Girard Perregaux

Girard-Perregaux 1966 Full Calendar: Vintage Beauty For Modern Times

 

I watch commercials.  I admit it.

I own a digital video recorder (DVR) that allows me to record live TV and fast-forward through the commercials, but half of the time I choose to watch them anyway.  No, I’m not a glutton for punishment.  I just enjoy the art of persuasion.  With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that I actually do pay attention to the ads on PuristSPro.  For some time, one of the ads highlighted a handsome rose gold Girard-Perregaux triple calendar watch.  Intrigued, I requested through PuristSPro to review the watch in question, the Girard-Perregaux 1966 Full Calendar.  

Before we delve into the particulars of this timepiece, let’s revisit the world of 1966.  Amongst other events:

 

-         England defeats West Germany in World Cup Soccer 4-2 [An amusing side note, I felt very old the other day when talking with a young acquaintance who wasn’t aware that there were once two countries called East Germany and West Germany.]…

 

-         The very first episode of the landmark television show STAR TREK debuts…

 

-         The United States launches Medicare…

 

-         The world loses an icon of animated film, and the father of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney…

 

-         Barbados becomes an independent country…

 

-         John Lennon makes his controversial, “We’re more popular than Jesus now,” comment…

 

-         The Oscar for best picture goes to one of my favorite movies of all time, THE SOUND OF MUSIC…  

…and Girard-Perregaux launches the first high-frequency movement.  

The high-frequency movement Girard-Perregaux files patent for in 1966 proves to be accurate and precise, so much so that 70% of all chronometer certificates awarded by the Neuchâtel Observatory the following year go to the company. 

The watches in Girard-Perregaux's 1966 Collection pay tribute to this era in the company's history.  All the watches in this particular range exhibit a stylish simplicity, svelte proportions, and elegant, legible dials in a modern case-size (models range from 38 to 40 mm in diameter).  The Girard-Perregaux 1966 Full Calendar captures the verve of those heady times at Girard-Perregaux, and may very well channel the spirit and style of one of the company’s most famous vintage pieces, from a literary standpoint at the very least.

 

“To judge by the glittering pile, this had been, or was, a rich man. It contained the typical membership badges of the rich man's club - a money clip, made of a Mexican fifty-dollar piece and holding a substantial wad of banknotes, a well-used gold Dunhill lighter, an oval gold cigarette case with the wavy ridges and discreet turquoise button that means Faberge, and the sort of novel a rich man pulls out of the bookcase to take into the garden - The Little Nugget - an old P.G. Wodehouse. There was also a bulky gold wristwatch on a well-used brown crocodile strap. It was a Girard-Perregaux model designed for people who like gadgets, and it had a sweep second-hand and two little windows in the face to tell the day of the month, and the month, and the phase of the moon."  - excerpt from the novel “From Russia With Love” by Ian Fleming 

 

Was Ian Fleming envisioning a watch like this?

 

How cosmically appropriate that I, a girl who grew up loving James Bond, would be drawn to THIS watch.  I do disagree with Mr. Fleming, however.  The watch is anything but bulky!

 

Let's take a look, shall we?

 

Dial

 

The glory of this watch for me, is in its opaline dial.  It is simply luminous.  The timepiece sports a light ivory dial.  Under certain light the color is almost like an eggshell that is lit from behind by a candle flame.  There's an inner illumination and translucence to the dial's surface that is so enticing.  Coupled with the rose gold case it is a compelling combination.

Of course, most people who are interested in the 1966 Full Calendar are looking at its classically-inspired triple date display.  The top half of the dial houses two windows showing the day and the month.  The dial's lower half contains a moonphase display and date pointer.    

 

I particularly like the use of red font in the day/month windows, which is purposefully echoed in the date wheel surrounding the moonphase via the red "31."  This act to me, is a pleasant, thoughtful touch on the part of Girard-Perregaux.  In fact, this feels like the theme of this watch to me.  It is a piece packed full of these small pleasantries, all of which come together to offer the wearer a very satisfying watch on the wrist.  Over the few weeks that the watch was in my possession and on my wrist each day I came to love details like:

- beveled windows

The beveling in the day/month windows captures light nicely.

 - polished indices

 

- fine, clear printing of text and indices

- softly sculpted leaf hands

If there's a weak spot on the dial, in my opinion, it is the size of the moonphase display.  The actual execution of the moonphase itself is quite nice.  The moon is a slightly sunken golden disk surrounded by painted gold stars, but for my taste, the display window is a bit small in proportion to the dial.

 

 

Case

The smooth, polished rose gold has a pleasant weight to it, and the specific hue is quite warm.  It is of a color that does not attract attention, but gives its wearer a sensation of richness nonetheless.  The rose gold case matches the hands of the watch, as well as the automatic movement's beautiful rotor.  We can see evidence of this fact in the pictures below.

The pleasing, warm hue of GP's rose gold.  You can see the signed, fluted crown and correctional pushers (of which there are four, two per side) in this photo.  The lugs, which originally looked, and felt to the touch like they might be sharp on the wrist were actually very comfortable.  I wore the watch every day for a month, so I feel confident saying that the piece was comfortable once strapped upon my arm.

The crown was extremely easy to manipulate on this watch.  I have large, stumpy fingers so many crowns are tough for me to handle.  However, the Full Calendar has a well-designed crown.  I didn't use the pushers very much.  I corrected the watch once when I first received it and that was about it.  When I did use the pushers they depressed easily and the date moved crisply.  The rounded contours of the case were sensuous to the touch.  I have a habit of wiping my watches down every night when I put them away and it was a treat to run my cloth and hands over the curves of this timepiece.

The gentle curves of the GP 1966 Full Calendar.



The crystal is only slightly domed, and rises up from an elegantly canted bezel.



The watch comes on a dressy black gator strap with signed pin buckle.  Stylistically, I feel this strap is perfectly appropriate, and keeping with the vintage theme of the watch.

Movement

This watch houses automatic movement GP033M0.  It's an in-house 28,800 bph automatic that is 4.8mm thick, with a power reserve of 46 hours.  The oscillation of the rotor was smooth upon the wrist -- the 18K rose gold substantial and weighty, as it should be.  There is something about watching the movement of a rotor on a fine timepiece, like this one, that is mesmerizing.  You feel and see your energy, your life force transformed.  In these small motions, the harnessing of our energy in the beating of a watch's movement, man and machine, we are one.  In my opinion, this is in part the allure of watches, whether on a conscious or unconscious level.  They are a physical manifestation of what we cannot see, the invisible and everpresent energy that connects all things. 

The 18K rose gold rotor of the caliber GP033M0.  The engraving on the rotor is crisp, clean and even -- more than nice.  This movement is very solidly decorated.

Even without the addition of color, the clean, classic finishing is extremely attractive.  The use of perlage, Geneva stripes, and circular Geneva stripes (on the rotor) create an elegant overall presentation.

One small regret, the slots in the screws are not blued.  This is one of the components on this watch that I do not care for.  The brushed finish on the wheels could be a little more consistent in my opinion, but it is perfectly serviceable and still quite nice.

A very pretty picture.

The Manufacture's hallmark.

Anglage is nicely polished and quite lovely.

The rear crystal is pressed-in and flush against the case.  This feature added to the watch's comfort once upon the wrist.

Closing thoughts

With a list of around $18,500, this 18K rose gold timepiece is a contender for anyone looking for a timeless, dressy annual calendar watch.  Its relatively thin 10.7mm case resides comfortably under the most fashionable French cuffed shirt (I often wear double-cuffed dress shirts, so to this I can attest.).  During the month that I wore the watch it performed flawlessly.  While I didn't try timing it against the atomic clock at the US Naval Observatory (how I normally test these things), I never had to correct the time display.  I instead chose to embrace the spirit of this watch, a throwback to a simpler, less hectic era.  Overall, I was impressed with the piece.  It was comfortable on the wrist, and just felt very solid.  I was initially drawn to the watch because of its good looks, and am pleased to now report that the watch isn't just a pretty shell -- this timepiece is beautiful inside and out.

The 1966 Full Calendar is a worthy successor to the great Girard-Perregaux watches from the 1960s to which it is dedicated.  This is a watch that can be worn with any outfit, and is evergreen from a styling perspective.  I think Girard-Perregaux has a winner here, and frankly think their 1966 Collection is chock-full of gorgeous wrist companions waiting to be discovered.  For evidence in support of this statement one need only look at Girard-Perregaux's recent offerings from this collection:

The new 1966 Chronograph from SIHH 2010.

A favorite for many from last year's SIHH, the 1966 Annual Calendar and Equation of Time.  (Photo courtesy of Foversta)

Lastly, one of my favorites from Girard-Perregaux from SIHH this year, the limited edition 1966 Small Seconds in palladium (my favorite metal).

If you have the opportunity to see the 1966 Full Calendar in person, I ask that you take a moment to investigate the watch for yourself.  I am certainly pleased that I had the opportunity to spend time with it.  Thanks for reading, and sorry for the pictures.  I'm still trying to fine-tune the photo setup at the new house (read: things are not all unpacked yet).

Cheers,
Daos

Selected specifications:
Ref. No. 49535-52-151-BK6A
18K rose gold
40mm case diameter
10.7mm tall
Sapphire crystals, front and rear
Water resistance to 100 feet
Manufacture movement GP033M0, automatic
28,800 bph
46 hour power reserve

Author's note: I personally requested through PuristSPro to review this watch.  Girard-Perregaux did not invite me to do so, nor did they offer me incentives, monetary or otherwise, in order to influence my article.

 

 

This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2010-01-26 06:09:38 This message has been edited by MTF on 2010-01-27 09:55:20

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