Review
Blomman Mr Blue offers a detailed look at the Girard-Perregaux Traveller ww.tc reference 49700 with a white "Panda" dial, following up on a previous discussion. He shares his initial skepticism about the panda dial aesthetic and how seeing the watch in person began to shift his perspective, providing valuable live shots and personal insights.
Friends,
Last week CrownComfort shared his view of the current Girard-Perregaux Traveller World-Wide Time-Control reference 49700. His likes and less likes with this Traveller ww.tc line.
This week I will give you some thoughts on the Girard-Perregaux Traveller World-Wide Time-Control reference 49700 with white “Panda” dial.
We all have our preferences, likes and dislikes...
For me, one of the “less likes” is the so-called “Panda” dial, light dial with dark sub-dials or vice versa.
I prefer same color of the dial/sub-dials. That may be one of the reasons why I never felt the urge to spend a fortune plus some internal organs on a PN…?
Another “less likes” for me is different colored sub-dials. If different color than the main dial, my thought has always been “at least keep it consistent”!
So, when I got the chance to see the Traveller ww.tc with white/black Panda dial in real I didn’t have much hope of liking what I would see…
At first glance, I ruled it out because of the general look (I was on a tight schedule with another 40+ watches to see) and was just about to put it aside when I had another look…
In a timespan of a second my mind whet from - Hm… OK… Not that bad… Nice!
OK, the base is the same as the other Traveller ww.tc’s in steel: 44 mm in diameter, 13.65 mm thick. Functions: Hour, minute, small second, world time, day/night indicator, chronograph and date. Inside is the automatic movement GP03300-0084.
So I will not go into these details again…
Why I stopped and what hit me is that this dial version is very different from the others!
The base layout of the dial is of course the same as the others: the world time with the cities on the outer ring, second comes the day/night indicator and then the inner dial with the longitude/latitude pattern.
First thing you notice is the chronograph minute indicator at nine o’clock and the running seconds at three o’clock which both are black.
The sub-dial at six o’clock, the chronograph hour indicator, has the same silver/white as the main dial.
Two things that made me change my mind here are:
On the inside of the day/night indicator there is a thin black line which makes you see and appreciate the full circle.
If you compare with the regular white dial there is no such line and you don’t really see or feel the circle on the day half of the indicator.
Second reason is the red accent on the black sub-dials. Together with the red central chronograph second hand I get a very sporty feeling, or more precise: a racing feeling.
Like a race car dashboard!
The rubber strap coated with black alligator enhances this feeling!
On the wrist, the two black sub-dials really stand out.
Both sub-dials at nine and three are cut by the day/night indicator, but with the thin line between the inner dial and the day/night indicator I don’t mind. I actually like the bigger sub-dials. Some may think they look a bit squeezed, but for me the bigger size this allows looks great!
The sub-dial at six is not cut. Instead the six o’clock index is removed to make room for the smaller sub-dial.
In different light the red accent of the sub-dials are less pronounced, same as on a dashboard…
What a difference, small details and tweaks on a dial makes!
This dial made me reevaluate my view on “Pandas” ….
Oh man, I am in trouble… Not long ago I was the no-chrono guy… Now I start to look at Pandas?!
And you? What are your likes and dislikes?
Best
Blomman
The problem here, however, is that the two black sub-dials at 3 and 9 represents the watch's second hand and the chronograph's 30-minute counter respectively, while the sub-dial at 6 is the chronograph's 12-hour counter. For a panda sub-dial design, ideally I would love to see the two sub-dials for the chronograph function to be positioned at 3 and 9 for symmetry (like the current Rolex Daytona) and to be in the same color, with a matching color chronograph second hand. This would help visually
I have voiced my opinion and my preference. Nevertheless, the Panda does have somethng. It's a very special look that is hard to ignore and I'm sure will find its admirers. I think it's great that GP offers different dial and case versions, each with its own character. Regarding some of our points of critique. While I think they are valid, we should not forget that the combination of a World Timer with a Chronograph is quite a challenge, not taken up by many brands. Not so much horological, but
I love the sporty feel with the two dark color sub dials. Nice contrast and balance. The rubber strap looks super comfortable. On the gold version a more subdued look with the sub dials blending in. A more sophisticated look to match the gold attire. Thanks for another great review. Bill
The two sub-dials at 9 and 3 to be linked in function. That would make better sense. Yes, would require a big chance of the movement... But we can always ask! Maybe Girard-Perregaux reads us....! ;) Best Blomman
In the Traveller is not an easy thing. The offer from GP is very wide in a good way, but in the same time - makes it hard to keep track of all versions.... :) As for the Olimpico.... I will come back to that topic later this summer! ;) Best Blomman
Yes, the sportiness of the Traveller white panda matches the the case size much better than the more sophisticated gold version, IMO. A perfect summer's watch! :) Best Blomman
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