Girard-Perregaux Just Released A Limited-Edition Timepiece In Collaboration With Winery Château Latour

Two esteemed names, Château Latour and Girard-Perregaux, renowned for their excellence and heritage, have joined forces to create a timepiece that embodies the essence of their unique terroirs. The result is the 1966 Château Latour Edition, a slim and elegant watch featuring a dial made from pebbles — allowing the wearer to tell a story rich with history that transcends beyond the dial.

First, a brief history: Girard-Perregaux, established in 1791, has consistently crafted top-tier timepieces, dedicated to pursuing excellence. Their history is replete with groundbreaking achievements, including winning the prestigious Neuchâtel Observatory prize in 1867 and securing a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1889.

In 1966, Girard-Perregaux earned the Centenary prize of the Neuchâtel Observatory for the Gyromatic HF, marking a historic moment celebrated with the 1966 collection. This range epitomizes elegance, simplicity, and timeless design.

Château Latour, founded in 1331 near the Gironde estuary, epitomizes excellence and ancestral savoir-faire. It has held the esteemed rank of ‘Premiers Crus Classés’ in the Médoc region of France since 1855. This culture of excellence is fostered by the dedicated individuals working in both the vineyard and the estate’s cellars.

Girard-Perregaux’s deep connection with the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds dates back to 1847. The city, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, boasts historical ties to watchmaking. Its architecture is influenced by its principal industry, with workshops designed to harness natural light. A network of specialized suppliers has emerged to support various watchmakers in the region. La Chaux-de-Fonds’ terroir imparts a distinctive character to every Girard-Perregaux watch.

The city has long been a creative incubator, nurturing brilliant minds such as Le Corbusier, Blaise Cendrars, and Louis Chevrolet. This spirit resonates with Girard-Perregaux, a pioneer in haute horlogerie with over two centuries of experience at the forefront of watchmaking. Rooted in its heritage, the Manufacture is instinctively driven to embrace new technologies, employ cutting-edge materials, and find innovative ways to bring joy.

Château Latour’s terroir, characterized by its mild climate, geological complexity, and proximity to the estuary, is truly unique. The vineyard’s soil is covered with a dense blanket of pebbles, with pale ones reflecting light to enhance photosynthesis and darker ones capturing daytime sun heat for release during the night.

Recognizing the beauty of these pebbles, Girard-Perregaux has crafted 18 exclusive timepieces featuring dials made from light-colored pebbles sourced from the Château Latour vineyard.

Creating each dial for the 1966 Château Latour Edition is a meticulous process executed by skilled artisans. The pebbles are carefully cut and ground, reducing their thickness to a mere 0.45mm. They are then mounted on a brass base, resulting in a total thickness of only 0.70mm. Each dial boasts unique characteristics, with subtle variations in shade, fissures, hollows, and inclusions. Crafting these dials is challenging, with some not meeting the required standards or breaking during the process. Only the finest examples, the result of 30 hours of meticulous work, are chosen. Ensuring the durability of the pebbles is also crucial to maintain the movement’s precision and reliability.

The case of the 1966 Château Latour Edition complements the pebble dial’s enchanting complexion. Crafted from pink gold, it enhances the dial’s subtle yellow hues. The golden leaf-shaped hour and minute hands are both elegant and legible, harmonizing with slender indexes. A center seconds hand and date display complete the watch’s functionality.

The self-winding movement, Caliber GP03300, is visible through the sapphire crystal case-back adorned with the Château Latour logo. The movement showcases exceptional finishing, including chamfering, circular graining, engravings, and more. While the movement is produced in-house, some watch components are sourced locally, with 90% crafted within a 100km radius of La Chaux-de-Fonds.

The 1966 Château Latour Edition perfectly marries the terroir of Château Latour with the horological finesse of Girard-Perregaux, and will be exclusively available to private guests of the Château Latour estate and the Villa Girard-Perregaux in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the ancestral home of the Manufacture.