Girard-Perregaux Free Bridge: in review

A bridge from the past to the future

If you were to call to mind a picture of a Girard-Perregaux watch, my presumption is that it would be something from the Laureato collection - with it’s dressy sport watch look - or the Bridges collection, where components of the movement itself become prominent architecture on the dial side of the watch. Today, we’re giving you a hands-on look at the Girard-Perregaux Free Bridge.

Girard-Perregaux Free Bridge: what it is

In the Bridges collection, the most familiar would be the Three Bridges designs, with the trio of bridges that are balanced across the dial (such that it is). On this watch, at first glance, it seems like you only have a single bridge, down at the 6 o’clock mark, which holds the balance in place. And that one - the “Free Bridge” - has the look and feel of the iconic G-P bridge.

However, there are two other bridges hiding in plain sight for us. Up at the 12 o’clock position, you’ve got the “V” bridge over the mainspring barrel. Let your eye drop to the center of the dial, and you’ve another bridge. This one helps tuck the gear train in place, as well as giving a convenient spot for the handset to be anchored over the whole of the dial.

The position of each of those bridges also highlights the fact that you can see a vasdt majority of the movement itself from the front of the watch. While you can certainly flip the watch over and see the movement from the caseback, about all you are seeing there is the oscillating weight, a finished main plate, and some hints of the gear train. All of the interesting bits - including the kinetic movement - are visible up front.

Why design a watch this way?

That’s a fair question. Then again, why do some hypercars have clear covers over their engine bay? It’s the same sort of thing. In those cars - as in this watch - it’s all about showcasing how engineering can be aesthetic. It’s not a question of form over function. Here, it’s function with form that is being put on stage.

The crew at Girard-Perregaux definitely know their way around designing a movement, being as they’ve been doing it since the 18th century. This means that not only can they deliver a movement that is highly technical (both in use of materials like silicon, as well as delivering a 54-hour power reserve), they can build it in such a way that showcases the engineering without detracting from the function.

The function, you say?

Yes indeed - the function. What is the primary function of a watch? It is a tool, and its designated role is to tell us the time. Yes, sometimes it can do other things like give us the date, time events, and so on. But the thing we use watches for 90% of the time? It’s to tell the time. So if a design loses sight of that, it can make reading the time difficult.

In fact, I’m sure we’ve all seen - or perhaps even owned - “open dial” watches that cut away so much in an effort to show off the movement, that reading the time became nearly impossible. That’s where careful choices need to be made.

Fortunately, they made the right ones on the Girard-Perregaux Free Bridge. While the hands are slightly skeletonized (the better to see bits of the movement through), they are primarily solid, and they’re done in a bright finish (and white luminous paint) that stands out sharply against the darker tones of the exposed calibre. Additionally, around the chapter ring, well, they actually created a chapter ring. You’ve got luminous applied insides for the hours, and minute marks as well (as well as the floating G-P logo at 12 o’clock). In short, they’ve given a master class in how to create a “dial free” watch that is still actually, you know, useful.

Wrapping things up

Though it’s “just” a simple stainless steel case, the Girard-Perregaux Free Bridge is not what we’d consider to be in the realm of affordable watches. Yes, those are our bread-and-butter, but sometimes, we like to take flights of fancy and show you the marvels that can exist in the luxury watch realm (and really, when your contact asks if you want to borrow a loaner, how can you say no?).

So, for all of the complexity in the design and materials, one shouldn’t be surprised to be greeted with a price tag of $21,600 for this watch. This is right in the middle (if you were to look at prices across their whole catalog), and it is a sublime way to show your appreciation for the engineering that goes into these tiny machines we know as a wristwatch. Check out the details directly over at girard-perregaux.com

Girard-Perregaux Free Bridge Tech Specs

• Case

  • Case material: stainless steel

  • Diameter: 44 mm

  • Thickness: 12.2 mm

  • Case-back: anti-reflective sapphire crystal

  • Dial: no dial

  • Water resistance: 30 m

• Strap

  • Strap material: calf leather

  • Buckle: steel triple-folding buckle

• Movement

  • Calibre

    • Number: GP01800

      Mechanism: self-winding mechanical

    • Winding direction: clockwise

    • Total Diameter: 36.20 mm (16''')

    • Height: 5.94 mm

    • Frequency: 28,800 Vib/h - (4 Hz)

    • Number of Parts: 185

    • Number of Jewels: 23

    • Oscillating weight: heavy metal

    • Power Reserve: min. 54h

  • Functions: hours and minutes