Girard-Perregaux ww.tc Cabinet de Curiosites Thomas Erber (Ref. 49820-32-788SFK6A)
At the upcoming Cabinet de Curiosites annual luxury event in London, the Swiss watch manufacturer will introduce the new version of its World Wide Time Control automatic timekeeper. Called Girard-Perregaux ww.tc Cabinet de Curiosites Thomas Erber (Ref. 49820-32-788SFK6A,) the redesigned watch will be limited to only five individually numbered pieces.
While sporting the same basic functionality, the watch now comes in a somewhat peculiar (to say the least) color scheme: its milky white ceramic body is matched with a smoked sapphire crystal.
Further equipped with black rubber strap, as well as with black rubberized chronograph push-pieces and a pair of setting crowns, the device looks more like a modern electronic gadget, rather than a high-end manufacture-made mechanical wrist watch that costs like a small European hatchback.
According to the Swiss watchmaker, the ceramic ww.tc is equipped with their own Caliber GP03387 self-winding movement. Being a variation of the Caliber GP033C0 that powers the Girard-Perregaux ww.tc World Wide Time Control Chronograph for Green Auction (Piece Unique) that was revealed this March, the movement offers the same useful functions.
Besides telling time in your current time zone, the watch also displays the same information for your home town. Although the data is presented in a 24-hour format, there is also a day/night indication on the GMT disk.
If you haven’t noticed already, the watch lacks the traditional second hour hand, which is usually employed to indicate time in another city. Instead, the ww.tc has the aforementioned 24-hour disk slowly rotating in such a way so that the main (and only) hour hand tells you time in both zones.
Although the concept clearly requires some getting used to, it is certainly very comfortable and ergonomic. Also, entertaining.
The three sub-dials on its white dial are reserved for a small seconds indicator at 3 hours, as well as a pair of chronograph totalizers: a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock and a 30-minute display at 9 o’clock.
Although the ceramic case seems to be more complex than the version in stainless steel (the white ceramic body is equipped with an inner titanium container that holds the precious movement,) the Swiss engineers managed to keep the timepiece’s dimension practically intact: the Girard-Perregaux ww.tc Cabinet de Curiosites Thomas Erber (Ref. 49820-32-788SFK6A) still measures 43 millimeters in diameter and is just 13.54 mm thick.
The watch will be presented in London on 16th November, 2011. It is expected to sell at impressive £17,900.
Photos: Girard-Perregaux
Girard-Perregaux ww.tc Cabinet de Curiosites Thomas Erber (Ref. 49820-32-788SFK6A) automatic watch specification
Price: £17,900
Movement: Automatic, Caliber GP03387, in-house, Swiss Made
Number of jewels: 63
Movement frequency: 28,800 vph
Movement decoration: Crafted, assembled and decorated by hand
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, second time zone (GMT,) chronograph
Power reserve: 46 hours
Case material: Titanium and ceramic
Bezel material: Ceramic
Crown material: Black rubber
Case shape: Round
Bezel shape: Round
Case size: 43.00 mm
Lug width: N/A
Case height: 13.54 mm
Dial: White
Numerals: Arabic
Hour markers: Citi disk
Hands: Luminous
Water resistance: 100 meters
Strap: Black rubber strap with folding clasp in black DLC-coated titanium
Crystal: Smoked sapphire
Case back: Smoked sapphire
Evgueni Matoussevitch in Swiss WatchesTags: 100 m, 43 mm, Automatic, Cabinet de Curiosites, ceramic, Chronograph, date, Girard-Perregaux, GMT, GP03387, Ref. 49820-32-788SFK6A, Thomas Erber, Titanium, world time, World Wide Time Control, ww.tc
