FOUNDED in 1791, Girard-Perregaux is one of the oldest Swiss fine-watchmaking manufacturers still in business. Because it has mastered all the necessary horological skills and know-hows in-house, it is also one of the rare watchmakers in Switzerland to retain Manufacture status for over two centuries.

All that knowledge, tradition and historic roots are gathered under one roof at its Manufacture La-Chaux-de-Fonds. There, the Girard-Perregaux team designs, develops and produces every essential component for the timepieces it crafts. 

The Maison has played with shapes and materials for over 230 years – often turning watchmaking upside down, and its exceptional movements make the invisible visible to reveal the art in precision engineering. Just look at the evolution of the Bridges collection!

In 2008, the Manufacture unveiled the first prototype of the Constant Escapement, an innovative timepiece that shuns the common Swiss lever escapement for a flexible silicium blade which transmits energy directly to the balance. This mechanism delivered remarkable rate stability irrespective of the available energy, so the amplitude of the balance wheel doesn’t drop and affect precision.

The prototype went into production in 2013 and this technical virtuosity saw Girard-Perregaux’s Constant Escapement LM winning critical acclaim and picking up the Aiguille D’Or award at the GPHG (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve) that same year.

A decade later, the Maison has just unveiled the Neo Constant Escapement (S$138,400), its latest evolution and groundbreaking approach to mastering energy, and incorporating an array of aesthetic and technical advancements. 

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Several new technologies and 30 per cent of the patents (13 in total) employed on this latest model are new. The movement also features fewer components than the 2013 model (266 compared with 280 parts previously).

It may have taken 250 years to develop the Swiss lever escapement, but Girard-Perregaux is proud of perfecting the Constant Escapement in just 20 years, a testament to its inventive spirit. But more than that, the new timepiece showcases the beauty of functional elements expressed in a contemporary way – just the way co-founder Constant Girard always did.