Girard-Perregaux expands its Bridges collection with a celestial twist. The new Free Bridge Meteorite features a central bridge framed by fragments from the asteroid belt.
As each slice of the Gibeon meteorite (discovered in Namibia) displays a slightly different Widmanstätten pattern, each dial is unique.
With its inverted movement, the watch displays its bridges at the front of the watch. This dial symmetry nicely echoes historic (and award-winning) Girard-Perregaux Three Gold Bridges pocket watches, but with a modern treatment.
Skeletonized hands sit atop a bridge that straddles the visible gear train wheels. The open-worked approach continues with a see-through spring barrel at the top of the dial.
The meteorite pieces here are made of an iron-nickel alloy with small amounts of cobalt and phosphorous, and along with their Widmanstätten patterned lines, create a nicely contrasting tone on the bridged dial. 
To create the namesake meteorite dial decor, Girard-Perregaux artisans first slice the meteorite. After machining them into the correct shape, the slices are then pierced with two holes to accommodate two functional and decorative screws. Each plate is then rhodium-plated to protect the iron-rich meteorite, inhibiting corrosion.
Girard-Perregaux polishes the watch’s 44mm stainless steel case with a blend of polished and satin-finished surfaces.
Inside the Free Bridge Meteorite the watchmaker fits its superb caliber GP01800-2085, a self-winding movement equipped with silicon components.
Price: $25,700.
Comments are closed.