On the other hand, in today’s stressful times, some might say, who really needs a seconds display? It is certainly not missed on the Jules Audemars’s clean, finely finished matte silver dial. The narrow, gold, leaf-shaped hands point to the 12 long, golden markers placed around the circumference of the dial. The minute hand extends halfway along the length of the marker, while a noticeable distance remains between the hour hand and the markers. Overall, the dial makes a very fine, balanced impression.
The displays of the Girard-Perregaux 1966 are quite minimalist. In the small seconds subdial, the bright blue seconds hand looks a bit out of place among the otherwise silvery tones on the dial, and the red “60” — one of Girard-Perregaux’s hallmarks — stands out too much. Otherwise the silver dial is quite harmonious. Like the dial on the Jules Audemars, the G-P dial has a fine line finish and slopes gently downward along its periphery in the style of watches from the 1960s. Unfortunately, this causes the applied markers at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock not to lie completely flat at the ends. The other markers are cleanly executed in black. The metallic, leaf-shaped hands are similar to those on the Jules Audemars and are perfectly proportioned. The minute hand ends precisely where the markers stop, and the hour hand extends almost to where they start, only touching the ends of the markers at 6 and 12 o’clock.
The dial and hands of the 1966 harmonize beautifully with the unusual case material, palladium, a metal in the platinum group. It is more robust than gold, has a brilliant white color and does not oxidize. The relatively steep slope of the bezel continues the curvature of the dial and then leads to a narrow case midsection that then narrows further to the caseback. This shape allows the small crown to be grasped quite easily for the usual functions: hand-winding, quick date change and setting the time. The 38-mm case, made by Girard-Perregaux itself, is closed with a simple spring hinge. The caseback gives information about the watch, including its serial number. The palladium version is limited to 199 pieces.
The Jules Audemars is only three millimeters larger than the 1966, but appears much larger due to the wide open dial and the shape of the gold case. The flat, narrow bezel gives the dial a great deal of space and its polished shine stands in stark contrast to the fine matte finish of the gently downward-curving case midsection. As on the Girard-Perregaux 1966, the small crown is easy to grasp when you need to wind the watch by hand. The sound the watch produces as it is being wound is like that made by an old pocketwatch. The caseback, with its polished and satin-finished surfaces, is held in place by five screws. The manufacturer specifies 2 bar (20 meters) as this watch’s water–resistance level, which means, essentially, that it should not be in water at all. What is most striking is the harmonious relationship between the watch movement and the case. The line finish on the matte, skeletonized rotor matches the one on the caseback, and the angle of the oscillating weight mirrors that of the polished section of the caseback.
Finally, the fine, brown crocodile-leather strap completes the harmony of the Jules Audemars. The strap is a perfect match for the rose-gold case and fits snugly on the wrist. It is secured with a flawless, classic, rose-gold buckle. A similar buckle, in white gold, secures the stitched, black leather strap of the Girard-Perregaux 1966, which hugs the wrist just as comfortably.
As our analysis shows, even simple, thin watches such as these can display subtle but significant differences. What these two have in common is that their inner workings, which collectively represent more than 25 years of research and development, show the potential of innovative watchmaking even in a decidedly compact package.
AUDEMARS PIGUET JULES AUDEMARS EXTRA THIN
PROS
+ In-house movement
+ Good rate results on
timing machine
+ Good daytime legibility
+ Comfortable to wear
CONS
– Can’t be read in the dark
SPECS:
Manufacturer: Audemars Piguet & Cie SA, Route de France 16, CH 1348, Le Brassus, Switzerland
Reference number: 15180OR.OO.A088CR.01
Functions: Hours, minutes
Movement: Audemars Piguet 2120/4, automatic; 19,800 vph; 36 jewels; copper-beryllium balance with variable moment of inertia; flat Nivarox hairspring; Kif shock absorber; fine regulation by inertia blocks; diameter = 28 mm; height = 2.45 mm; decorated with perlage, côtes de Genève, and sunburst finishes; beveled edges; skeletonized rotor; 40-hour power reserve
Case: 18k rose gold with sapphire crystal front and back; water-resistant to 20 meters
Strap and clasp: Brown crocodile leather with pronged buckle
Dimensions: Diameter = 41.02 mm, height = 6.86 mm, weight = 64.5 grams
Variations: White-gold case ($25,000)
Price: $23,400
GIRARD-PERREGAUX 1966
PROS
+ In-house movement
+ Good rate results
+ Good daytime legibility
+ Comfortable to wear
CONS
– Can’t be read in the dark
SPECS:
Manufacturer: Girard-Perregaux SA, 1 Place Girardet, CH 2301, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
Reference number: 49526-79-131-BK6A
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date indication
Movement: GP03300-39, automatic; 28,800 vph; 28 jewels; Glucydur balance; flat Nivarox 1 hairspring; Kif shock absorber; Triovis fine regulation; diameter = 25.6 mm; height = 3.2 mm; decorated with perlage, côtes de Genève, and sunburst finishes; beveled edges; blued screws; 48-hour power reserve
Case: Palladium 950 with nonreflective sapphire crystal front and back; water-resistant to 30 meters
Strap and clasp: Leather with pronged buckle
Dimensions: Diameter = 38 mm, height = 8.67 mm, weight = 52 grams
Price: $16,300
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ap &gp.one of the oldest. watch company’s. in the industry. One question. why. Apr movement. have more jewels. from.gp.some gp.watches.have.up to 63.jewels.???? ? again George from Sydney Australia