances. Girard-Perregaux was awarded certificates from the Observatories for its series-produced watches, in competitions where only watches which had been specially prepared would pass the tests. That same year, the Neuchâtel State Council decided to recognise the work and developments of Girard-Perregaux by awarding the Brand the Observatory Centenary Prize.
Numerous innovations followed: in 1970, the first commercial presentations of Swiss quartz watches, including the Girard-Perregaux Elcron model, took place at the Basel Watchmaking Fair. In 1971, Girard-Perregaux unveiled the world’s first watch to be equipped with a quartz movement vibrating at 32,768 Hertz, now the frequency universally adopted by all manufacturers. In 1975, to celebrate its technological discoveries, the Brand created a sport model equipped with an octagonal polished bezel and an integrated satin-finished bracelet, known as the Laureato.
THE RETURN TO MECHANICAL WATCHES
In the late 1970s, faced with the rise of quartz, the Swiss watchmaking industry was in deep crisis. Girard-Perregaux was one of the first prestigious watch companies to take up the challenge of a return to traditional mechanical timepieces. Girard-Perregaux’s master-watchmakers set about remaking twenty of the famous Tourbillon with three gold Bridges pocket watches: Number one was unveiled in 1981. Ten years later, to celebrate its bicentenary, the Manufacture achieved the feat of producing a version of the Tourbillon with three gold Bridges miniaturised to wrist watch size.
The Italian entrepreneur, architect and former racing driver Luigi Macaluso took over the reins of Girard-Perregaux in 1992. With a wealth of experience in the watchmaking industry, he knew the Brand well: he had been the Brand’s official importer in Italy for many years and joined the Board of Directors in 1989. Under his guidance, Girard-Perregaux became one of the major players in the Haute Horlogerie industry. His co-branding agreement with Ferrari led to a remarkable collection of sport and grande complication models between 1994 and 2004, all stamped with the legendary “Prancing Horse”.
At a time when many Swiss watchmaking companies were using external suppliers for their finished or semi-finished movements, Girard-Perregaux undertook a massive effort to develop its manufacturing strategy. Major investments followed, particularly in the area of research and development. In 1994, a new family of ultrathin calibres known as the GP3000 and GP3100 was launched. In 1999, for its entry to the SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie), Girard-Perregaux presented a self-winding version of its famous Tourbillon with three gold Bridges, thanks to an ingenious patented platinum microrotor system positioned under the barrel.
In the same year, it developed a new column wheel chronograph movement 23.30 mm in diameter, fitted in a Small Chronograph model designed for women. The firm’s heritage was also given the limelight. In 1997, the Villa Marguerite, an early 20th century building in La Chaux-de-Fonds, was purchased and refurbished to house the new Girard-Perregaux Museum.
A DECADE FULL OF INNOVATIONS
Developments and innovations continued into the 21st century. The Brand expanded its portfolio of movements: in 2001, it unveiled a movement with a new patented date display system, with a large window and a moon phase indicator. Renewing its key role in the history of the quartz watch, the Brand unveiled a new family of movements employing this technology. In 2006, it added the calibre GP2700 (19.40 mm) and GP4500 (30.60 mm) to its portfolio of self-winding mechanical movements.
It also developed its collections: in 2000 the ww.tc model was presented, featuring the ingenious and elegant combination of a chronograph with a world time indicator; a new design for Sea Hawk diving watches in 2002 and the launch of the Cat’s Eye in 2004, a line of ultra-feminine watches fitted with mechanical complication movements.
Girard-Perregaux indulged the art of Haute Horlogerie, unveiling new interpretations of some of its flagship models: the innovative Laureato Evo3 Tourbillon with three sapphire Bridges in 2006, and the Vintage 1945 Jackpot Tourbillon in 2007 were two examples. The Brand was also responsible for two world firsts: a perpetual calendar combined with world times (2006) and the Split Second Foudroyante Chronograph Tourbillon (2008). More than ever focused on innovation, it unveiled a spectacular development in 2008: a movement fitted with a constant force escapement dubbed “Echappement Constant “. Revolutionary in every respect, it opened the way for the creation of Haute Horlogerie mechanisms of unrivalled precision.
In addition to this dynamism in the area of technical innovation, Girard-Perregaux increased its international renown with the opening of its first exclusive boutique in Gstaad.
In 2010, with the opening of « Girard-Perregaux on Madison » the Manufacture continues its development with an exclusive boutique in New York located at 701 Madison Avenue.
