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Girard-Perregaux WW.TC John Harrison Honours One of The Greatest Watchmakers
Girard-Perregaux WW.TC John Harrison Honours One of The Greatest Watchmakers
As part of its ww.tc collection, which indicates the time around the world, Girard-Perregaux introduces an exceptional limited series dedicated to John Harrison
Sheikh Zayed Road,
Dubai,
United Arab Emirates
(prbd.net)
20/06/2011
With its long history of continuous research into precision, the Girard-Perregaux Manufacture pays tribute to this remarkable 18th-century watchmaker by adding an exclusive creation to its ww.tc (world wide time control) collection. As part of its ww.tc collection, which indicates the time around the world, Girard-Perregaux introduces an exceptional limited series dedicated to John Harrison, one of the greatest British watchmakers and inventor of the H-4 watch (to calculate a ship's longitude to within half a degree).
The dial of this exceptional timepiece depicts the journey undertaken by John Harrison's son William from Portsmouth, England, to Port Royal, Jamaica, against a map of the Atlantic Ocean. The trip lasted from November 1761 to March 1762 and was intended to test the reliability of the H-4 timepiece, which was much smaller than the first prototypes developed to calculate longitude. The H-1, for example, weighed 32.5 kg.
The dial of the ww.tc John Harrison offers a superb example of delicate champlevé enamel, produced in the enamelling workshop of the Girard-Perregaux Manufacture. The contours of the map are engraved on an unprocessed plate of white gold, while the compass rose, showing the eight directions of the wind and measuring no more than 3 mm, is hand-sculpted by a craftsman-engraver. The liquid green and blue enamel is laid into the cavities using a brush. Next comes the firing, timed to the minute in a furnace at 800°C, to create the magic of vitrification. After cooling, the excess enamel is removed by vigorous sanding using a hard stone and water.
The dial is then manually polished with a diamond file, before a last firing called "Dorure" or gilding adds shine and reveals the enamel’s full splendour. William Harrison's journey is delicately indicated by a trace of silvered powder stretching from Europe to America.
Echoing the dial, Portsmouth and Port Royal are highlighted in royal blue on the cities ring, which is activated by the white-gold crown and delicately engraved with the GP logo at 9 o'clock. Universal time, as distinct from local time, can be instantly read off from the blue/white hours ring using the rhodium-plated leaf-shaped minutes hand.
The hands are also subtly skeletonised, adding exquisite elegance and discretion to their ballet around the enamelled dial. The alternation of satin-brushed and polished finishes on the white-gold case (41mm) adds a sense of distinguished finesse to its beautifully balanced proportions.
The transparent case-back reveals the Girard-Perregaux 033G0 automatic calibre, which is widely recognised for the excellence and reliability of its construction.
It is fitted with an ingenious coupling mechanism that activates the bicoloured ring indicating the time in 24 time zones.
As an ultimate tribute to this fabulous journey in watchmaking history, the pink gold oscillating weight is engraved with a parchment bearing the dates on which the H-4 started and finished its Atlantic crossing.
The dial of this exceptional timepiece depicts the journey undertaken by John Harrison's son William from Portsmouth, England, to Port Royal, Jamaica, against a map of the Atlantic Ocean. The trip lasted from November 1761 to March 1762 and was intended to test the reliability of the H-4 timepiece, which was much smaller than the first prototypes developed to calculate longitude. The H-1, for example, weighed 32.5 kg.
The dial of the ww.tc John Harrison offers a superb example of delicate champlevé enamel, produced in the enamelling workshop of the Girard-Perregaux Manufacture. The contours of the map are engraved on an unprocessed plate of white gold, while the compass rose, showing the eight directions of the wind and measuring no more than 3 mm, is hand-sculpted by a craftsman-engraver. The liquid green and blue enamel is laid into the cavities using a brush. Next comes the firing, timed to the minute in a furnace at 800°C, to create the magic of vitrification. After cooling, the excess enamel is removed by vigorous sanding using a hard stone and water. The dial is then manually polished with a diamond file, before a last firing called "Dorure" or gilding adds shine and reveals the enamel’s full splendour. William Harrison's journey is delicately indicated by a trace of silvered powder stretching from Europe to America.
Echoing the dial, Portsmouth and Port Royal are highlighted in royal blue on the cities ring, which is activated by the white-gold crown and delicately engraved with the GP logo at 9 o'clock. Universal time, as distinct from local time, can be instantly read off from the blue/white hours ring using the rhodium-plated leaf-shaped minutes hand.
The hands are also subtly skeletonised, adding exquisite elegance and discretion to their ballet around the enamelled dial. The alternation of satin-brushed and polished finishes on the white-gold case adds a sense of distinguished finesse to its beautifully balanced proportions.
The transparent case-back reveals the Girard-Perregaux 033G0 automatic calibre, which is widely recognised for the excellence and reliability of its construction. It is fitted with an ingenious coupling mechanism that activates the bicoloured ring indicating the time in 24 time zones. As an ultimate tribute to this fabulous journey in watchmaking history, the pink gold oscillating weight is engraved with a parchment bearing the dates on which the H-4 started and finished its Atlantic crossing.
The ww.tc John Harrison is available in a limited series of 50 individually numbered timepieces.
Technical data
Case in white gold
Diameter: 41 mm
Height: 11 mm
Crystal: antireflective sapphire
Case-back: sapphire crystal, secured with six screws
Water resistance: 50 metres
Dial in champlevé enamel
Girard-Perregaux GP033G0 movement
Mechanical with automatic winding
Calibre: 11 ½’’’
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations/hour (4 Hz)
Jewels: 26
Power reserve: minimum 46 hours
Functions: hours, minutes, display of world times with day/night indicator
Black alligator strap
Folding clasp in white gold
Limited edition of just 50 individually numbered timepieces
-End-
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