Presented in a white composite body, this new Girard-Perregaux WW.TC Chronograph White Ceramic (Ref. 49820-32-712-FK6A) is inspired by the gorgeous an ultra-limited (only five individually numbered pieces were ever made) edition ww.tc Cabinet de Curiosites Thomas Erber created for the 2011 Cabinet de Curiosites event in London.
Judging by the specs, the new wristwatch features the same functionality with the list of features including the “world-times” display with a day/night indicator, as well as a flyback chronograph and a simple calendar. The 2013 model sports a more jovial expression though thanks for the use of a normal, clear sapphire crystal that covers its dial instead of the limited edition’s smoked one.
On a personal note, I think that I would probably prefer the one with the tinted crystal: it provides the timekeeper’s dial with more depth and, well, more style if you don’t mind the noun. I mean, with the darker synthetic crystal it has a more distinctive look and the part plays nicely with the black elements of the dial and case, although it detracts from the high-contrast color scheme as well.
I don’t know what were their reasons, but somebody at Girard-Perregaux has apparently decided that a clear sapphire would be more appropriate for the new model and, well, so it happened.
The dial looks somewhat cluttered (mainly thanks to the three sub-dials that crowd in the center of the dial cramped by two rings: a city disk and an extra 24-hour time zone ring).
The bright red chronograph pointers, too, look a bit less contrast over black sub-dials compared to the 2011 original, but, let’s not give the brand a hard time here: all indicators serve their functions well, and there is an amount of Superluminova on both hour and minute hands that would allow you to light up a (really) small room, and you can always read current time in any major city of your interest without straining your eyes too much.
The rubberized chronograph push-pieces and both crowns (the one at 3 hours operates the main functions and the one at 9 o’clock sets the time in the second zone by turning the other ring) offer the necessary grip and make operating the timekeeper especially easy. For aesthetic’s sake, I would probably prefer the rubber to be replaced with glossy black ceramic, but that would probably hurt the timekeeper’s ergonomics, so the compromise looks absolutely legitimate to yours truly.
Like many timekeepers with ceramic bodies, the new model has its GP3300-0028 automatic movement secured inside a special internal container. Crafted from titanium, the cage protects the precious engine from damage without adding any noticeable weight to the whole construct.
Frankly, it’s sort of a mystery to me why GP didn’t run and grab the opportunity to add an ‘antimagnetic’ feature to the specification list by replacing the titanium cage with one crafted from soft iron.
Probably, someone has decided that a traveler’s watch doesn’t need such a feature, although something tells that a person that every month spends dozens of hours inside a plane and airport’s waiting halls (even though they have “VIP” lettering over their doors) is subjected to no less impressive magnetic fields than an engineer working at a power plant. Well, whatever.
Measuring 43 millimeters in diameter, the case doesn’t look terribly compact: it will take a sizable space on a normal person’s wrist and, if you are of a more subtle kind, you should probably take that into account. Still, being less than 14 millimeters thick, the shape of the watch makes an impression of slenderness and sporty elegance.
I am not sure what sort of attire this timekeeper would require to look organic (I think, a tuxedo is out of the question here,) but it will probably make a good accessory if you happen to own a white iPhone and have a 27-inch iMac standing on your tinted glass office desk. Of course, you will also have to be lucky to manage to grab one of the 20 pieces that GP plans to offer.
See also: Linde Werdelin SpidoSpeed Anthracite DLC
Photos: Girard-Perregaux
Girard-Perregaux WW.TC Chronograph White Ceramic 49820-32-712-FK6A specification
Price: $26,000 (MSRP)
Movement: Automatic, caliber GP 3300-0028, in-house, 30 mm in diameter, Swiss Made
Number of jewels: 63
Movement frequency: 28,800 vph
Power reserve: 46 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph, world time (GMT) with day/night indication
Case and Bezel: White ceramic
Crown: Black rubber
Shape: Round
Size: 43.00 mm
Dial: White
Numerals: Arabic
Hour markers: Luminous
Hands: Steel, luminous
Water resistance: 100 meters
Strap: Black rubber strap with a folding clasp in titanium
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective
Back: Black DLC-coated titanium with sapphire crystal