Friends,

We all know that Girard-Perregaux have some very nice watches with the Large Date complication in their current collection.

For example, the 1966 Large Date Moon Phases:

Or the Vintage 1945 XXL:

GP has a very nice Large Date mechanism.

Seamless, no bar or edge separating the two numbers.

Lightning fast, date change is completed in under 5 milliseconds when triggered! 

(Me and CC once tried to capture the date change on video, but even on slow-motion it was too fast for the naked eye)

But the Large Date complication is not something new to GP.

Already back in the 1930s and 1940s, Large Date watches was in the catalogue!

Here is an example from the 1940 US catalogue:

Cover – On time … All the time… All over the world, I would have loved to be slogan writer back then!

BTW, notice the “since 1791” – the magic number was already established 1940!

Inside – look at number 27. “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.”

For that price, I would happily buy it myself!

So already in 1940, GP made Large Date watches.

I earlier showed you my MIMO Large Date in Gold. Not exactly the same case as shown in the catalogue, but close.

Now let’s have a closer look at the one in the catalogue.

Same rectangular case but with an extra level on the sides.

Big crown with a pusher in the centre.

Stick hands and according to description, Large Date in red!

The pusher in the centre of the crown sets the date one day forward used for setting the date.

Look at the slightly curved case back. Girard-Perregaux made comfortable watches already back then.

At midnight the date changes like modern Large Date watches, the right 0-9 shifts one up and when you hit zero, the left number blank-3 shifts one up as well.

From date 1 to 31 all is good, what’s not solved here is after 31…

32-40 you need to manually push past to get to 1 again.

A bit awkward but you get to see some fun dates…!

The version in the catalogue with the extra level on the side give the watch a very interesting look, polished with brushed sides.

The bezel is angled so the light plays very nicely over the case.

Inside is the GP calibre 94 which in MIMO terms is 9.97 which took me awhile to figure out…

The calibre is based on the FHF 29 (8 ¾  - 12’’’) and was in use by GP between 1931 to 1946.

So most likely the first GP Large Date wristwatches are as early as beginning of 1930s.

Personally, I love to explore the history of a brand, go back to the roots and by that understand the modern watches of today!

And when the history comes in a NOS package with a stunning salmon dial…

Hope you enjoyed another journey into the past!

Best

Blomman