As this is an early serial number it is likely that this watch was made late in 2000. In total Girard-Perregaux made 2,000 F1-2000 watches, and this is number 257. Ferrari is a magical name to associate with any brand, and they had been working with Girard-Perregaux for a number of years before the championship winning year. Girard-Perregaux of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland did not make the world’s first wristwatch—that honor goes to Patek Philippe. But in 1880, the firm did introduce the world’s first production wristwatch. The occasion was an order from the Imperial German Navy, which purchased 2,000 of the timepieces for its officers. Remarkably, Girard-Perregaux can lay credible claim to being the first ever serial producer of wristwatches. In 1879, Kaiser Wilhelm I placed an order with Girard-Perregaux for two thousand watches that could be worn on the wrists of officers in the German navy after discussing the possibilities of creating these items at the Berlin Exhibition. All Girard-Perregaux watches on WatchBase.com. 25882-11-121-BB6B Vintage 1945 XXL Large Date and Moonphases Stainless Steel / Silver.
Girard-Perregaux 1965
This watch offers the opportunity to acquire a virtually new old stock item by a celebrated maker that has probably been worn on no more than half a dozen occasions. Girard-Perregaux was always among the elite Swiss houses and its output was exceedingly expensive when new. Founded in 1791, Girard-Perregaux has maintained consistently high standards of quality ever since and, much to the credit of successive managements, there has never been a weak era of Girard-Perregaux production. Queen Victoria favoured the firm’s work and in Ian Fleming’s 1957 James Bond novel From Russia With Love, it is said on the very first page that a Girard-Perregaux watch is one the staple membership badges of “the rich man’s club”.
We have not offered a better-preserved vintage Girard-Perregaux for sale from the classic post-war period than the 1965 gentleman’s watch here. If we look very closely at its large case through a jeweller’s eyeglass, there are the tiniest few imperfections here and there, but these must be expected on any vintage watch that has not remained wrapped in tissue paper in a safe all its life. Even when viewed from a distance of two or three centimetres, this case is faultless and in an immaculate state, giving rise to our earlier suggestion that this item has only ever been worn on the fewest of dress occasions.
While the case body is thickly gold plated, the case back is in stainless steel. This combination was a common one used by almost all of the major manufacturers. The case back exterior is stamped with the wording “Fond Acier Inoxydable” ( the French term for stainless steel), together with the serial number “575307”. Interestingly, while it can be said with absolute certainty that case and movement here are original to each other, the case is unsigned. Girard-Perregaux has a superb set of archived records at its La Chaux de Fonds headquarters and if supplied with case and model numbers will produce, for a small fee, an extract that confirms that this combination is quite correct.
The dial is completely original and as near to being perfect as could ever be found. Its silvered surface is free from discolouration and has clearly been kept well away from bright sunlight, damp and dust. It must be stressed emphatically that this is not a restored, refinished dial, but one that is totally untouched and virgin. Restored dials will often return a watch to superficially mint condition, but are regarded as highly undesirable by collectors because they have no rarity factor and take away enormously from a piece’s originality. A dial can be restored at will, but only years of careful treatment will result in an original dial being in anything remotely approaching the condition of the one here. The dial on this piece realistically almost doubles the value of the watch as it would have been with either a restored dial or an original in a deteriorated state.
“Girard-Perregaux” is stated in black above the dial centre point. The hour batons are in gilt and match the applied “GP” emblem perfectly. Batons, logo and hands are all in superb condition and free from deterioration.
Girard Perregaux Vintage Watch Serial Numbers
Girard-Perregaux watches contain some of the finest mechanical movements that have ever been produced, and this one is a delight for the aficionado. This unit is the company’s calibre 30, a manually wound unit with seventeen jewels and Incabloc shock protection. It runs at a fast 21600 half beats per hour, and this rapid beat rate is certainly a factor in it being extremely accurate. Interestingly, calibre 30 was built around an ebauche ( this is the term used to describe a movement in its most basic form, without gears, pinions or any form of finishing) manufactured by A. Schild of Grenchen. Founded in 1896, Schild was one of the greatest movement producers of the vintage period and at one time or another, almost all the major Swiss houses used its ebauches as the building blocks for their own mechanisms. IWC, Ulysse Nardin and Rolex all purchased ebauches from Schild, and there are very few manufacturers that had such a reputation for excellence as this concern. It is worth noting that the ebauche on which this movement was based, Schild calibre 1687, was also supplied to Eberhard and appeared in its watches of the mid-1960s.
While Girard-Perregaux purchased this movement in a raw state from Schild, it then proceeded to entirely re-process it in-house to its own exacting standard. Nothing about the finishing of this item has been dictated by production cost and the quality here is second to none. All the screw heads have been polished individually by hand to a mirror finish, while the edges of the bridges have been bevelled, again by hand, rather than left as plain right angles. These small aspects, which may seem inconsequential to the uninformed, in fact all aggregate to make the difference between a movement that is simply of a good general standard and one that is genuinely exceptional.
The bridge is signed “Girard-Perregaux, Seventeen Jewels, Swiss” together with the serial number 336564, which dates the piece to late 1965. Having been serviced regularly, this movement works perfectly and is in a state that can only be described as virtually mint. In fact, we can go further and suggest that if we didn’t know that this was a vintage movement, we would have automatically assumed from its condition that it was a brand new item. Perhaps not surprisingly then, everything here is totally original. There are no changed parts and, unlike many movements of this age which are currently in circulation, this mechanism remains totally standard throughout.
We have fitted with piece with an ostrich skin type strap that is perfectly suited to it. Whilst not a genuine Girard-Perregaux strap, it is virtually identical in both appearance and construction to that which would have been supplied with this model new in 1965. Having never been worn, this strap is in mint condition.
The price of this watch is £425 GB pounds, which, for a near mint, totally original piece by one of the most respected makers in the world, isn’t at all unreasonable. If we pause for a moment to actually evaluate this item and think of just how much quality is being bought for a tiny amount of money, the value for money that it offers will become very apparent. If we walked into a high street jeweller’s shop anywhere in the UK with a straight five hundred pounds to spend on a brand new wristwatch, we would be offered a selection of mostly battery powered models by brands with little or no credibility whatsoever in the world of serious horology. This sum wouldn’t buy even the most basic watch by any of the top tier Swiss houses. But by opting instead for a nearly mint vintage watch, we could own an example by a highly respected house, with a movement of such high quality that we would have to pay several thousand pounds to find its equivalent in a current model. Better still, having already obtained collectible status, provided it is treated with care and kept in its present superb condition, it will only ever appreciate in value, whereas its modern counterpart will plummet in worth from the moment it first leaves its place of sale. This is a beautifully preserved, completely original watch that offers some of the best value that is to be found anywhere on this website and could be enjoyed on the wrist on a regular basis, while remaining a very solid investment and an appreciating asset.
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Girard-Perregaux history
Since the foundation of Girard-Perregaux in 1791, it has been making high-end luxury timepieces. It was created by goldsmith Jean-François Bautte being the first watch manufacturing company at that time, creating each watch by hand, starting from the engineering process of the watch to the assembly and polishing of each watch. In 1852, Constant Girard, the watchmaker, founded the company in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, calling it “Girard & Cie Firm” and then in 1856, he married Marie Perregaux and called the company “Girard-Perregaux”. In 2011, Girard-Perregaux became a part of the Sowind group and became a subsidiary of Kering. A museum for Girard-Perregaux’s history and old models was announced in the Villa Marguerite, in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1999.
- In 1965, Girard-Perregaux created the world’s first mechanical movement at high frequency, the Gyromatic HF, with the balance beating at 36,000 vibrations/hour.
- In 1967, Girard-Perregaux was awarded the Centenary Award from the Astronomical Observatory de Neuchatel for its accomplishments in general and particularly, for the manufacture of Observatory Chronometer wristwatch which used the Gyromatic HF movement.
- In 1970, Girard-Perregaux created its first quartz wristwatch and the year after, it created another quartz wristwatch that can vibrate at 32,768 hertz, which became further the quartz watches’ frequency remaining the universal standard.
- In 2008, Girard-Perregaux could distinguish itself, creating prototypes of a constant-force escapement which was different from any other known escapements then while in 2013, Girard-Perregaux created the first watch housing the constant escapement.
Overview
Girard-Perregaux is considered a manufacturer of watch movements as well as bands and cases, being the watchmakers, engineers, polishers, decorators, etc., which allowed them to create luxuriously, high quality, high-end watches symbolizing prestige and craftsmanship.
Celebrities wearing Girard-Perregaux
Hugh Jackman was spotted sporting a Girard-Perregaux. He was previously known to wear a Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945. Also, Harry Connick, the singer, and actor wore a Girard-Perregaux Chronograph watch in his movie, P.S. I Love You, in 2007. Kobe Bryant, the NBA basketball star and Olympic gold medalist was also spotted wearing a Girard-Perregaux, in addition to, Alex Morgan, the USA soccer player, and gold medalist, and Pierce Brosnan, the James Bond star, who wore a Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945, wearing Girard-Perregaux watches in real life as well as his movies.
Most popular Girard-Perregaux models and collections
Among the high-end luxury watches Girard-Perregaux creates, the Tourbillon with three gold bridges is considered Girard-Perregaux’s emblematic model.
Tourbillon with three gold bridges
It was designed by Constant Girard in 1884 and the three bridges were re-designed into arrows, placing them in parallel to each other. It’s not only a symbol of functionality and technicality but also a symbol of design. It was awarded a gold medal at the Universal Exposition of Paris in 1889. It’s now produced in different versions with different watch complications.
Vintage 1945
Girard Perregaux Watches Serial Numbers List
Mother of Pearl Unisex Watch
It’s made of stainless steel with a durable sapphire crystal glass that’s scratch resistant. It also contains two bezels, one fixed bezel with small diamond crystals and a rotating inner bezel, featuring silver-toned hands with Arabic or diamond hour markers. This model also provides a world-time scale on the outer rim and a second-time-zone, for traveling purposes. It’s unisex, suitable for both men and women, and also, it’s waterproof (up to 50 meters).
Constant Escapement L.M. Men’s Watch
It’s made of polished titanium with black dial and black hands, protected by a scratch-free sapphire crystal glass for more durability. It has a power reserve of 144 hours, ideal for survivalists. it’s hand-wound, giving you this vintage feel. It’s also waterproof (up to 30 meters).
1966
How Much Is A Girard Perregaux Watch Worth
Girard-Perregaux price range
You can buy a Girard-Perregaux starting at around $2,000.
If you are ready to invest more you might have to spend more than $20,000 for your Girard-Perregaux.