Girard-Perregaux 1966 41mm
Angus Davies gets hands-on with the new Girard-Perregaux 1966 41mm.
This detailed review of the Girard-Perregaux 1966 41mm includes live images and specification details.
Recently, I visited Girard-Perregaux in La Chaux-de-Fonds and had the opportunity to handle a very handsome timepiece, the Girard-Perregaux 1966 41mm. I was immediately struck by its aesthetics and it made me reflect on the subject of appearance.
Many people have resorted to extreme steps to enhance their facial appearance. Some seek the services of a scalpel-wielding plastic surgeon or receive numerous botox injections.
An applied veneer is intended to mislead. However, as you closely examine the individual concerned, the illusion is lost. Sometimes, the natural appearance is actually preferable. In some instances the lady without excessive make-up displays a character to her face that conveys interest and intrigue.
There is a purity with youth. An absence of blemish or flaw. A face requiring no embellishment and a body adorned with simple attire, can evoke a sense of elegance which often evades those of greater years.
A dichotomy
Girard-Perregaux have created a dichotomy, a timepiece which harnesses much historical know-how presented in a traditional style yet, by contrast, with a clear complexion typical of youth.
The Girard-Perregaux 1966 with a 38 mm case has been in the range for some time, but it is now available in a larger 41 mm. It is offered in two gold variants, 18-carat pink gold or 18-carat white gold. The latter version is my preferred model with its restrained hue. It does not vie for attention with unseemly exhibitionism, but embraces the world with effortless elegance.
Chaste in character
A white dial provides an innocent canvas upon which to express time. It is chaste in character with a clean quality. Hours and minutes are expressed with swallow-shaped hands in white gold and the blued central second hand provides charming contrast. The array of functions is completed with a date display, presented via a square aperture at 3 o’clock.
The 1966 converses with the wearer in hushed discourse. Nothing is loud or confusing. There are no Arabic or Roman numerals on the dial to indicate hours, merely simple, applied gold batons. The dial is eminently legible, assuring ease-of read off.
Comfortable to wear
Whilst at the Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, I placed the watch upon my wrist and found it rested pleasingly on my arm without feeling unduly heavy. Moreover, its diameter of 41 mm, proved perfectly suited for comfortable wearing with no sense of gouging or abrasion to the skin.
As I turned the watch over, I noted its neat profile and short lugs. The watch is said to have a height of 10.00 mm, but somehow felt much thinner.
The Calibre GP4500
The watch is fitted with an exhibition caseback, revealing the GP Manufacture self-winding movement, the Calibre GP4500.
During my recent tour of the production facilities at Girard-Perregaux I was left in no doubt about the immense capability of the brand to produce fine movements. The oscillating weight within the 1966 is presented in gold and decorated with Côtes de Genève motif and is just one example of the no-compromise creation which takes place at the atelier.
Conclusion
Girard-Perregaux make a broad range of timepieces, many of which engender avarice in any self-respecting lover of watchers. Whilst I adore watches with numerous complications, and the brand has several haute horlogerie pieces which fulfill this role, it is the apparent simplicity of the Girard-Perregaux 1966 41mm that differentiates it from many watches.
Some watches have an intrinsic obsolescence that renders them passe as tastes change. However, the elegance and unsullied temperament of this timepiece should ensure it retains eye-appeal for decades to come.
Technical Specification
- Model: Girard-Perregaux 1966 41mm
- Ref: 49527-53-131-BK6A
- Case: 18-carat white gold; diameter 41.00 mm; height 10.00 mm; water resistant to 3 bar (30 metres); sapphire crystal to front and caseback.
- Functions: Hours; minutes; central seconds; date.
- Movement: Calibre GP4500, self-winding movement; frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz); 28 jewels; power reserve 54 hours
- Strap: Black leather presented on a 18-carat white gold pin buckle.
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