Girard-Perregaux ww.tc Enamel to John Harrison

Girard-Perregaux pays tribute to one of the 18th-century leading watchmaker, John Harrison. He was known after making the H-4 watch, a clock that would maintain its accuracy even when pitching and rolling on the world’s roughest seas. Girard-Perregaux’s tribute timepiece is added to its ww.tc (world wide time control) collection. The following is the watch high-end features:

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

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 themagic 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.

The Girard-Perregaux ww.tc Enamel for John Harrison is limited to 50 individually numbered timepieces. (Thanks Karen!)