First introduced in 2021, the Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges is a highly open-worked timepiece that reimagines the Swiss brand’s historic pocket watches from the 1800s. Dating back to 1867, the trio of distinctly shaped bridges is universally recognized as one of Girard-Perregaux’s signature designs, and the silhouette of a bridge even appears within versions of the brand’s logo. Over the years, Girard-Perregaux has made subtle updates to its Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges model. Unveiled this year at Geneva Watch Days 2024 is a new version in solid rose gold that features a more streamlined profile, along with a series of small updates that create a greater sense of refinement.

Crafted from 18k rose gold, the case of the new Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges measures 44mm in diameter by 15.35mm thick. While the updated model maintains the same diameter and 30 meters of water resistance as the previous version, the box-shaped sapphire crystals fitted to both the dial side of the watch and its caseback now offer a more curved and symmetrical profile that informs the rest of the model’s updated proportions. In addition to featuring shorter lugs than its predecessors, the middle case of the new Three Flying Bridges has a more rounded appearance, and this extends to the updated shape of the winding crown, which promises superior ergonomics during operation. Additionally, to maximize the negative space inside the case, the screws that secure the caseback are located on the underside of the lugs, and this allows the vast majority of the caseback to be occupied by its curved sapphire display window.

Just like most skeletonized watches, the new Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges omits a dial entirely. The entire space inside its case is occupied by its signature three bridges, with the rest of the movement’s components suspended within their structures. The bridges of the movement are mounted directly to brackets that extend from the interior wall of the case, and this gives them the appearance of floating inside the watch. The trio of open-worked bridges are crafted from solid rose gold as a nod to the brand’s Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges pocket watch that first appeared in 1889. The bridges on this latest version have been given a black PVD finish on their upper and lower surfaces, with the polished chamfers of their edges revealing thin slivers of gleaming rose gold.

The Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges displays the time with a pair of centrally-mounted hands against a small set of hour markers that reside along the interior of the case. The latest version of the model benefits from several small updates that help promote a greater degree of legibility and refinement. The 12 o’clock marker now features a double index to create a superior sense of orientation, and the hands are now satin-finished with additional sections of Super-LumiNova. Just like previous versions, the grade 5 titanium cage for the 60-second tourbillon is fitted with a small blue hand that allows it to function as a running seconds indicator. The hands and hour markers are all finished with small black Super-LumiNova inlays, which provide additional contrast and emit a blue-colored glow in the dark.

The centerpiece of the new Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges is its Caliber GP09400-1273 automatic movement, which features a highly skeletonized design that suspends the entirety of its components between its signature trio of horizontal bridges. Running at a frequency of 21,600vph (3 Hz) with a power reserve of 60 hours, the 27-jewel Cal. GP09400-1273 features an incredibly cohesive and symmetrical appearance that maximizes the negative space inside the case. A white gold micro-rotor is mounted directly behind the mainspring barrel that sits within the center of the uppermost bridge, while the tourbillon appears on the opposite side of the display, directly in the middle of the lower bridge. Although this ultra-skeletonized design is undeniably quite striking, it also means that wearers will see quite a lot of skin peeking through the large open spaces in the case, and (rather conveniently) no wristshots of the new model were included among the press images.

Completing the new Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges is a black two-piece strap with a hybrid construction that consists of a rubber internal section covered by fabric. The ends of the strap feature curved springbars to create a more integrated appearance with the case, and the opposite sides secure on the underside of the wrist with a triple-folding deployant clasp constructed from 18k rose gold to match the rest of the watch. Additionally, for those who prefer a more classic and dressy aesthetic, Girard-Perregaux includes a complementary alternative strap with the new Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges, and the watch comes as a set with an additional two-piece strap made from black alligator leather.

Between its solid rose gold case and skeletonized micro-rotor tourbillon movement with matching rose gold bridges, the new Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges (ref. 99296-52-3434-5CC) was always destined to be a premium offering. However, with an official retail price of $171,000 USD, this new model is hardly the most expensive watch within Girard-Perregaux’s modern lineup. Additionally, while most of the collecting community has been focused on the brand’s Laureato collection of integrated bracelet sports watches, Girard-Perregaux’s Bridges collection is easily the most emblematic of the brand. Models such as the new Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges are the contemporary executions of the original pocket watch designs that the brand first started producing in the 1800s. For more information on the Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges, please visit the brand’s website.