La Esmeralda is a famous award-winning pocket watch, made for the “World’s Fair” in 1889. As replica Girard Perregaux celebrated its 230th anniversary, it revisited its iconic timepiece of 1889 and created a watch that celebrates the brand’s incredible heritage and expertise in fine watchmaking.
In 1860, Constant Girard created a tourbillon observatory equipped with three nickel-silver bridges. Later, in 1867, Constant participated in the Neuchâtel Observatory Competition, and his watch won the first prize, setting a record that no one has challenged over the years. In 1867, the same watch won a medal again at the Paris World Exposition.
The difference between Constance’s work and his peers is that he did not limit his efforts to technical details, and he also spent a lot of energy to perfect the structure of the action. In particular, the famous three bridges he used on his watches are not only practical, but also very eye-catching and attractive in design. Over time, the design of the arrow-shaped splint became more and more stylized, covering many aspects. In addition, the three bridge plates have become noble, transitioning from the nickel silver on the early pocket watches to the now famous golden bridge plates.
In 1889, Constant visited Paris again to enter another pocket watch for the “World’s Fair”. This famous watchmaker introduced the three-gold bridge tourbillon. This pocket watch is housed in a luxurious rose gold case with a diameter of 56 mm and a detent escapement.
The case is meticulously carved by the famous “Nachtel Mountains” craftsman Fritz Kundert (Fritz Kundert). In September 1889, this watch won a diploma and a gold medal at the “World’s Fair”. After the event, Hauser, Ziwy & Co, a well-known watch and jewelry retailer operating the “La Esmeralda” store in Paris and Mexico, was responsible for selling the award-winning watches.
This watch was eventually called “La Esmeralda” and was sold to the then President of Mexico Porfirio Diaz (1830-1915). In 1970, a descendant of the president offered the watch factory the opportunity to buy this watch, and it is now part of the brand’s museum collection. Shopping replica watch
Although La Esmeralda is a highly accurate pocket watch, its charm is not limited to the carved case and golden bridge. For example, it is equipped with a luxurious white Grand Feu enamel dial.
In addition, the Poire Stuart hour and minute hands, which are designed with filigree, add elegance to the watch. Finally, the savonette case with a hinged dust cover is beautifully engraved with three horses. However, despite having a large number of files, GP Girard-Perregaux could not find a record of the importance of these horses. In fact, these horses are now known as the “horse mystery”.
This year, Girard-Perregaux celebrated its 230th anniversary, the manufacturer launched La Esmeralda Tourbillon “A Secret” Eternity Edition, this watch uses the brand’s legendary watchmaking technology, and contains a series of artistic craftsmanship, with excellent quality to set the standard .
This latest work was unveiled during Dubai Watch Week in 2021, reinterpreting the design of the legendary “La Esmeralda” pocket watch in 1889 and referring to its many extraordinary improvements.
Three golden bridges span the dial, similar to those of La Esmeralda in 1889. However, on this latest model, Girard Perregaux has once again made the center stage of this new timepiece invisible by raising the horses engraved on the back of the original pocket watch to the highest level. In fact, two hand-carved galloping horses form the left and right ends of the barrel bridge and tourbillon bridge.
Each bridge is meticulously crafted and has concave bevels, mirror-polished surfaces, sides with horizontal “feature tires” and rounded arms. It takes 40 hours to complete all three bridges, and the additional engravings found on the barrel bridge and tourbillon require an additional 50 hours to complete.discount cheap watch
La Esmeralda Tourbillon “A Secret” Eternity Edition commemorates the history of the watch factory and inherits many of its historical technologies, while also incorporating cutting-edge technologies. For example, a carefully crafted motherboard was manufactured using CNC machine tools, the tolerances of which were unimaginable in the 19th century. However, once it has been ground, the main board will be finished in accordance with strict standards commensurate with the term “premium watch”. This is just one example of how Girard-Perregaux repeatedly juxtaposes modern technology with traditional expertise.
The main board (side of the bottom cover) is decorated with a brand-new finish form, which is a unique industry first by Girard Perregaux. Some high-end watches have beveled edges that are 45° across the surface and sides, while this model contains concave beveled edges. This involves creating a curved groove between the surface and the side, wonderfully capturing light and transitioning from one shadow to another.
As the name suggests, this watch comes with a secret cover. Press the crown button, the secret cover opens, revealing the self-winding movement GP09600-1506. Under the secret cover, the main board is equipped with a core plywood and a marking board. Both are made of rose gold and incorporate tires and hand-polished angles to imitate the shape of the famous golden bridge. The sports working bridge is marked as “secret”. The inner side of the hinged secret cover is hand-engraved with various inscriptions, but it can be personalized according to requirements.
The barrel and main bridge (dial side) are decorated with various guilloche patterns, processed by a traditional rose engine lathe, and operated by time-serving craftsmen.
The princess-style hour and minute hands are made of rose gold and surround the intricate and exquisite dial. In addition to the three iconic bridges and the aforementioned guilloché dial, this watch also brings some extra fun to purists. Wholesale fake watch
The central area of the dial and main board is recessed to accommodate the barrel, center wheel and tourbillon frame. The rhodium-plated barrel is located on the upper part of the dial and is engraved with gold lettering. This detail is reminiscent of the text on the barrel of the original La Esmeralda, announcing the patent status of this model. A platinum micro-rotor is located under the barrel, out of sight, and provides energy for the mainspring with minimal user input.
The tourbillon frame is located in the lower part of the dial. The lyre-shaped cage made with the most advanced technology is composed of 78 parts and weighs only 0.3 grams. This low quality helps reduce power consumption and provides at least 50 hours of power reserve for this model. A blue steel pointer is fixed on the tourbillon frame and used as a small seconds display.
The rose gold case is fully hand-carved and pays tribute to the exquisite skills of Fritz Kundert, the craftsman responsible for carving La Esmeralda in the 19th century, and the dedication and skills of modern La Chaux-de-Fonds craftsmen. Bezel, case, lugs and watch The buckles are engraved with exquisite leaf patterns. The exterior of the cover is decorated with a groove pattern. Additional carvings make the inside and outside of the secret cover more elegant.
La Esmeralda Tourbillon “A Secret” Eternity Edition was launched as part of the Eternity Edition series, paying homage to the eternal beauty of enamel. This contemporary interpretation takes this process one step further than its long-established predecessors, extending the enamel process to the sides of the housing and lugs-all of which are done in-house.
On the back of the watch, the back of the blue enamel secret cover is decorated with three horses, again inspired by the original La Esmeralda, and decorated with sun pattern guilloche patterns and blue Grand Feu enamel. The horses return, but their origin is still a mystery, or, as the manufacturer puts it, the “horse mystery”.
La Esmeralda Tourbillon “A Secret” Eternity Edition will be available in seven different colors, each color can be produced on request, each color can produce up to 18 pieces. It can be purchased worldwide through all authorized retailers of Girard-Perregaux.