Baselworld 2013: Girard-Perregaux 1945 Lady

The Vintage 1945 collection channels the Art Deco period and the watches are both distinctive and comfortable on the wrist due to their curved case back. The new 1945 Lady released this week at BaselWorld allows ladies to enjoy mechanical watchmaking with style that hasn’t gone out of fashion.

The watches come in steel, but are dressed up with a row of diamonds on each side. So we have both straight lines and curves that are perfectly harmonised. The crown is partially integrated into the case to keep the lovely lines of the watch.

The dial, which follows the curve of the case, is available in silver or anthracite with a discreet date at the 6 o’clock position. In steel, this is the perfect daily wearer, but with a touch of style and femininity from the discreet placement of diamonds. And you can choose either a black or white strap, depending on your mood. I like the symmetry of the dial and the dauphine hands.

We should focus on the manufacture movement in the 1945 Lady for a moment. The GP02700 is a new compact automatic calibre measuring 19.40 mm (8 3/4 Lignes) in diameter. It is the smallest automatic calibre that GP manufacture and is perfect for ladies watches. The unidirectional rotor is mounted on a ceramic ball-race to avoid issues with lubrication. It features a semi-instantaneous date change.

The caliber design can be adapted to displaying the seconds either at the center or on a subdial at 9 o’clock or 10 o’clock, without an extra module. Depending on the configuration, the use of a double third wheel allows the seconds hand wheel to be integrated with the going train and thus avoid the use of friction springs. Regardless of where it is located, the seconds hand jump is clean and does not require any specific setting from the watchmakers. Finally, the balance wheel bridge is supported at both ends and allows for greater precision in adjusting the play of the balance wheel giving both long-term reliability and simplified regulation. The GP02700 is on view through a sapphire case back.