Girard-Perregaux debuts its first 1966 timepiece in stainless steel. The fully polished steel case measures a sleek 40 mm by 8.9 mm, and features an opaline silvered dial with leaf-shaped hour and minute hands, and thin seconds hand. Bevelled steel indexes mark the hours and black dots mark the minutes/seconds. An aperture at 3 o’clock indicates the date.

The 27 jewel in-house automatic, caliber GP03300-0030, beats at 4Hz and powers all the hour, minute, second and date functions. Maximum power reserve is 46-hours. The movement is finished with a perlage decoration on the main plate and Cotes de Geneve stripes on the bridges and rotor.

According to Girard-Perregaux, “The collection has become iconic for Girard-Perregaux, which was launched as a tribute the year 1966 when it included the first high-frequency movement, with a balance beating at a frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour. This discovery radically transformed the world of timekeeping. The same year, the Manufacture won several awards at the Centennial Awards held at the Observatory of Neuchatel.”

The Girard-Perregaux 1966 in stainless steel is $7,500 on alligator strap and $8,200 on steel bracelet. Available in stores now. (Ref. 49555-11-131-BB60 – alligator strap, 49555-11-131-11A – steel bracelet)