By Jovan Krstevski
One of the first thing that comes to mind whenever I hear Girard-Perregaux is its famous and traditional 1966 collection which has become an iconic and classically-inspired collection that many of us watch fanatics recognize. Over time, it is natural for the brand to spruce up its collection with timely masterpieces. However, does the new addition make it to the mix in the sense that it complements the brand heritage? Join me as I delve deeper into the matter at hand.
Technology matures but it seems that mechanical watches are stuck with hyper-traditional looks and functions. Negligent of technological advantages, some excellent watches missed out a lot but not the latest Girard-Perregaux 1966 Dual Time. It comes with a second time zone function which for me is a huge leap even for traditional high-end watches. We’re talking about elegant watches here with very tiny and precise moving parts not some mumbo-jumbo cheap electronic watches.
Indeed, the dual time feature has been carefully designed and studied and I agree just by the looks of it. The design speaks for itself such as that the handling looks comfortable and the two pushbuttons make it easy to set the device. For me this simply exudes freedom and uber convenience. One glance at the device from the moment you step off the plane gives you an instant grip of your destination’s time zone in an accurate manner. I don’t know about you, but such a device is worth strapped in my wrist.
The dial is obviously made for two-time zones. At first, I was amazed just how ingenious the design is so I asked myself just how complicated could it be. A closer look reveals one elegant dial in a clearly ordered fashion. It screams perfectly placed lines and curves to make time reading as quick and easy as possible. The distinctive part of the dial is the red hand that gives the reference time for the second time zone not to mention that the local hands sport luminescent material.
The case of course diffuses perfect curves with timely fashioned lugs and sleek pushbuttons on both sides of the fluted crown reminiscent of the watches’ heritage. Most importantly, it measures 40 mm in diameter and finished off by a slightly convex sapphire crystal surrounded by a beveled, polished bezel reflecting utter nobility to the timepiece.
What powers the watch is the new exclusive GP03300-0094 caliber featuring self-winding mechanical movement with a minimum power reserve of 46 hours. This is revealed through the sapphire case back.
Perhaps, nothing could better hold the timepiece than the alligator strap available in two colors (brown and black) complementing the two dial versions (off-white and anthracite gray) and both are fitted with a pink gold pin buckle.
From a clear vantage point, the pink gold case exudes elegance. On the other hand, the precise machining boasts of 30 meters water resistance, 27 jewels, hours, minutes, central seconds, 2nd time zone in 24 hours, and date at 6 o’clock.
The Girard-Perregaux 1966 Dual Time is clearly an exceptional addition to the brand’s popular 1966 collection. For more info, please visit girard-perregaux.com
Jovan Krstevski – Founder, Proprietor & Executive Editor
Watch collector, aficionado and an Event profile in the Swedish nightlife. He launched Watchgeek back in 2011, which is now known as WristReview and is one of the most widely read watch blogs on the Web. He quotes ’WristReview is a site to help people find, explore, discover and enjoy wristwatches.’ His passion jump started in his early teens, when he was given his first mid-range wristwatch which was an Omega Seamaster. Since then he has always been in love with wristwatches! Besides WristReview, he also writes for a number of publications. Read his articles here.
