Girard Perregaux

Andrew,

Very nice watch, even considering that I'm not a "gold person".

I would love to see this one in SS with a black dial but this one is very tempting.

Thank you for the post,

Nilo

Thanks Nilo.

The Ref 49539 also comes in WG with WG accents on the dial. Personally I like the richness that the RG brings and it is not overpowering on the wrist. GP have more sporty chronographs in the collection with darker dial options and in steel.

Here are some of FX's shots of the WG watch for comparison ...

And the press release images of the two watches from their 2010 launch at SIHH ...

This while dialed version had hour and minute hands in blue ...

It could be The Object Of Desire.

Cheers,

Nilo

... although I agree that blued hands are beautiful.

I find the rose gold hands to be warmer and more appealing than the starker white hands of the WG version.

Andrew

GP's 1966 Chronograph is one of most beautiful chronograph designs on the market. In terms of looks I hold it right up there with Vacheron Constantin's Patirmony Traditionnelle Chronograph and Patek Philippe's 5070. Intellectually I prefer these manual winding cousins to GP's self-winding modular movement, but I don't think that would stop me from choosing the one that I liked the looks of the most (and of course the GP is downright inexpensive relative to its competitors).

Bill

Bill

Andrew, lovely, lovely piece and one of my favourites. As you know I have the classic 1966 in pink gold, but I also love this dressy chronograph. If I had a choice, I would probably go for the white gold with blue dial which looks stunning IMHO. I can see you enjoyed that piece and I look forward to your detailed review.

I agree CC, that blue dialed version of the WG 1966 Chrono released last year for the 220th Anniversary of the company is a killer. Unfortunately I don't have any photographs with me, but here was the press release so readers can remember what we are referring to ...

 

I found those two very nice photos...

Thanks CC.

It softens the starkness of the WG case with the white dial.

I love it.

Andrew

Come on Andrew I'm

... I knew that comment would come back to haunt me. I just didn't expect it to be so soon.

Your patience (and loyalty) will be rewarded (with a biscuit) in the next few weeks.

Andrew

No message body

....is the amount of dial area the Tachymeter takes up - it seems to crowd the rest of the dial into too small a diameter.

... is prominent, but in reality it frames the dial quite nicely, and the long tapered chrono seconds hand reaches over it. It is part of the design language of this watch, and I personally don't mind it - or perhaps I have got used to it. Each wearer will have to decide on this point.

Andrew

...the unfortunate result of the movement being too small for this watch IMO. A couple of mm smaller and it would have been much nicer!

Can't wait to hear your longer term thoughts on this gorgeous piece.  In person I thought this was a showstopper!

Cheers,
Daos

Brings life into a mechanical device. Now that we have seen it, very much looking forward to reading about it !

BUT things may well change...

In the good direction, I mean.

Best,

Nicolas

This message has been edited by amanico on 2012-08-16 23:58:45

If only the proportion on the dial were the same as on the Rattrapante Foudroyante....it would be a "killer" specially on the white gold version with blue dial. I am pretty sure that GP will have heard!
Kind regards and thank you.
Francois

I already mentionned I really love this chrono, every time I see it.

Maybe one thing that would trouble me if I had to go for it: the close resemblance with the well known PP 5070's dial.

Thanks for sharing this opinion Andrew

Best,

Mark

Isn't that where the Devil lives?

Hi Mark,

I agree there are some superficial similarities with the now iconic PP5070, however there are also a number of important differences that need to be considered when making a final decision:

Bicompax chronographs have been in the range of both both companies for many decades, so both have a 'legitimacy' in this design. It is interesting that both GP and PP have addressed the 'challenge' of a small movement in these current watches by designing a dial with 'centralized' subdials and a prominent tachometer scale.

What IS a delight in the PP5070 is the beatufully finished manual wind Lemania ebauche (the CH27-70). Some might find the automatic movement in the GP to be practical, but there is nothing as special or as beautiful as a manual wind integrated column wheel chronograph movement. Perhaps GP will go down this path in the future. And it would be a welcome addition.

The PP5070 is 42mm in diameter (verses 40mm for the 1966 Chrono) but aesthetically I prefer the simple sloping polished bezel and short lugs of the 1966 Chrono to the fancier stepped bezel and lugs of the PP. And 42mm is getting too large for a 'dress' watch on my wrist, so I like the proportions of the 1966 Chrono.

When it comes to the dial I actually prefer the GP for the blued hands which add a lot of colour to catch the eye and I dislike the partially 'eaten' Arabic numerals of the PP5070.

So if I was spending my own money, I would be happy with the 1966 Chrono on my wrist, but I would lust for an ALS Datograph or 1815 Chrono for the movement!

But these are just my personal preferences and I am trying to avoid being 'tripped up' by brand names.

Andrew

And you're right to avoid being 'tripped up' by a brand name, even if it's sometime difficult to do.

Anyway, this chrono is a real beauty and I prefer this version to the new 42mm one, launched lately.

But as you mentionned, aside from the budget, I'll lean toward the Dato too, even if it's not as pure and balanced as a real bi compax only dial. 

Thanks for your exhaustive reply Andrew

Cheers,

Mark

GP is one of my favorite watch makers, and this simple Chrono is Why.  Elegant, functional and ergonomic  

I am happy to welcome you here.

Yes, GP is a fantastic brand, and as you used watches to give some reasons to love it, I would say that there are a LOT OF reasons to love GP.



Looking forward to reading more from you,

Best,

Nicolas

You sum up two important characteristics of GP watches very well: functional and ergonomic. They just 'work' on the wrist.

Your watch looks like the Reference 4956 (49560), which is sometimes called the Sports 2000. Is that correct? These came with your 'white' dial, as well as black and blue dials. And there were a range of limited editions for Ferrari based on the watch as well.

You should post a new thread and tell us more about your watch, how you came to own it and what you like about it.

Congratulations, thanks for sharing here, and welcome to PuristS!

Warm regards

Andrew

Andrew, thank you for your welcoming words.  I look forward to posting more, heaven and my wife know I have enough watches.  I am new to purist and am learning to navigate and post.  Ben

Never too late to post, Ben. I hope you can learn to navigate around the forums. There is also a HelpDesk in the tabs at the top of the page with tutorials on various aspects of posting, uploading images and linking to photos and videos. And if you get stuck you can ask questions there as well. You should enjoy connecting with other collectors with similar interests.

Regards

Andrew