The history of Girard-Perregaux SA extends back to the late 18th century when watchmaker Jean-François Bautte signed his first watches in 1791. Bautte is credited with creating a manufacturing company in Geneva that consolidated all facets of watchmaking under one roof for the first time in history.
The Birth of the Girard-Perregaux Name
Girard-Perregaux was formed two years after Constant Girard, grandson of a watchmaker, married Marie Perregaux, daughter of a watchmaker, in 1854. Their son Constant Girard-Gallet took over the company after the death of his father, and acquired the Manufacture that was established by Bautte all those years ago. Up until 2022, Girard-Perregaux was part of the Sowind Group which in 2011 became a subsidiary of Kering, which also owns luxury brands such as Balenciaga, Gucci, and Yves Saint Laurent. Kering had also owned JeanRichard, which has since been shut down. Today, Girard-Perregaux remains a sister Maison of Ulysse Nardin.
Girard-Perregaux for Ferrari
Girard-Perregaux enjoyed a 11-year relationship with Ferrari starting in 1993, a year after Luigi Macaluso bought the then-ailing Swiss brand. The “Girard-Perregaux for Ferrari” philosophy turned out to be ahead of its time, similar to the collaborations that would become common decades later.
While this partnership had a nearly exclusive focus on historical Ferrari models and did not involve Formula One sponsorship, there were exceptions. The first was 1999’s Girard-Perregaux Pour Ferrari S.F. Foudroyante, named after the function invented by Constant Girard in 1880. Released in celebration of Ferrari’s 70th anniversary, the “S.F.” Foudroyante could either stand for “seconde foudroyante” or “Scuderia Ferrari“. Another example was the Vintage 1945 Scuderia Ferrari F1 Limited Edition (Ref 2599RED) commemorated four consecutive constructor’s championship wins from 1999 to 2022. To follow up on another title, a modified WW.TC World Time Chronograph was released as the Girard-Perregaux Pour Ferrari F2003 GA (Ref 4980) to celebrate the Italian manufacturer’s 2003 F1 world championship-winning car. The “GA” paid tribute to Gianni Agnelli, the long-time Fiat president who had passed away at in January of the year. Ferrari and Fiat’s respective locations, Maranello and Torino, both appear on the world time dial.
Commission for Michael Schumacher
Also worth noting was the Girard-Perregaux Michael Schumacher, based on the Girard-Perregaux vintage Tourbillon automatique model and specially commissioned by Jean Todt to celebrate Schumacher’s fifth world title.
Aston Martin
Girard-Perregaux became a partner of Aston Martin in 2021, freshly rebranded from Racing Point BWT to make its return to the Formula One grid after 60 years. The partnership yielded a number of Aston Martin edition timepieces such as the striking yet stealthy Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges Aston Martin Edition, as well as the F1-specific Laureato Absolute Chronograph Aston Martin F1 Edition (ref. 81060-41-3071-1CX). The case construction of the latter involves titanium powder and carbon extracted from two F1 cars used in the 2021 season, a strap featuring a mix of rubber and carbon from the same cars, and was limited to 306 pieces.
References
https://www.girard-perregaux.com/row_en/our-home
https://quillandpad.com/2021/06/05/history-of-ferrari-watches-girard-perregaux-pour-ferrari/
https://www.watchprosite.com/girard-perregaux/underappreciated-girard-perregaux-s-from-the-1990s–part-v-girard-perregaux-vintage-1945-chronograph-ref-2599/6.1244501.10313811/
https://www.fratellowatches.com/pre-owned-picks-forza-ferrari-watches/
https://www.girard-perregaux.com/usa_en/aston-martin/our-co-designed-timepieces.html
https://www.thewatchbox.com/shop/Girard-Perregaux-Ferrari-2599-RED.html
https://watchcollectionhobby.blogspot.com/2017/03/girard-perregaux-girard-perregaux-pour.html
https://www.mrwatchmaster.com/extremely-rare-ferrari-themed-watches-to-sell-at-christies-in-geneva/
https://deployant.com/new-girard-perregaux-laureato-absolutechronograph-aston-martin-f1-edition/