Ever since Breguet invented it to improve the performance of pocket watches and other vertically oriented timekeeping devices, the mesmerizing tourbillon complication has captivated and awed watchmakers and collectors alike, representing an ingenious melding of complication and craft to the purpose of improving horological precision. In years since, it has since become an outdated anachronism–even by the standards of already inherently obsolete mechanical watches–but of course, it is a love of craft and the artistry behind watchmaking which keeps “The Whirlwind” a revered grail. While many prestigious companies and independent watchmakers alike have produced tourbillon watches, there are probably none quite so iconic as that of Girard-Perregaux’s: the Tourbillon sous Trois Ponts d’Or, or Tourbillon with Three Golden Bridges. It won a prestigious medals at the Paris Universal Exhibition over multiple years (even attaining highest honors there in 1901) due to a combination of exceptional beauty and constructive quality, and those same stately aesthetics and alluring architectural identity have made it a virtual textbook reference whenever the tourbillon is discussed. History, aesthetics, and ingenuity are all a part of this legend of fine watchmaking.
Recognizing that, Girard-Perregaux has offered many examples of the Three Bridge Tourbillon over the decades, in cases round and square, classic and sporty and with the bridges rendered in alternative materials to the signature gold, such as translucent sapphire. With this particular variant–the Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges–GP has taken things in a very cool, subtly futuristic direction, yet one that completely respects the ethos of previous models, and even the 19th century originals. The Flying Bridges offers a beautiful three dimensional view of the legendary mechanism, as well as unparalleled transparency, thanks to a construction that has foregone the usual baseplate. To say that the 44mm case wrought of 18K rose gold is opulent would be a sore understatement, yet it is tasteful and restrained with many brushed surfaces, and entirely appropriate to the grandeur and breathtaking structure of the movement which it puts on stage.
One of the most enticing things, to me, about the Girard-Perregaux Three Bridge Tourbillon construction, is its mechanical clarity. Despite the complexity of the tourbillon mechanism itself, the watch presents its mechanism very clearly, and this is even more so with the Flying Bridges interpretation: the uppermost bridge bears the spring barrel holding the mainspring (and discreetly contained 18K gold microrotor for the automatic winding system), the middle bridge carries the gear train and pinion for the hands, and the lowermost one suspends the tourbillon cage with all the components of the escapement. What you have then, is a watch that presents this most famed of high complications with supreme clarity, inviting you to explore the workings of every gear and wheel, rather than getting lost in decorative nuance for its own sake.
But beautiful finishing detail abounds, the moment you dive in to look for it. For instance, looking at closeups of the mechanism reveals the over-arching skeletonized bridges, which on the dial side are rendered from 18K gold, which has been oxidized black on the top sides for a sophisticated matte effect, yet hand burnished on the edges for the seductive allure of light play at the slightest movement of wrist or the light source. Those chamfers, as you’d hope, are executed patiently by hand, with traditional wood polishing sticks and compounds. Too, in keeping with the traditions of its historic forefathers from Girard-Perregaux, the balance is freely sprung, has gold regulation screws for fine adjustment, and further, is equipped with a hairspring given a traditional Breguet overcoil for optimal concentricity. This latter aspect is, of course, yet another desired technique of classical watchmaking, which this movement certainly can lay claim to based on a long and very storied history!
This Girard-Perregaux is one of those achingly expensive watches which is somehow both discreet and spectacular at the same time. Large and bold in the stately rose gold case–more of a minimalist frame than a case really–it definitely makes a statement. Yet that $150,000 statement is a whispered one, thanks to the discretion and near invisibility (except up close, to the wearer!) of the horological treasures contained in the see-through, finely wrought movement. The Three Flying Bridges Tourbillon is a definitive pinnacle for the one who understands uncompromised excellence, but is content for private enjoyment of it–and that is something that in times of increasingly indiscreet wealth boasting, that I can definitely get behind.
