Beauty Starts Within: Girard-Perregaux Unveils the All-New In-House Calibre GP4800

When you think of Girard-Perregaux, you probably instantly picture one of the brand’s iconic designs, be it the angular shape of its beloved Laureato or the unusual Casquette. However, for over two centuries, the Maison’s expertise has really been in its work beneath the dial.

Girard-Perregaux achieved early success all the way back in the 1860s thanks to its most iconic design, the Three Bridges concept. This arrangement transformed the bridge from a hidden technical element into a highly visible and integral part of the watch by redesigning the bridges in an arrow shape and positioning them in parallel.

Since then, the Maison has gone on to create more than 30 of its own in-house calibres incorporating around 80 patents. Today, Girard-Perregaux continues this rich lineage with the debut of its latest entirely new calibre – this is the GP4800.

Constant Girard’s development of the Three Bridges tourbillon laid the foundation for the brand’s movement innovations in the decades to come. Another significant moment that led to the creation we see today came in 1965 with the Maison’s first high-frequency calibre.

This achievement was recognized a year later by the Neuchâtel Observatory. The prestigious organization awarded Girard-Perregaux a special prize celebrating the brand’s contributions to chronometric precision.
 

More recently, in 2013, Girard-Perregaux unveiled another award-winning movement: the Constant Escapement L.M. This calibre is notably powered by a flexible silicon blade and went on to be housed in a timepiece awarded the prestigious Aiguille d’Or at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève later that year.

Now, the Maison takes another step forward in movement development with its next innovation, the Calibre GP4800.

When designing the new Calibre GP4800, Girard-Perregaux considered what makes the most timeless watch design: modest proportions that transcend trends. The constraint of size is no small matter – in fact, it’s one of the greatest challenges a watchmaker can face when creating more moderately sized timepieces.

Even with the most robust wristwatches, you’re dealing with a small amount of real estate to house the micromechanics needed for basic timekeeping or additional complications. Reducing this size even further presents real challenges for maintaining a high level of accuracy and precision.
 

With the Calibre GP4800, Girard-Perregaux sought to meet these challenges head-on and succeeded, creating a movement that measures just 25.6mm in diameter and only 4.28mm in thickness. It also contains the infrastructure to accommodate the addition of complications in the future.

A key element of creating the most technically sound and efficient movements in modern watchmaking largely comes down to the materials used. With the GP4800, silicium plays a significant role, being the choice material for the entire escapement, made up of the escape wheel, pallet lever, and roller.

Silicium contributes to the robustness of this movement thanks to its antimagnetic properties, hardness, low coefficient of friction, and resistance to wear, all of which significantly enhance the reliability and longevity of the mechanism. In addition, silicium’s ability to be shaped and molded for the calibre’s specific performance further maximizes efficiency and chronometric precision.