Girard Perregaux

WW.TC ‘MONDO EXPLORIS’ FOR HIM & HER

 

Since 2007, the publishers of the Romanian luxury magazine, Caesar, have organized an awards gala honoring their readers' picks for the best luxury goods/services across several categories including haute horlogerie.  Some watches previously honored with the "Caesar Best Watch" award are the Chopard L.U.C. Tourbillon Tech Twist and the Ulysse Nardin Executive Dual Time.

So, it is not entirely unexpected to see a collaboration between the publishers of Caesar and one of the great companies in the world of high-end watches, Girard-Perregaux.  Dan Vardie, the founder and publisher of Caesar, approached Girard-Perregaux to create limited editions of their ww.tc timepiece.  Below are the fruits of that partnership.  One limited edition ww.tc. geared toward today's jetsetting gent; and another for the international, glamorous, woman who approaches shopping like an Olympic sport!

My wonderful GP co-moderator, AndrewD, and I decided to present our thoughts on these his & hers watches collectively in this post.

Technical specifications
Case
Stainless steel, satin-finished
Three-body case, rounded bezel, concave lugs, screw-down crowns, sapphire crystals with anti-reflective treatment
Diameter: 43.00 mm
Height: 13.40 mm
Case-back: Steel, engraved with AE & Mondo Exploris logos and fitted with transparent sapphire crystal, secured by 6 screws.
Water resistance: 5 ATM

Dial/Hands
Matt black with luminous “12” numeral, 8 round indexes, and transferred Girard-Perregaux, Mondo Exploris and AE logos
Black and red 24-hour revolving ring
Outermost 24-city disc printed with CAESAR for GMT +2 timezone
Luminous white baton hour and minute hands
Movement
Girard-Perregaux GP033C0
Mechanical manufactured movement, self-winding
Caliber: 13'''
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations/hour (4 Hz)
Jewels: 63
Power reserve: minimum 46 hours
Functions: hour, minute, small second, world time with day/night indicator, chronograph, date
Finishing: circular graining on the main plate, Côtes de Genève on the bridges and oscillating weight, and blued steel screws
Strap/Buckle
Black alligator leather strap. Stainless steel folding buckle
Extra rubber strap
REF: 49805-11-777SBA6A

Andrew's thoughts:

The Girard-Perregaux WW.TC has been a long favorite of many in the GP range. Not only is it a beautiful piece with historical interest, but the display of time in multiple cities simultaneously, along with the chronograph, makes it a very functional watch with great wrist presence. GP have now released an ultra-limited edition of only 8 pieces called the Mondo Exploris.

It is in steel with a sensible 43mm diameter (but a thickness of 13.4mm which is a great proportion and adds to the wrist presence). The white on black dial is supremely legible and the slash of red draws the eye. Only a few owners will be lucky enough to wear this piece, but it’s a great variation on the ww.tc.


My thoughts:

It's all about the entirely satin-finished case on this ww.tc Mondo Exploris chronograph!  I really like the effect on this watch, which is rather large at 43mm.  The satinized metal gives the watch an overall sportiness, especially when coupled with the bold black & red dial scheme.  I agree with Andrew that the marriage of chronograph and worldtimer functions on this timepiece make for an extremely useful watch for the world traveler.

Technical specifications
Case
Stainless steel
Bezel set with 54 round diamonds (1.95 cts)
Diameter: 41.00 mm
Height: 11.00 mm
Case-back: Steel, engraved with AE & Mondo Exploris logos and fitted with transparent sapphire crystal, secured by 6 screws.
Water resistance: 5 ATM
Dial/Hands
White mother-of-pearl with applied numerals and 9 round diamonds (0.12 cts)
White and grey 24-hour revolving ring
Outermost 24-city disc printed with CAESAR for GMT +2 timezone, and set with 15 round diamonds (0.18 cts)
Leaf-shaped skeleton hour and minute hands
Movement
Girard-Perregaux GP033G0
Mechanical manufactured movement, self-winding
Calibre: 11 ½ '''
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations/hour (4 Hz)
Jewels: 27
Power reserve: minimum 46 hours
Functions: hour, minute, small second, “shopping” world time with day/night indicator, power reserve indicator
Finishing: circular graining on the main plate, Côtes de Genève on the bridges and oscillating weight, and blued steel screws
Strap/Buckle
Black alligator leather strap. Stainless steel folding buckle
REF: 49860D11A778SBA6A

Andrew's thoughts:

Girard-Perregaux are one of the few manufactures in my eyes that have a history with tasteful and thoughtful ladies watches. Breguet is another that I love with their Queen of Naples range. And GP don’t just slap a few diamonds on the case like many do. Their Cat’s Eye range have always been striking and the ww.tc Shopping is an interesting twist on the world time concept. How practical it is for the seasoned shopper, I don’t know, but it’s a quirky way to be reminded of the things we love to do in our spare time.

This new version for Mondo Exploris is even more limited than the men’s model, with only four lucky owners. Subtle diamonds sparkle around the dial and bezel, and the symmetrical crowns at 3 and 9 o’clock balance the steel case. Perhaps white gold would have been more appropriate for such a limited luxury ladies watch, but the white metal is very appropriate. The white mother-of-pearl dial also catches the light and the open leaf-shaped hands give maximum legibility and view of this beautiful dial. The 41mm diameter means it will certainly make a statement on the wrist.

My thoughts:

I think the shopping motif for this ww.tc is rather more whimsical and amusing, than useful, but it's certainly a unique take on the worldtimer watch.  To me, this iteration of the ww.tc is almost like a round, more substantial GP Cat's Eye.  Look at the mother-of-pearl dial with its swirling numerals -- very feminine and reminiscent of members of the Cat's Eye collection.  To make the watch even more decadent, the bezel is given the sparkly treatment, and set with nearly 2 carats of diamonds!  I'm a bit surprised that this lady's watch comes in a 41mm case.  I would've thought 38mm would hold more appeal for most women.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,
Daos