You can run, you can hide, but you can’t escape the starry beauty of the Girard-Perregaux’s Quasar Light
Girard-Perregaux is not one to play with the rules of traditional watchmaking. Girard-Perregaux’s Quasar Light — their latest offering in the Bridges collection — ushers in 2020 with a unique genre of master watchmaking.
The latest iteration of the watch produced last year, the Quasar Light is an art piece, hiding under the garb of a horology machine. It’s designed to be cherished and displayed amongst the finest sculptures one can acquire. Yet amongst all the immovable objects one can display, this one ticks. And this puts the Quasar Light in a class of its own.
Girard-Perregaux has named the watch after the most brilliant of astronomical entities, the Quasar.
To begin with, this new watch has no dial. Yes, you read that right. No dial.
It does show the traditional functions of hours, minutes and small seconds, but they are a part of a movement that in encased inside a transparent body made of sapphire. Girard-Perregaux has gone for an intergalactic, starry-night theme on this watch, and given this achievement, the view through the caseback is quite mesmerising.
To simply put, the beauty of Girard-Perregaux’s Quasar Light lies in the ‘all sapphire’ look; it’s a look that we don’t see often, and Girard-Perregaux has executed it exceptionally well.
Both the anti-rejective glass covering on the front and the case-back are sapphire crystal ‘box’ that elevates the transparency look. Since the sapphire crystal box extends from the case, it also delivers a 360° view of the movement.
Girard-Perregaux’s Quasar Light uses ‘Dauphine’ type white gold hands that have been skeletonized to further add to this look. In-fact, if they weren’t filled with luminescent material, it would be impossible to tell time on this piece.
To show this movement properly and in detail, reference number 99295-43-001-BA6A, has made use of relatively large dimensions, measuring at 46mm diameter and 15.25mm height. The movement itself is pretty large: 36mm diameter & 9.54mm thick. And we are glad for it, as this really helps show Girard-Perregaux’s technical prowess.
The basic specifications of the movement are pretty standard: frequency is 3 Hz, number of components are 260, number of jewels is 27, and the power reserve is a minimum 60 hours. The impressive part however, is the tourbillon.
What makes this particular one special is the fact that the tourbillon cage in the Quasar Light is composed of mere 79 components and weighs only 0.250 grams. This glittering tourbillon is designed to float inside an invisible case made from a single sapphire disk. The tourbillon cage is powered by a unidirectional automatic winding system featuring a micro-rotor made of white gold. A nice added feature visible through the sapphire crystal box is the micro-rotor that is engraved with an eagle.
Girard-Perregaux’s signature arrow shaped ‘Three Golden Bridges’ have been re-designed here in the form of Aerial Neo-bridges. The fascinating part is that these Aerial Neo-bridges of the movement are now finished in sapphire —unlike 2019’s matte black titanium — revealing the smallest details of the mechanism. In light, these amount to sheer poetry.
Another innovative feature, Girard-Perregaux has used Ruthenium for the barrel (located at 12’o clock) material. Ruthenium is a rare platinum metal that is very limited in production but when used correctly, it forms crystals that burst with sparkling light in all directions. When you move the watch side to side, the light radiates across its movement and Ruthenium barrel, creating a a beautiful visual display.
We always like watches that have customisable options, and Girard-Perregaux is offering the Quasar Light in two strap options. First, it comes on a grey fabric strap with a metallic effect and hand-stitching. Second, it also has a complimentary black alligator strap with triple folding deployant buckle in white gold.
From a distance, there is too much going on with the watch face. But the closer you get to it, and the more the light falls on its watch, the Quasar Light shimmers like a galaxy of a million stars. It’s a breathtaking watch, and a fine example of horology genius.
#WatchYaGonnaDoAboutIt assessment
Girard-Perregaux’s Quasar Light is a stunner of a watch. It’s got the brand’s unique and iconic three bridges movement that feature a tourbillon that is so clear and transparent, that it becomes almost hypnotising.
In terms of anything negative, the low water resistance — only 30m, so no swimming or showering but you can wash you hands with it on — is a bit of a damper. The size of 46mm does come off as bit big especially for anyone under 16.5cm wrist size as well. It doesn’t really make our Fusion Friday or His+Her lists, but that’s oaky; the Quasar Light is an object of art to be admired and not paraded around as a daily watch.
Given that the watch only comes in a limited number of 18 pieces, it can make it a highly sought after item for Girard-Perregaux fans. But it does cost an arm and a leg (294’000 USD) so it’s not a cheap watch. This amount of money can buy you the Paul Newman Daytona, though that’s a completely different genre of watchmaking.
That said, a true watch connoisseur with this kind of spare cash should simply go for it. After all, it’s not everyday we get to witness watches that are technologically so advanced; the new Girard-Perregaux Quasar Light is a beast caged inside a transparent, see-through avatar.
If you simply peruse the technical specifications, please head here to our Sneak Peek review.
Alternatively you can also check out our cool Infographic on this watch here.
To find out more about this and other Girard-Perregaux watches, visit the Girard-Perregaux website here.
