Friends,

One of my first catches from 2018 was the Girard-Perregaux ww.tc Financial with Titanium case and it is time to give it a more detailed review.

As you may remember, the Girard-Perregaux ww.tc is very dear to my heart and last summer I published an overall overview of the GP WorldTimers here in the forum.

www.watchprosite.com

It was also the time, when I added a second ww.tc on top of my Steel ww.tc Financial to my collection, the wonderful Tribute to John Harrison with enamel dial.

At that time, I did not think that I will continue adding another ww.tc from the original model line, but then on the other hand, I always had a black dial, sportier version in my mind.

So how did I end up with two ww.tc Financials, which seems silly and overboard at first sight?

On specs, both watches look the same. Same Reference 49805, same functionality including the display of major bourses opening and closing times, same size of 43mm, same dial layout and so on.

But then they are also very different. The black dial with the luminescent long indexes and the white hands give a sharp contrast and make the Ti version very easy to read and provide a much more casual sports look than the normal Steel panda dial.

The Titanium case makes the watch lighter and provides a very different look and feel than the polished and brushed steel.

The most prominent feature of the dial in my view is the 24hr ring with its black for night and sky blue for the day hours.

I must admit that in particular the look of dial and the hour ring, sold this watch to me.

Combining it with the rubber strap makes complete sense. For one, the black rubber harmonises much better with the sporty look of the Ti case and the black dial and it also provides for the more convenient and much more comfortable double-folding clasp.

One drawback of that is that you have to cut the strap to length and there is no going back other than buying a new strap. It is possible to adjust the length by one hole on the clasp, but that’s it.

Water resistance is up to 50m, but for a Chronograph although with screw-in crown but not screw-in pushers, still not a watch I will take into the water deliberately. I’ll leave that to Diver watches.

The movement is the same GP Caliber GP033C0, visible through the (small) opening on the back. I know GP gets often beaten up by the plain look of the movement and the small size compared to the case, but to me, the movement is actually very nice, well-constructed, reliable and very nicely finished as well.

I personally don’t have a problem with the small size, but a solid case back would be a welcome option.

Maybe some words about the Titanium case or Titanium in general. Especially a brushed finish, I find although very good looking, a bit problematic when it comes to scratches.

I understand that Ti may be harder than Steel but it can still be scratched and a scratch on a brushed finished Titanium case just looks 10x worse than on polished steel.

And removing scratches from Titanium requires real expertise to have it look again as per factory finish.

So although I have a sports watch that theoretically is well guarded against scratches, I’m still extra careful. But then I’m careful with my watches regardless and any solid gold case would be even more sensitive, so I can live with that limitation.

Let’s look at the watch on the wrist. At 43mm it is a large watch, no arguments. My wrist is not very large, but I do feel comfortable with the watch of this size. That is mainly due to the shape of the lugs that wrap around the wrist nicely, the flexible rubber strap and the comfortable buckle.

On the Steel ww.tc, I only found a comfortable set-up with a specially ordered short strap which made the deployant buckle finally sit at the right place.

There is also the element of the light material and the black dial that makes the watch look a bit smaller. But no doubt, it is a watch that grabs attention with its size and complicated and busy dial.

Certainly the ww.tc Financial Titanium works best with casual attire. I wouldn’t combine it with a suit but then I hardly ever wear a suit.

With jeans and casual long sleeve it is in its perfect setting. While the Steel Panda can cross the lines between business attire and casual, I think the Titanium FTC is a pure sports look watch.

And it was one main reason why I wanted it.

So let’s sum up (without any judgment) what this watch is all about:

• Casual and Sport
• Great legibility
• Lightweight with rubber strap combo
• A cool black look with blue and red colour accents
• A great complication that works very well in that package
• And a Case shape that despite a hefty 43mm works on my wrist

 So, I’m very happy to have added this one to my collection. It will not take wrist time away from my Steel Panda or the John Harrison as both of those are still very much in my absolute favourite category.

Best,

CC