Girard-Perregaux soars again with its new iteration of the Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges. First conceived in 1867, the timepiece liberated the bridge from merely structural necessity to aesthetic elegance. The 2024 model artfully reimagines Girard-Perregaux’s original design for the modern connoisseur.

In the beginning, bridges braced pocket watches against the relentless rhythm of passing seconds. Then came visionary watchmaker Constant Girard-Perregaux, seeking to elevate utility to artistry. His first sketches reimagined bridges as objects of admiration in their own right. When the Tourbillon debuted in 1889 with three parallel bridges in lustrous gold, it became an icon of watchmaking.

The 2024 rebirth retains the neoclassical allure of Girard-Perregaux’s original design, while incorporating contemporary refinements. The watch’s glinting gold bridges appear to levitate within the case, their beveled edges catching light at each meticulously polished angle. This is the artisan’s art: two hundred hours of practiced hands coaxing precious metal into suspended perfection.

Yet beyond the visual poetry lies a deeper connection to Girard-Perregaux’s birthplace of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Rebuilt after fire devastated the watchmaking city, La Chaux-de-Fonds rose with light-filled streets and soaring windows. That illuminating heritage lives on in the Tourbillon’s airy construction and skeletonized core drinking in radiance.

Just as La Chaux-de-Fonds was thoughtfully rebuilt for watchmaking, Girard-Perregaux has thoughtfully rebuilt its icon for a new era. The Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges remains tethered to its rich history, even as it floats into the future.

$171,000.