By Jovan Krstevski
At Baselworld 2014, Girard-Perregaux demonstrates their most complex tourbillon ever, the Tri-Axial Tourbillon, with 140-part tourbillon rotating on three axes.
The dial of the Tri-Axial Tourbillonon is constructed on several levels, and comes in a soft grey with darker grey areas, surrounding each of the indications presents a wide aperture at 9 o’clock which is designed to highlight the tourbillon’s three axes under a hypnotic sapphire bubble. Between 1 and 2 o’clock, a silver dial with Clous de Paris motif presents numerals and hour markers in pink gold. The skeleton hands are also crafted from pink gold. Starting at the center of the watch, the power reserve indicator follows a curve that ends at 6 o’clock.
The Girard-Perregaux Tri-Axial Tourbillon has a 48mm large pink gold case which follows up the design codes of Girard-Perregaux’s Haute Horlogerie collection with a beveled bezel, a rounded case-center and elegantly narrowed lugs. An additional sapphire crystal is also integrated into the side of the case at 9 o’clock in order to show the tourbillon from another angle.
The Tri-Axial Tourbillon by Girard-Perregaux features a regulator on three separate axes. It has three layers of cages, each adding an additional axis of rotation. At the center is a traditional tourbillon with a one-minute rotation that has an increased frequency of 3 Hz, or 21,600 vibrations per hour. Next is a faster 30-second cage. And, the outermost cage rotates once every two minutes.
With a total weight of 1.24 grams, the cage and the drive systems are made of steel. The support pillars are in titanium, and in pink gold to act as a counterweight. The sapphire case-back, reveals a mix of polished surfaces, brushed surfaces, circular graining, and two gold bridges in the signature arrow shape of the brand.
Displaying hours, minutes and a time reserve indicator, the new GP09300 manual wound caliber measures 36.10mm in diameter with a height of 16.83mm. It comprises 317 components and has a power reserve of 52 hours.
The Tri-Axial Tourbillon is available in a 10-piece limited edition, with a retail price of 465,000 CHF (US$524,000). 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. 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!
