The Girard Perregaux Vintage 1945 Large Date Moonphase

Introduction While some 30 years have passed since mechanical watchmaking suffered a near-death-experience during the great quartz scare, it seems that some watch companies are still not entirely sure what its unlikely survival means today, nor certainly what to do about it. While some manufacturers have become "lost in time": redressing archaic designs with heretofor unseen levels of finish, others "innovate" with gimmicky time displays and complications cocktails. It is no surprise that Girard Perregaux, a company with an illustrious history of technological innovation and award winning timekeepers, knew exactly what to do: developing a line of forward thinking, in-house manufactured automatic movements other manufactures are still trying to catch up to. First introduced at Basel in 1994, the thin and versatile Ca. 3000 and Ca. 3100 automatic movements paved the way for a range of modular constructions that thrust Girard Perregaux more fully into the realm of manufactures most convincingly (some portion of their haute horlogerie offerings have always been made ‘in-house’). Now evolved into the Ca.3200 and Ca. 3300 movements, they serve as the base movement for column wheel chronographs (and foudroyante chronographs), world time displays, perpetual calendars, moonphases and a dashing, patented big date mechanism, one of the few to display the two digits without any visible line separating the numerals. The Vintage 1945 Large Date Moonphase was named watch of the year for 2001 by two separate magazines. It’s bold, updated-retro styling is a grand package for a tastefully complicated movement and an elegantly balanced dial. And it even has something for the gearheads: the Girard Perregaux Ca. 3330 automatic movement, developed and manufactured by the grand old house themselves. The Case, Dial and Hands The Vintage 1945 case is a massive construction. While not excessively large, do not be fooled into thinking that it is the size of a gentlemen’s dress watch from the middle of last century, even if it is styled after the same. It is decidely modern and deliberately masculine in its proportions and makes a powerful statement on the wrist. While a width of 34 mm (without the crown) does not sound large by modern standards, on a rectangular watch that measures 48 mm from lug to lug and some 10 mm’s in thickness, it is nothing to sneeze at. Thankfully, the strong curvature of the case [1] distributes the mass nicely and keeps it firmly seated on the wrist, while visualy adding to its thickness. The dial is a classic cream color and complements the applied gold marker at twelve, Arabics at nine and three, gold dauphine hands and blued steel second hand nicely. The dark blue and gold moonphase is wonderfully detailed and the slightly raised moon gives it a great depth and visual appeal. The standout feature of the dial however is the marvelous big date in a nicely beveled apperture. Rather than the common big date display, with separate apertures for each digit, the patented Girard Perregaux big date uses numerals printed on a clear disc for the ones digits, that, when viewed from an angle, appear to float just above the white background of the tens disc. This illusion makes for a seamless two digit display and the instantateous jump, precisely at midnight, only adds to the mystique. The elaborately shaped case in 18K gold is completey polished and the execution is appropriately detailed, if not as immaculately as some first tier watches. In particular, the fit of the bezel was not perfect and the subtlest hint of raggedness was visible where the bezel met the middle portion of the case. The sapphire crystal is domed to match the curvature of the case nicely and blends harmoniously with the curved and straight lines. The crown is appropriately sized and easy to use although the knurling is a little sharp for comfortable use [1 & 2]. A recessed pusher at 4 o’clock serves as the moonphase corrector [2] and the screwed on back (secured with four white gold screws) has a round sapphire window to show off the Ca. 3330 movement (internally designated 3306 by Girard Perregaux Manufacture) [3]. The Calendar Mechanism The movement is secured in the case by a rectangular, metal spacer ring [4], that fits snugly around the base calibre while being precisely the same size and shape as the calendar/sub-seconds module under the dial. With the dial and hands removed, the utterly traditional moonphase and clever big-date mechanism can be studied in some detail. A few crucial elements are hidden underneath the module, secured to the base movement with three screws [5]. An intermediate date-wheel that turns once every twenty-four hours drives the big-date mechanism. A post mounted vertically on the intermediate date-wheel interacts with a detent on the elaborately curved, beryllium-bronze date advance lever [6]. The post causes the date advance lever to compress and, a few minutes before midnight, the date advance pawl slips over a tooth on the date wheel. When the date advance lever finally slips off the post on the intermediate date wheel, the date wheel is flicked forward instantly, advancing the ones disc, the tens disc or both, depending on the date. The date-wheel [7] consists of a lower set of 30 teeth on a wheel divided for 31 teeth. The one missing tooth allows the date wheel to advance on the 31st of the month without advancing the ones disc (which remains on the number "1" while the tens disc changes from "3" to "0"). To ensure the date advance pawl advances past this missing tooth smoothly, the pawl has two teeth, looking something like a crab’s claw. The upper portion of the date wheel has four traingular teeth, spaced appropriately to advance the tens disc from "09" to "10", "19" to "20", "29" to "30" and "31" to "01" as needed. The date must be corrected via the quickset mechanism (the intermediate position of the crown) for months with less than 31 days. The two-lobed quickset wheel [10, below] also interacts with a specially formed detent on the date advance lever [6]. The detent for the quickset wheel is placed closer to the fixed end of the lever so the greater torque of the manually operated quickset wheel can be capitalized on (shown here with the very tip of one lobe of the quickset wheel just about to release the date advance lever) [8]. All told, this is an elegant mechanism to perform a complicated task and it does so admirably. The combination of the seamless display and the instantaneous change (Girard Perregaux clocks it at 15/1000's of a second) make it possibly the most aesthetically pleasing large-date mechanism on the market. The top of the calendar/sub-seconds module (directly underneath the dial) is nicely perlaged with tumble polished steel levers and jumpers. The overall execution does not enjoy top-notch finishing, but it is on par with similar mechanisms in other high-grade automatics. The Dial Train Underneath the calendar/sub-seconds module, the intermediate sub-seconds wheel is exposed, but a dial train bridge must be removed before the other innovative aspects of the dial side mechanism can be observed. The dial train of the Ca. 3330 (and presumably the Ca. 3300 base movement) involves a dedicated handsetting train of four wheels [9] whose sole purpose is to eliminate the slop in the dial train when setting the hands. The second intermediate handsetting wheel (the first handsetting wheel is on a rocker in the keyless works) turns a wheel underneath the minutes pinion (not really a cannon pinion as it is free floating on its post) which turns a wheel underneath the minute wheel. This fourth intermediate handsetting wheel then turns the true cannon pinion that is friction coupled on the offset center wheel arbor. The cannon pinion drives the minute wheel, which pivots on a spring-loaded post, ensuring maximum engagement with the minutes pinion and hour wheel when turning counterclockwise (when the watch is running or the hands are being set forwards) and minimum engagement when turning clockwise (when setting the hands backwards). In this way, any slop left between the minute wheel, the minutes pinion and the hour wheel during backwards handsetting is summarily taken up by the spring action of the minute wheel post, eliminating any lag time in the advancement of the hands after setting the time. This is a very elaborate setup for the sole purpose of giving the user a more precise control when setting the time and, while violating the engineering principle of "keeping it simple", it seems to work well and is a refinement many users will enjoy without realizing it. It is a subtle and unsung innovation, but one that speaks to Girard Perregaux’s desire to improve on existing movement designs rather than just remake the wheel. The Keyless Works One interesting feature of the keyless works [10] is the largish steel disc pressed in near the tip of the clutch lever. It makes it impossible to remove the stem unless the crown is in the first (handwinding) position. With many keyless levers, it is safer to remove the stem with the crown in the handsetting position, or risk misaligning the detent and clutch lever when reinserting the stem. If this happens during final reassembly, one must take off the hands and dial to reset the keyless levers, an agravating side excursion when properly setting the hands can take more than a few minutes. In Girard Perregaux’s keyless levers, the detent is held in place by an arm of the detent/clutch-lever spring. It encircles the lower pivot of the detent (the one visible in the picture), holding it securely in place when the stem release button is pressed. While this detent release configuration should allow a trouble free release of the stem in any position of the crown, earlier versions of this movement suffered from a tendency to release the stem unexpectedly. I can only conjecture that the steel disc that prohibits the stem from releasing when in the handsetting position was the solution to this problem. The keyless works are otherwise conventional in their design, function and execution if distinctive in their layout. The levers are well made and entirely tumble-polished, as is common in most automatic movements. A minor disappointment of the dial side is that the intermediate-quickset-wheel and quickset-wheel are permanently attached to the plate. Rivetted wheels (or those with semi-permanent, pressed-in posts) are a common way to keep production costs down because a friction fit post is cheaper to produce than a screw. The unfortunate side effect is that they make it impossible (or at least completely impractical) to properly clean and inspect the load bearing surfaces when servicing the movement. The Automatic System The GP Ca. 3330 features a very straightforward winding mechanism that winds in the counterclockwise direction only. It has a gear ratio of 120/1 from the rotor to the ratchet wheel making it a little more efficient than most. While it might seem uni-directional winding would make it less efficient than a bi-directional system, discussions on the subject are in fact never ending. Some tests performed by A. Schild comparing the winding efficiency of the same movement, equipped in one case with bi-directional winding and in another with uni-directional winding, actually demonstrated the uni-directional version wound more efficiently [from "Auomatic Wristwatches from Switzerland" by Heinz Hampel]. A large percentage of modern automatic movements wind uni-directionally. The rotor is held in place with a small bridge held by two blued screws and the rotor pinion engages with a uni-directional click wheel. This wheel translates rotor motion in one direction and spins freely in the other direction. The ratchet wheel on the lower side of this wheel also engages with the click and spring (permanently attached to the plate) to maintain the mainspring power. The lower pinion on this wheel drives a reduction wheel, whose pinion in turn drives a transfer wheel with a jeweled hub, held to the underside of the bridge with a friction fit post. This transfer wheel drives a final ratchet driving wheel that is secured to the underside of the barrel bridge with a sub-bridge of its own (with no further reduction of gearing). The Barrel and Power Train The handwinding train involves a tiny crown wheel and an intermediate wheel with friction spring [11] that drives the ratchet driving wheel. The intermediate handwinding wheel and friction spring are mounted on an undersized post so the intermediate wheel can slide out of engagement with the ratchet driving wheel during automatic winding. The gearing ratio between the crown and the ratchet wheel is only 3.88/1, and when combined with the tension of the friction spring on the intermediate handwinding wheel, this low gearing ratio results in a very stiff handwinding feel. This is not a problem, thanks to the largish crown. The power train and the escape wheel are under the same bridge as most of the automatic train and the handwinding gears. The wheels and pinions are of course well executed if undecorated and otherwise unremarkable. A milled recess in the center of the movement could accommodate an indirect center seconds pinion as it does in other variations on the base movement. A sub-bridge with a single hole in it can be observed on the naked main plate [12] for the upper pivot of the sub-seconds transfer wheel, and the other side of the movable minute wheel post and its spring can be seen just to the right. The barrel is very nicely made [13] and has an elaborate and well-designed ratchet wheel screwed directly onto the barrel arbor with three small screws [14]. This very secure design will hold the ratchet wheel firmly in place without rubbing on the barrel or the underside of the barrel bridge, a potential source of wear in an automatic watch especially. The barrel and ratchet wheel are nicely decorated and the inside surfaces of the barrel are satin finished. [15] The Balance and Escapement The escapement and balance assembly are entirely modern. The escape wheel is entirely polished with steeply beveled teeth and the pallet lever is secured under a bridge with oddly very different sized screws. The escape wheel teeth and pallet stones appear to be lubricated with a modern "dry" lubricant, and the pallet lever pivots ride in convex olive jewels. Olive jewels are rounded on their bearing surfaces to reduce friction and are more expensive to produce because of this. These olive jewels even go one step further towards eliminating friction with their convex shoulder bearing surfaces. The pallet jewels follow a modern trend of sharing the same exact shape for the entry and exit stones. I don’t know if the ideal geometry of one or both stones is compromised to achieve the same shape for both, but the entry stone appears to have a much sharper profile than is traditional. I can only surmise this is a cost saving measure employed by Nivarox to eliminate the need to make two different shapes jewels. Modern ETA’s all feature these matching pallet stones in my experience and presumably any performance issues caused by this modified geometry are neglible. The flat, Nivarox 1 hairspring is attached to the Glucydur balance with a laser welded Nivatronic collet [16]. This is the most modern, technologically advanced hairspring attachment available and is, at least in theory, slightly superior to the more common Greiner collet used by the vast majority of manufacturers. To my knowledge, only Audemars Piguet, Rolex and a few others use these laser welded collets. The hairspring is cemented at the stud [17] using a hot-glue that allows for a secure attachment of the spring without disturbing its profile (as traditional pinning does) and can be adjusted with a pair of heated tweezers if necessary without deforming the spring. The balance cock has a movable stuid carrier with Spirofin fine adjustment and Kif shock-protection. The balance and hairspring vibrate at 28,800 vph and this example was very well adjusted, resulting in a maximum deviation of 5 seconds between positions. The escapement, balance and hairspring are composed of the most modern, technologically advanced components available, employed admirably to positive effect. One very surprising feature of this particular movement was the presence of a single, very well made shim (straight grained on both sides) underneath the balance cock next to the hack lever [18]. I’ve only ever encountered a shimmed balance cock in a very inexpensive Russian automatic previously so I was quite taken aback by its presence here. A shim is a perfectly sound engineering solution to variations in balance staffs and the placement of the jewel settings, but is certainly not commonly seen in mechanical watchmaking. It is considerably quicker and less expensive to slide a micro-thin shim in place than it is to manually adjust the height of the jewel assemblies, so perhaps this is a foreshadowing of watchmaking in the future. Conclusion The Vintage 1945 Large Date Moonphase is a striking watch with massive appeal and traditional and modern elements blended into a harmonious whole. The otherwise utterly traditional dial with dauphine hands is punctuated by the innovative big date display which manages not to detract from the vintage appeal. The GP Ca. 3330 movement is an exciting, modern and innovative piece of work. It benefits from a tried and true automatic system, a rugged and extravagant ratchet wheel arrangement, an entirely modern balance assembly, an elaborate handsetting train and a novel big-date mechanism. It is executed without guile and with appropriate finishing throughout. Although, the feeling it imparts upon disassembly would be more impressive if it were not for the variety of wheels and levers permanently attached to the plates and bridges, these do not completely undermine its appeal. While these rivetted or friction fit attachments are understandable as cost saving manufacturing decisions, they do not contribute to a sense of refinement nor certainly tradition amidst the modern mechanisms. The entirely practical nature of these solutions is highlighted acutely by the shimmed balance cock. It would be far too simple to accuse this movement of cutting corners in an effort to keep costs down. The more expensive pallet pivot jewels, ratchet wheel attachment and handsetting train speak to the contrary. It seems that manufacturing costs were keenly observed, but with an eye for how the performance and longevity of the movement might be affected, and a sensible balance between extravagant and parsimonious engineering solutions was adopted. Only time will tell how well these concerns were addressed in this very young movment, but if I were a betting man, I’d put my money on the engineers at Girard Perregaux. _john Girard Perregaux Forum | ThePuristS Homepage Comments, suggestions, and corrections to this article are welcomed. Copyright Sept. 2003 - John Davis and ThePuristS.com - all rights reserved