Vintage 1945

VINTAGE 1945

The newest member of the Vintage 1945 collection illustrates Girard-Perregaux's creative force and mastery of design. Its fluid lines establish a new vision of watchmaking elegance, while adhering to the codes of an Art Deco style watch created in 1945.

Art Deco revolutionised the inter-war period, sparking major changes in the world of visuals and decoration. The new players in architecture, interior design, fashion, painting and photography established simplicity, geometry and structural coherence as fundamental concepts. The right angle and refined forms aimed for perfection. Inspired by this burst of creativity, in 1945 Girard-Perregaux signed a watch illustrating these principles. Today the new Vintage 1945 offers a modern reading of this style. Paying tribute to its heritage, the Manufacture has carried out a radical rethink of the historic model to invent a contemporary creation.

The distinction of this Vintage 1945 is down to the complex play between the straight lines and curves of its new case. Its rectangular shape contrasts with the curves of the pink gold case. Its geometric subtleties are revealed in three dimensions: its finesse, its curved profile adapting perfectly to the wrist, its convex flanks providing an ideal housing for the crown. The contrast of curves against strict right angles extends to the domed dial, and to the appliques and indexes, meticulously polished to highlight their facets. With its delicate central guilloche work, this dial is rounded off by “dauphine” hands. The small seconds hand runs in the 9 o'clock position, while the date is displayed at 1:30.

As is shown by its 32 x 32 mm dimensions, bigger than those of the original watch of 1945, this model is timeless, yet firmly anchored in its period; classic, yet unique. It asserts itself without excessive decoration: it is adorned simply with “godrons”, small ribs at the base of the lugs. This delicate luxury is expressed in the attention paid to every detail and in the well-balanced design. This sobriety masks the complexity of the automatic movement visible via the sapphire case-back: the Girard-Perregaux GP3300 calibre, renowned for its finesse and reliability.