The complications are displayed on the dial in perfect harmony, powered by a mechanical calibre with over 400 component parts. The new Girard-Perregaux 1966 Minute Repeater, Annual Calendar & Equation of Time watch is a worthy addition to the Girard-Perregaux 1966 Collection.
The well proportioned dial features a silvered sunburst decor as a backdrop to the complications.
1) Annual Calendar
With solid gold applique hour-markers and sharply defined profiles, the eye is immediately drawn to the imposing date located at 1:30 on the dial. The month is displayed in a window opposite to complete the Annual Calendar function. This ingenious construction only requires a single adjustment of the date per year, in February, which is easily carried out through the watch’s crown.
Indicated by a cam appearing in relief on a wheel that completes one revolution per year, the Equation of Time is displayed at 4:30 on the dial. It shows the difference between civil time and solar time. The solar day varies in duration from day to day. While the two reference times in question coincide exactly four times per year, the accumulated difference between them can be as much as, for example, 16 minutes in November.
3) Minute Repeater
The Minute Repeater enables the user to hear the striking of the hours, quarter-hours and minutes. This function was first conceived in an age before the advent of electricity, when people needed to be able to hear an indication of the time during the night. Today it is one of the complications most appreciated by connoisseurs of fine watchmaking.
In order to create the vibration that will produce a crystalline sound, the adjustment of the striking mechanism is one of the most delicate operations for a watchmaker, requiring nimble fingers and a particularly acute ear.
The Girard-Perregaux Minute Repeater features three specially designed aspects of the construction of the watch-case: an optimal fit between the internal diameter of the case and that of the calibre, so as to achieve maximum resonance; a curved case back that increases the volume of air between the movement and the case, and enhances the sound production; and the diamond-polished bottom of the case back, which reduces acoustic interference.
The movement is visible through the sapphire crystal case back, in line with a Girard-Perregaux watchmaking tradition. With its constant concern for aesthetic standards, Girard-Perregaux has designed the balance-cock in a semi-arrow shape that recalls the Golden Bridges, the brand's emblematic signature.
Girard-Perregaux 1966 Minute Repeater, Annual Calendar & Equation of Time watch
Specifications
Case in polished pink gold with anti-reflective sapphire crystal Bezel: circular, satin-finish interior Dimensions: 42 mm Crystal: Domed anti-reflective sapphire Dial: brass, appliques in 5N18 pink gold
Hands: "Leaf", "Baton" and "Arrow" styles in 5N18 pink gold and coated in diamond powder piece by piece Crown: 5N18 pink gold with GP logo engraved Case-back: sapphire crystal, closed with 6 screws, all inscriptions hand-engraved Water resistance: 30 meters Girard-Perregaux E09-0003 Movement Handwound mechanical movement Calibre: 14¼''' Frequency: 21,600 vib/h – (3 Hz) Power reserve: min.100 hours (4 days) Jeweling: 48 jewels Number of components: 419 Plate: rhodium-plated and circular-grained
Bridges: côtes de Genève, polished beveled angles Balance-cock: gold semi-arrow shaped, "rounded-off" Balance: with variable inertia
Striking mechanism: repeating with two facing hammers, hours, quarter-hours, minutes. Regulation of the speed of the striking-mechanism by inertia-driven governor, countersprings accessible on the bridge side, inverted minute rack; conventional gong pitches. Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, minute repeater, annual calendar, equation of time Brown alligator strap Ardillon buckle in pink gold Reference: 99651-52-131-BKBA Limited edition of 15 pieces
Girard-Perregaux Website - http://www.girard-perregaux.com/home-en.aspx
No comments:
Post a Comment