WATCH & JEWELRY /
WATCH NEWS
January 16, 2015
GIRARD-PERREGAUX│Announces the "Le Corbusier Trilogy" to Commemorate its 125th Anniversary
GIRARD-PERREGAUX│GIRARD-PERREGAUX
Corbusier's aesthetic in gold and concrete captured in three timepieces
Announcing the "Le Corbusier Trilogy" to commemorate the 125th anniversary of his birth
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the birth of "father of modern architecture" Le Corbusier, Girard-Perregaux has unveiled the "Le Corbusier Trilogy," a collection of three watches that express his history and pivotal locations. Crafted from materials symbolizing him, including gold, steel, and concrete, this timepiece journey begins, tracing his path from his hometown of La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Text by YANAKA Tomomi
Based on the Vintage 1945, three watches represent his hometown, Paris, and Marseille
Girard-Perregaux, a premier Swiss manufacture with over 220 years of history, overseeing everything from concept to production in-house, has announced a special collection paying homage to Le Corbusier, the master of modernism and a fellow Swiss native.
Le Corbusier was born in 1887 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, a center of the watchmaking industry and the home of Girard-Perregaux. He studied sculpture and engraving at the town's art school. In 1917, he moved to Paris, and in 1925, he designed the unadorned "Maison des Esprit Nouveau" for the Paris International Exposition of Decorative Arts. Standing out amidst the Art Deco buildings, it embodied "modernism." He went on to create numerous works using concrete, including the United Nations Headquarters in New York and the Unité d'Habitation in Marseille.
For this project, three watches have been created, named after pivotal locations in his life: his hometown La Chaux-de-Fonds, Paris, and Marseille, home to one of his most iconic works. Based on Girard-Perregaux's "Vintage 1945," these watches incorporate materials he used during his time in these three places.
The "Vintage 1945 Le Corbusier La Chaux-de-Fonds" features a dial inlaid with mother-of-pearl, meticulously crafted by Girard-Perregaux's artisans, evoking his early works and his education in engraving and sculpture. The watch symbolizing Corbusier's Parisian period is inspired by furniture he exhibited at the Salon d'Automne, which featured an unusual combination of steel, tanned leather, and raw leather for the time.
Furthermore, for the "Unité d'Habitation" in Marseille, a residential complex capable of housing up to 1,600 people and considered a masterpiece of his later career, concrete is used for the dial as the culmination of this special model, merging watchmaking and architecture.
Le Corbusier once said, "Housing should be a treasure trove of life." These timepieces trace the three places where his philosophy was most vividly realized. We invite you to experience the craftsmanship and beauty, infused in every detail from the faces inspired by Corbusier's work to the materials used, within this series.
"Vintage 1945 Le Corbusier La Chaux-de-Fonds" Movement│Girard-Perregaux Self-winding Mechanical Movement GP3300-0078 Caliber 11 1/2
Power Reserve│Approx. 46 hours
Jewels│26 jewels
Case│36.20×35.25mm Pink Gold
Water Resistance│3 ATM
"Vintage 1945 Le Corbusier Paris"
Movement│Girard-Perregaux Self-winding Mechanical Movement GP3300-0078 Caliber 11 1/2
Power Reserve│Approx. 46 hours
Jewels│26 jewels
Case│36.20×35.25mm Stainless Steel
Water Resistance│3 ATM
"Vintage 1945 Le Corbusier Marseille"
Movement│Girard-Perregaux Self-winding Mechanical Movement GP3300-0078 Caliber 11 1/2
Power Reserve│Approx. 46 hours
Jewels│26 jewels
Case│36.20×35.25mm Stainless Steel
Water Resistance│3 ATM
Limited to 5 sets worldwide, serial number 3 will be sold exclusively at BEST Shinjuku Main Store in Japan.
BEST Shinjuku Main Store
Tel. 03-5360-6800
Girard-Perregaux / Sowind Japan
Tel. 03-5211-1791
http://www.gp-japan.co.jp/