Navigational and watchmaking legends
abound in Girard-Perregaux’s latest creation. Conceived as a tribute to 18^th
century watchmaker John Harrison, the ww.tc
John Harrison is the latest newcomer to GP’s ww.tc (world wide time control)
collection.

Internationally recognized for his H-4 watch (the world’s first true marine chronometer, created in 1761), Harrison was a self-taught
British watchmaker who devoted a good part of his life to developing a reliable
timepiece in light of the 1707 Scilly Naval Disaster. Before Harrison’s famous marine chronometer, determining longitude at sea was impossible, thus hindering world travel and commerce. His son
William Harrison took the H-4 for a journey across the Atlantic Ocean in 1761.

The dial of the ww.tc John Harrison
echoes the journey that William took, with the contours of the map engraved on
an unprocessed plate of white gold. The liquid green and blue enamel is laid
into the cavities by way of champlevé, while the 3 mm-compass rose is
hand-sculpted by a craftsman-engraver. The finesse factor is upped by the
delicate trail of silvered powder, which traces William’s journey from Europe
to America. To indicate the journey’s starting and end points, Portsmouth and
Port Royal are highlighted in royal blue on the cities ring.

As revealed by the
transparent case-back, the ww.tc John
Harrison boasts a Girard-Perregaux 033G0 automatic calibre that is widely
recognised for the excellence and reliability of its construction. An ingenious
coupling mechanism is fitted to activate the bicolored ring with indication of
the time in 24 time zones, while the universal time can be instantly read off
from the blue/white hours ring using the rhodium-plated leaf-shaped minute
hand.

Available in a limited series of 50
individually numbered timepieces, the ww.tc
John Harrison comes with a black alligator strap and folding clasp in white
gold. 

John Harrison

Girard Perregaux