Girard-Perregaux watches

Girard-Perregaux watches

Over two centuries of heritage. The name Perregaux is unequivocally associated with the upper echelons of high-quality watchmaking.

Jean-François Bautte designed his first watches aged barely 19. The year was 1791, in La Chaux-de-Fonds, where the museum to celebrate him was built two centuries later. The company adopted its present name in 1852 and soon became known internationally, with Queen Victoria making a personal visit to the factory.

The famous Tourbillon sous trois Ponts d'Or (Tourbillon with three gold bridges) received a gold medal at the International Exhibition of 1869 and the Swiss firm’s domination became such that it was declared out of competition from the 1900 Exhibition.

In 1966, Girard-Perregaux introduced the first high frequency movement (36,000 vibrations/hour) into its Gyromatic range. It created Switzerland’s first industrial production of quartz wristwatches in 1970 and the frequency fixed by Girard-Perregaux of 32,768 Hz remains the universal standard for quartz watches. In 1992, the Italian entrepreneur, architect and former racing car driver Luigi Macaluso took over at the helm of Girard-Perregaux. At Macaluso’s initiative, Girard-Perregaux signed a co-branding agreement with FERRARI and produced a very limited-edition split-second chronograph to mark the occasion, featuring the famous "prancing horse". Between 1994 and 2004, this partnership produced a remarkable collection of sports models and large complications. In 2008, Girard-Perregaux and the PPR group signed a strategic long-term cooperation agreement, enabling the two companies to share their knowledge and pool their expertise. The brand now owns more than 80 patents.