Reimagine the icon.
The three-gold bridge tourbillon was invented in 1860 and is synonymous with fake Girard Perregaux. Its unique and impressive design is still the watchmaker’s flagship movement a century and a half later. Since the modern revival in 1981, the three-bridge tourbillon has continued to evolve to keep up with contemporary tastes, resulting in variants like Neo Bridges, which have smooth arched bridges.
Earlier this year, GP Girard-Perregaux introduced the latest three-bridge, which completely eliminated the bottom plate and produced a floating transparent movement. Now, the brand has finally launched a luxury version of this watch, more eye-catching in rose gold and black-the three fly bridge tourbillon.
My opinion on the recent iteration of the Three Bridges is lukewarm, because I find that the redesigned design often blurs the original identity of the movement-these designs try to be modern but not fully realized-but the latest version has changed my mind. Flying Bridges is clean and streamlined, creating a magnificent, unobstructed view of the mechanical structure, and enhancing the mechanical structure by choosing the correct color and structure.
From a technical point of view, the fly bridge is an interesting watch. The components that make up the timing system—the barrel, the gear train, and the tourbillon adjuster—are arranged linearly and vertically, just like the historic three bridges. But now they are supported by three horizontal bridges on both sides of the movement, which are fixed to the case instead of the traditional bottom plate, making the movement ventilated and transparent. Girard Perregaux Tourbillon Three Flying Bridges
The only shortcoming of the watch is not inherent-the fly bridge design is often iterated, resulting in countless versions that reduce the prominence and appeal of complex functions. This makes it difficult to keep track of which patterns are in the typical version, which is a problem because most collectors want only three bridges in a collection.
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Thanks to the skeleton movement, the movement structure is clear at a glance. The movement is wound by a micro-rotor hidden under the uppermost bridge coaxial with the barrel, and its gear train is vertical from the barrel to the six o’clock position, where the tourbillon is located.
The hour and minute hands and the center wheel below are held by a second bridge, while the tourbillon is supported by a third bridge.
The execution of the bridge makes this movement unique. Unlike the earlier version of the three bridges, which used large arrow-shaped bridges modeled on 19th century pocket watches, the new bridges are stylish and aerodynamic. luxury swiss watches
It is worth noting that the curvature and height of the bridge plate are made obvious by the two-color finish: the bridge plate on the front is made of pure gold, but painted in matte black, and then the edges are manually chamfered with gentian sticks to achieve exposure The gold below. This gives the splint a golden outline, and the angle of the mirror finish brings out the elegance and quality of the movement.
However, the bridges on the back take a simpler form—they are also painted in black, but are made of titanium instead of gold, and have no angles for manual inlays. In other words, the overall processing of the movement is well done, as evidenced by the bevels on the wheel spokes, which include some inward and outward angles.
Girard Perregaux Tourbillon Three Flying Bridges
Ref. 99296-52-001-BA64
Diameter: 44 mm
Height: 15.52 mm
Material: 18k rose gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Waterproof performance: 30 m
Movement: GP09400-1273 Features: hours, minutes, seconds and tourbillon regulator winding: automatic frequency: 21,600 times per hour (3.5 Hz) power reserve: 60 hours
Strap: Black alligator leather strap, 18k rose gold folding clasp