This week, in collaboration with Bamford, Girard-Perregaux released a re-issue of a watch inspired by 1969 and 1971 archival dual-crown dive watch designs.
The Deep Diver Limited Edition features a 38 mm x 13.91 mm (40 mm lug-to-lug) cushion case made in lightweight grade 5 titanium (alloyed) with dual screw-down crowns that have a super compressor aesthetic, except instead of a spring-loaded caseback like you would find on a real super compressor dive watch case, this has a traditional screw-in caseback.
Inspired by both the 1969 Girard-Perregaux Ref. 9108 shown above, on the left, and a model from 1971, Bamford’s design team and Girard-Perregaux came up with a relatively faithful recreation — and brightly colored — of a rather swanky dive watch.
It’s hard to think of Girard-Perregaux, which former Hodinkee investor John Mayer called an “airport brand,” made something this groovy. Girard-Perregaux can make stuff that looks nice, but pricing and value retention continue to be not so good.
The crown at 2 o’clock controls the internal bezel, and the crown at 4 o’clock sets the time and winds the automatic Girard-Perregaux caliber GP03300, up to its maximum power reserve of 46 hours. The movement is nicely decorated, although the blue-tinted sapphire caseback opening does not reveal much of that decoration.
As a nice added touch, the Deep Diver Limited Edition comes with a blue rubber strap and an additional orange strap, with quick-release levers allowing you to swap them without any tools. It would have been nice to have included a stainless steel bracelet, as shown on the 1969 vintage version pictured above, although that will likely be an option with future models.
This Deep Diver Limited Edition (Ref. 39500-21-3266-6CX) is available at Watches of Switzerland and Mayors until June 14th, after which it will become available at Girard-Perregaux retailers. The main sentiment we’re hearing from collectors and enthusiasts, and we agree with wholeheartedly, is that $15,100 is far too much for what it is. It’s the price of a Rolex Daytona, or about two Speedmasters, yet it’s a sporty retro dive watch with a 200-meter depth rating, a rather basic movement inside, no bracelet, and Girard-Perregaux may have a heritage, they’ve just not maintained it the way brands that retain higher value have. It’s not bad per se, but the price is also not good.
Learn more at Girard-Perregaux.
Photo by Girard-Perregaux.
