In May 2012, iconic Swiss luxury Brand Girard-Perregaux, proudly announced the unveiling of an industry first: a print and digital journal called The New Face of Tradition. The project is a collection of stories and images of Girard-Perregaux’s Young Watch Masters observed in their own Atelier, but also in their time outside of it. Activated through a traveling initiative entitled the “Young Watch Masters Tour", the project has brought these watchmakers and their art of craft around the world.
All of the images from the journal and the tour have now been compiled in an elegant and sleek designed book that takes the reader through a journey around the world but also through the lives of the Young Watch Masters. Within the publication, the watchmakers’ stories, dreams and personal aspirations are explored.
The book is designed with two sections. The first is dedicated to the twenty-three Young Masters and their alter egos, from rock & roll stars to mountain climbers, record collectors and international alpine horn champions; here the young watchmakers emerge as rich and multi-faceted as the Girard-Perregaux luxury timepieces they create. The second section is fully dedicated to the Tour, depicting the watchmakers as they take over cities like New York, Sydney, Tokyo, Paris, Beijing, Miami and Shanghai, photographed amongst the backdrop of these cities’ iconic landmarks.
“With this book, we celebrate a new generation of watch masters. We honor their craft and their dynamic lives so as to inspire other young people around the world to pursue the tradition of watchmaking” says Michele Sofisti, Girard-Perregaux and Sowind Group CEO. “As times, generations, technology evolves, the art of watchmaking stays the same at its core and this book represents this fusion of innovation and tradition that Girard-Perregaux embraces”.
The New Face of Tradition book will be available at the Girard-Perregaux boutiques and selected point of sales worldwide. It is printed in three languages including English, French and Chinese. A digital version will also be available for download on www.girard-perregaux.com and on www.thenewfaceoftradition.com.
