Girard Perregaux

The Girard Perregaux History

In 1791 Nineteen-year-old Jeanne-François Bautte first signed his name to a watch. This date marked  the birth of Girard-Perregaux, and the beginning for a new watchmaker in Geneva, whose timepieces have gone on to have  great success all over Europe.
1837 Jeacques Bautte and Jean Samuel Rossel took over from the founder, and perpetuated his success.
1852 Constant Girard founded Girard & Cie. Two years later, it took the name of Girard-Perregaux, following the marriage of Girard to Marie Perregaux. Thus, a new manufacturer opened its doors for business in la Chaux-de-Fonds.
1880 The company kept up its pursuit of innovations in wristwatches and, in 1880, its watches were ordered by Emperor Wilhelm I for his officers in the German Imperial Navy. Two thousand were produced: the first large-scale production of wristwatches in history. However, at the time, the idea was considered too revolutionary and production was discontinued. It was not until the beginning of the next century that the wristwatch met with the success that it enjoys to this day.
1889 Constant Girard’s masterpiece was created, given the name Tourbillon “Three Gold Bridges”. The fruit of many years’ labour, it received the gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in the same year.
1903 Constant Girard-Gallet inherited the company from his father. Two years later, his company was elected as a permanent member of the jury at the most popular international watch fairs.
1906 Girard-Perregaux bought Bautte’s historic manufacturing company.
1928 Otto Graef, a watchmaker and owner of MIMO (Manufacture International de Montres D’or) bought out the company’s entire share of capital. In two years, more wristwatches than pocket-watches were sold, almost fifty years after Constant Perregaux had anticipated this kind of timepiece.
1940s The company continued to expand in both Europe and America, the most popular model being the water-resistant “Sea Hawk”. Five years later, there was the launch of an Art Deco-inspired rectangular model, later called the “Vintage 1945”.
1975 Launch of the “Laureato” octagonal model.
1981 Twenty replicas of the famous Tourbillon “Three gold Bridges” pocket-watch were produced.
1992 The Italian entrepreneur Luigi Macaluso took over the reins of the company and, under his leadership, signed a co-branding agreement with Ferrari (1992-2004). This collaboration led to sport watches and grand complications.
Luigi Macaluso is also President of the Sowind Group, which unites important companies at the higher end of the watchmaking market (Girard-Perregaux, Jean Richard, GPM, EMG, Phoenix, Tradema Italia/Japan/USA/Germany).
1998 Macaluso bought and renovated an early 20th century building known as Ville Marguerite, to house the Girard-Perregaux Museum.
2001 The company launched  “WW.TC” (world wide time control), a timepiece that combines a chronograph function and simultaneous reading of local time and all other time zones.
2004 The company launched “The Cat’s Eye concept”, a new line of Ladies’ watches with small complicated mechanical movements. In the same year, the brand became involved in the America’s Cup alongside the BMW Oracle Racing Team. It also opened its first boutique in Gstaad.
2006 At the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, Girard-Perregaux presented the GP 2700 and the GP 4500, with the GP 7000 being presented in the 1990s. The model  “Laureato Evo3” with three sapphire Bridges, presented a technical and innovative version of its famous predecessor, Tourbillon.