GIRARD-PERREGAUX – BRIDGES “Quasar” Neo-Tourbillon Sapphire

GIRARD-PERREGAUX – BRIDGES “Quasar” Neo-Tourbillon Sapphire - 2019

The Swiss watch Manufacture has chosen a U.S. venue, Miami Watches & Wonders 2019 to present this exceptional timepiece for the very first time.The intricate inner workings the new Neo-Tourbillon with Three bridges movement are fully revealed through a case entirely made of sapphire crystal – a first for Girard-Perregaux.

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The architecture is literally bursting with brightness.
Thus revealed, the tourbillon with a contemporary spirit enters the light spectrum.

Like its well-chosen name… A quasar is an ultra-luminous region at the centre of a galaxy accreting around a black hole. A strange pairing of light and darkness that Quasar expresses through the Girard-Perregaux art of watchmaking

2019: Girard-Perregaux, aesthete of the invisible, explores the Cosmos, the essence of time. The Swiss watch Manufacture is introducing a new universe, innovative materials and unexpected complications within its fundamental collections united under a single theme: “Earth to Sky”.

Just one year ago, Girard-Perregaux introduced the Neo-Tourbillon with Three Bridges Skeleton.

Today, at Miami Watches & Wonders, Girard-Perregaux is unveiling Quasar, a timepiece revealing a new dimension of this iconic movement.

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Based on the “Earth to Sky” theme, this complication model is named after the most brilliant of astronomical entities, the quasar. Thus illuminated, this tourbillon with its contemporary spirit enters the light spectrum with a case entirely made of transparent sapphire crystal.

Through these crystalline walls, Calibre GP9400-1035 reveals its openworked construction much like a star viewed with a telescope. This Haute Horlogerie movement draws the eye like a black hole and explodes with light, illuminating the gap between its components. Devoid of any opacity, Quasar allows photons to play freely across its matt surfaces and taut curves.

Quasar embodies a natural application of the four principles governing the Girard-Perregaux universe.

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The first is the 1884 patent for three gold bridges visible on the dial side, the unique signature of the Maison. The second is the skeleton work hand-finished in the workshops of La Chaux-de-Fonds. The third is the 2015 birth of the Neo-Tourbillon with Three Bridges. The latter were neither straight nor made of gold, but instead arched, skeletonised and black. The fourth is the use of sapphire serving a function that is more technical than that of mere watch glasses. With the Laureato with Three Sapphire Bridges presented in 2007, crystal corundum had found its place in the very structure of a Fine Watchmaking calibre. These four vectors converge to create Quasar.

Fusion of matter and light

The 45 mm diameter Quasar case is entirely made of sapphire crystal. A chimney-style glass covers the movement bridges like a telluric dome. Its all-of-a-piece caseband features curving sides and angular lugs.

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At nearly 3,000 degrees Kelvin, fundamental particles merge under the effect of an incandescent flow of oxygen and dihydrogen. It is from this process that sapphire crystal emerges. It is then cut, machined, drilled, domed and polished using tools made from the hardest material in the universe: diamond.

Weightless core

Calibre GP9400-1035 is a modified version of Calibre 9400, from which the mainplate has been removed. Almost as if this had created a vacuum, the movement finds itself in an almost weightless state. Only physically essential anchoring points remain, as if providing a demonstration of aerial technique.

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The bridges visually contribute to Quasar's overall transparency effect. They are made of titanium, sandblasted and then blackened by a PVD treatment. Their shape is so complex in all three dimensions, composed of interior angles, arches, returns and overhangs, that machining them represents a true watchmaking feat.

Horological astrophysics

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, a quasar is an astronomical object of very high luminosity found in the centres of certain galaxies. powered by gas spiralling at high velocity into an extremely large black hole. A strange paradox composed of light and shade, it reflects the nature of the Girard-Perregaux Quasar.

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Combining the radiance pouring through the sapphire with the shadowy depths of its movement, it lives on the contrast that is the very essence of the universe. This watch shines like a star on the wrist, as complex as an equation and hotter than a galactic sun.

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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Model:  Quasar – W&W

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Reference: 99295-43-000-BA6A

Movement
Reference: GP09400-1035
Winding: Automatic
Functions: Tourbillon, hours, minutes, small seconds on the tourbillon
Power reserve: min. 60 hours
Number of components: 260, of which 27 jewels
Frequency: 21,600 Vib/h – (3 Hz)
Diameter: 36.00 mm (16’’’)
Thickness: 9.54 mm
Tourbillon
Tourbillon carriage composed of 80 components weighing only 0.250 grams
Case
Material: sapphire glass
Diameter: 45 mm
Height: 15.25 mm
Glass: anti-reflective sapphire
Case-back: sapphire crystal 
Water resistance: 30 meters (3 ATM)
Dial
No dial. Skeleton
Hands: skeletonised, white gold, ‘Dauphine’ type, with luminescent material
Strap
Material: hand-sewn black alligator leather
Buckle: titanium triple folding clasp


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Press release - 2019
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Press Contact:
Manager: Ivanne Perrinjaquet, iperrinjaquet@girard-perregaux.ch

Girard-Perregaux,
International PR : christine.giotto@girard-perregaux.com

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De Bethune – DB28 Kind of Gold USA Edition

De Bethune – DB28 Kind of Gold USA Limited Edition


On the occasion of Miami Watches & Wonders, De Bethune presents a USA Exclusive: The iconic "DB28 Kind of Blue" now available with an elegant Pink Gold case. Only 10 numbered timekeepers, reserved exclusively for American clients, will be produced.

Miami. The Magic City. The omnipresent blue. The Atlantic, with shades ranging from turquoise along the beaches to open water blue in the distance. Downtown, with the deep blue waters of the canals and marinas. And the sky. The entire city is bathed in all hues of blue. It is no coincidence that De Bethune chose the famous DB28 Kind of Blue to celebrate the second edition of the Miami Watches & Wonders event.

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The famous De Bethune blue. A color linked to the notion of infinity and harmony. As a tribute to this integral element of its identity, De Bethune unveils in Miami its iconic DB28 Kind of Blue timekeeper in a two-tone version with a case made of pink gold, creating a magical wholeness. A premiere for a very exclusive limited edition of 10 numbered timepieces destined only for clients in the US.

The hand and the fire

For its own blue, De Bethune uses a special technique that consists in tinting the surface by oxidizing it. It is based on a heat treatment invented in the 16th century to protect steel surfaces against corrosion. An expression of watchmaking excellence, it requires that each component first be meticulously polished before it is flame-heated by hand to create a natural, even and durable protective film while increasing the hardness of the component.

A number of fundamental inventions

On the inside, the mechanical caliber with manual winding is fully visible and integrates several fundamental technical inventions. The patented spherical moon-phase is positioned at 6 o’clock. Made of steel and palladium, it offers precision that varies by only one lunar day every 122 years.

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At the heart of the watch, the high-performance escapement developed by De Bethune presents a silicon annular balance, encircled by a white gold ring and a balance-spring with a flat terminal curve that is exclusive to De Bethune. It is protected by a triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system.

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Power is accumulated and distributed through two self-regulating barrels, also developed by De Bethune. The power reserve indicator can be read on the back of the plate, which is decorated with special concentric graining.

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All the finishes are done by hand with a motion work bridge in polished titanium, bridges with “Côtes De Bethune” decoration and rose-work grinding on the barrel ratchets. The hours are indicated by skeleton hands on arrow pointers made of rose gold.

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Water-resistant to 105 metres (10 ATM), the DB28 Kind of Gold USA is no exception to the strict rule of wearer comfort that De Bethune applies to its models in general and particularly to the DB28 collection. This exceptional comfort stems from a combination of the light feel of the titanium case, the softness of its hand-polished finish, the 12 o’clock crown position and above all the presence of the patented system of floating lugs that adapt to wrist size and movements.

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The model is deliveri with strap extra-supple alligator skin, lining in alligator and a pin buckle in mirror-polished grade 5 and blued titanium and lock ardillon in pink 5N gold lock.

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At once supreme and vibrant, the DB28 Kind of Gold, USA Limited Edition emits a singular radiance from the very material from which they are made. It truly advocates in favor of a color that casts a magical spell.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection:  DB28

Name: DB28 Kind of Gold USA Edition

Reference: DB28BRUS  -  Unique Timepiece - Only 10 pieces

Functions:
Hours, Minutes, Spherical moon-phase indication at 6 o’clock,
Power reserve situated on the back
Movement:
Caliber DB2115V4
Type: Mechanical calibre with manual winding
Adjustment:
Winding and setting the time by means of the crown (2 positions)
Spherical moon-phase adjustment via a corrector

Technical features of calibre DB2115V4

Number of parts: 297
Jewelling: 39 jewels
Diameter: 30 mm
Power reserve: 6 days, ensured by a self-regulating twin barrel
De Bethune Innovation (2004)

Specificities:
Titanium balance wheel with white gold inserts, optimized for temperature differences and air penetration De Bethune Patent (2016)
"De Bethune" balance-spring with flat terminal curve De Bethune Patent (2006)
Silicon escape wheel
Spherical moon-phase indication accurate to a degree of one lunar day every 122 years – De Bethune Patent (2004)
Triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system De Bethune Patent (2005)
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour
Adornment:
Concave polished grade 5 titanium plate cover
Hand made mirror-polished grade 5 titanium motion works bridge
Barrels bridge decorated with De Bethune stripes and “microlight” engraving
Open worked and hand sailed barrels
Rhodium power reserve indicator background decorated with “De Bethune” circular graining Blued and engraved ring
Steel parts beveled and polished by hand
Display:
Hands in hand-polished rose gold 5N
De Bethune 30″ ultra-light tourbillon in silicone and titanium at 6 o’clock – De Bethune Innovation (2008)
Hours ring in polished rose gold 5N and blued titanium with pointers in pink 5N gold
Minutes ring in grade 5 satin-polished and blued titanium
Hands: in hand-polished rose gold 5NDial:
Blued grade 5 polished titanium hours ring with rose gold hour-markers
Moon-phase bezel in polished blued titanium and pink 5N gold
Hand-polished rose gold 5N
Case
Case material: Pink Gold + Polished grade 5 titanium
Case diameter: 42.6 mm
Case thickness: 9.30 mm
Lugs: Short or long floating lugs in polished grade 5 titanium
De Bethune Patent (2006)
Crystal: In sapphire crystal (hardness of 1800 Vickers) with double anti-reflective coating
Case back: Screwed case back in grade 5 polished titanium that opens on a linear power reserve indicator in blued steel
Sapphire crystal (1800 Vickers hardness) with double anti-reflective coating
Sapphire crystal (hardness of 1800 Vickers) with double anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 3 ATM
Strap:
Extra-supple alligator skin, lining in alligator
Buckle: Pin buckle in mirror-polished grade 5 and blued titanium and ardillon in pink 5N gold


Year: 2019

Limited Edition  to only 10 pieces


* Manufacture De Bethune innovations and registered patents

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Press release -- Geneva 2019
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De Bethune Geneva Office 
25 Grand-Rue 1204 Geneva
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 310 22 71
Fax: +41 22 310 33 40
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