Asteria Colored Diamonds

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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Girard-Perregaux and Carl F. Bucherer Redux


Luxury Swiss watch brands, Girard-Perregaux and Carl F.Bucherer are on the move. Almost immediately after I posted a story that included timepieces released for the U.S. market from the two companies, they showcase new watches.

Carl F. Bucherer, has released the Patravi TravelTec FourX (top picture). 18k rose gold is paired with ceramic to form the bezel. High-quality titanium and resistant rubber also play a role in the overall structure.

The case of the timepiece contains part of the time-zone selection mechanism, which is controlled in two directions by means of a single monopusher. The process can be observed through a window that has been let into the side. The design is aimed at ease of operation. For example, the direction of travel (east or west) can be pre-selected on the multifunctional monopusher at 10 o’clock and each push causes a jump to the next time zone, the flange with its imprinted 24-hour scale turning in either direction to guarantee that the red hours hand always shows the correct local time. It is suitable both for frequent flyers and for those who communicate with people all over the world.

A skeletonized dial permits a free view of the gearing. The elegant date indication can be seen under an effective loupe: the figures are milled out of the date ring and remain invisible until they appear over a red background in the date window. 

 
Meanwhile, Girard-Perregau’s newest version of its 152-year-old Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges timepiece has a round 41 mm case is carved out of pink gold. Inside it contains the Girard-Perregaux GP9600-0018 automatic mechanical movement. It’s attached to an alligator strap with a gold folding clasp.

It is available with or without diamonds. The diamond model is $406,500 (pictured) and the price without diamonds is $211,500. It is being sold as a limited edition of 50 pieces.