The Tourbillon with Three Bridges, by Girard-Perregaux, is said to be the world’s oldest watch movement that is still in production today, having been developed by Constant Girard in the 1860s, with a patent issued in 1884 for its highly recognisable linear construction. This statement has lots of potential for debate amongst horological scholars. Some might point to the evident modernity of today’s movement (in terms of components, materials, size, etc) in arguing that the Tourbillon with Three Bridges of 2022 is decidedly not the same as the one from 1860. Others might raise the existence of other contemporary movements that also bear a strong resemblance to 19th-century movements (most clearly seen in repeaters made in the Vallée de Joux tradition). However, there is one thing that the Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Bridges has going for it, something that surpasses the minutiae of evolving movement construction or the scattered descendants of 19th-century haute horlogerie, and that is lineage. The Tourbillon with Three Bridges was created at Girard-Perregaux over one and a half centuries ago and is still made there today, based on the same mechanical principles that distinguished it in 1860.
Confused? Think about it as you would the DB5 of Aston Martin, who also happens to be the automotive partner of Girard-Perregaux. Despite a variety of exterior changes and differences in interiors and engine, the Aston Martin DB5 is still an icon of the brand, and is still identifiable today as the same car with a decades-long pedigree.
The Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges Bucherer BLUE is the latest release from the La Chaux-de-Fonds maison, celebrating the relationship between the brand and renowned retailer Bucherer. Its design follows the recent “Neo Bridges” aesthetic first premiered by Girard-Perregaux in early 2017, with openworked and arched bridges that emphasise the continued relevance of this 19th-century horological concept in contemporary watchmaking.
You might remember the 2019 Girard-Perregaux Quasar, which brought unprecedented lightness and transparency to the Bridges collection by reducing the structural movement plates to a bare minimum. Launched in 2021, the Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges pushed this idea even further, attaching the bridges directly to the case itself, making it seem as though the movement was hovering within its case.
This astonishing visual spectacle is replicated in the Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges Bucherer BLUE, with the eponymous movement bridges crafted in titanium with a metallic grey-blue coating applied using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) techniques. ALD is a sub-category of the more familiar Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) process, and is used in nanotechnology due to its method of application, which allows for highly precise results. In using this technique, the Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges reinforces its position on the cutting edge of technology, a position first set out by its avant-garde design.
Two box-form panes of sapphire crystal sandwich the watch from either side, creating a bezel-free profile that allows unimpeded views of the tourbillon movement within. The Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges Bucherer BLUE is produced in a limited edition of 18 pieces, reflecting the exclusive nature of the watch and the rare relationship enjoyed by Girard-Perregaux and Bucherer.
