Girard-Perregaux / MIMO Large Date 1940

blomman Mr Blue · 2015-04-23T00:08:41Z

Explore the 1940 Girard-Perregaux / MIMO Large Date, contrasting vintage mechanisms with modern GP innovation. A historical look at date complications.

blomman Mr Blue

WPS member · Girard Perregaux forum

29 replies4294 views6 photos

blomman Mr Blue's "Throwback Thursday 1940: Girard-Perregaux / MIMO Large Date" offers a fascinating historical look at the evolution of the large date complication. By contrasting a 1940 advertisement with modern GP mechanisms, the author highlights how far watchmaking innovation has come. This post provides valuable context on the brand's early approach to date displays and their continuous pursuit of horological excellence.

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Friends,

We all know that GP has a very nice Large Date mechanism. Date change is completed in under 5 milliseconds when triggered!

Back in 1940 Girard-Perregaux wrote: “Luck the man to whom you give Girard-Perregaux’s Calendar Watch! Every day, automatically, new date appears in red. 17 jewels. 14 K gold $80. Stainless steel $37.50.”

Well, the Date change was not that fast back then…

In fact the mechanism was quite simple with one disk going from blank to 3 and the second disk from 0 to 9…

Date change normal every 24 hours or with a push on the button located in the crown you make the date jump one step ahead.

Only one step… With will give you some strange dates…

Really strange!

But hey! At that point in history, this was a very cool watch!

Best

Blomman

This message has been edited by blomman on 2015-04-23 00:09:10

Key Points from the Discussion

The Girard-Perregaux/MIMO large date is a well-known piece among collectors, appearing in many catalogs and guides, though it is not easy to find.
Various versions of the vintage large date watch are showcased, including steel cases with step bezels, black dials, tobacco dials, and rare 18kt gold cases, all featuring a red date display.
A collector shares details about their specific movement version (9.97), noting differences like fewer jewels, a different shock absorption system, and an 'adjusted' rather than 'unadjusted' designation, possibly due to US import rules.
The author expresses excitement about the growing 'GP museum' of vintage references, indicating a strong appreciation for the brand's historical pieces.

The Discussion

crown comfort

Apr 23, 2015

fresh from the Blomman museum? Amazing that back then a large date mechanism existed. And having the date in red numbers is the cherry on the cake. CC

hs111

Apr 23, 2015

Your GP museum is getting spooky, because its realm into so many nice refs ! Congrats, my friend, very enjoyable ! And I still have only 1 GP.. sighhh ! - We\'ll see what future brings : - Olimpico, Richeville or Gyrodate .. Be assured I would take them all ! Best, hs

robert11a2001

Apr 23, 2015

il gran data GP/ Mimo è un pezzo conosciuto , compare in molti cataloghi e guide per collezionisti. Non è però semplice da reperire . Ecco la versione Girard Perregaux in acciaio con bella cassa a scalino . Segnalo che esiste anche una versione con quadrante tabacco e una con quadrante nero....... che sto' ancora cercando ;.-). Ciao Giuseppe

blomman Mr Blue

Apr 23, 2015

Thank you, my friend! :) Yes, the red accent is very cool! Best Blomman

blomman Mr Blue

Apr 23, 2015

133 years! ;) Thank you! Best Blomman

blomman Mr Blue

Apr 23, 2015

Is getting ready! ;) You got taste for mare after Paris, eh?! ;) Thank you, dear HS! Best Blomman

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