Editor’s note: Like you, we are also excited for the releases from the Watches & Wonders 2022. Before we get to dive deep into this year’s novelties, here’s our preview and the Gut Reaction Review (Grr…) of the new Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0. For our detailed hands-on reviews, please head to our dedicated reviews section here. This is NOT a sponsored post.
The New Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 In A Nutshell
Hamilton recently released the modern iteration of its 1970s wonder-watch, the Hamilton PSR Black Digital Quartz. This 40.8mm x 34.7mm x 13.3mm stainless steel cased watch with black PVD coating and 100m water resistance features a digital quartz movement.
The new Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 is that, but on steroids. And if you think that the Hamilton was cool — which it seriously is especially considering the entry-level 995 USD price tag— wait till you strap this on your wrist.
With an angled time display and a very futuristic design, the more upscale Girard-Perregaux manages to bring the original Casquette that was produced from 1976 to 1978 into the modern age.
New Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 – The 5 Ws
Following the success of their Bamford Watch Department collaborated pièce unique for the Only Watch 2021, the new Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 revisits the some 8200-odd pieces designed and created back in 70s and while staying true to the original design architecture, ushers in a sense of contemporary with the ceramic and Grade 5 titanium body.
Compared to the original that displayed the hours, minutes, seconds, day and date with a quartz movement, the new Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 also adds the functionality of displaying the month, year, chronograph, second time zone, and a secret date.
The secret date function is kind of cool to be honest, as it allows the wearer to save a memorable date such as an birthday or an anniversary. No more sleeping on the couch for the guys who forgot the anniversary dates!
It features a 50m water-resistant 42.40 x 14.64 x 33.6mm black ceramic & Grade 5 titanium case (with Grade 5 titanium pushers) case and comes on a black ceramic bracelet with rubber interior and titanium folding buckle.
Retailing for CHF 4,500 / EUR 4,700 / USD 4,700 / CNY 35,100 the limited 820-pieces edition — sadly not numbered — was announced on the cool date of 22.2.22.
The new Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 is for those who love all things retro-futuristic.
Best Foot Forward
The most striking feature about the new Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 has got to be the blacked out design. It’s a watch that perhaps Darth Vader in the original Stars Wars movies could wear. Bad-ass and oh-so-sexy (I was talking about the watch).
It also reminds me of another watch from the brand, but a mechanical one. It is the 2020 Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Passion in black and red.
Basic Specifications Of The New Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0
Inside the new Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 reference 39800-32-001-32A “ticks” the Calibre GP03980 which is a quartz movement measuring 26.24 x 6.4 x 27.6mm.
The movement comprises of 45 components and features a frequency of 32,768 Hz. Assuming that you use the pushers on a average of 20 times a day, you won’t need a battery change for about 24-months.
Quotable
“Not all watches retain their looks and desirability with the passage of time. However, since production of the original Casquette ceased in 1978, the interest in this watch has never diminished. We regularly receive enquiries and have witnessed these models attract much attention, fetching 10x their original sales price on the pre-owned market. If only everything we bought increased in value in such a way! Quite simply, the original Casquette serves to further validate our reputation for designing watches with lasting appeal. We are delighted to welcome the Casquette back – a stylish watch that promises a lasting allure.”
Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Girard-Perregaux
Our Thoughts On The New Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0
My first reaction to the new Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 was a burning desire to teleport back into time as a young bloke who sees this uber-cool watch in the 70s and wants to own it just so that he can show-off to this friends a watch that 70s pop-culture mindset might predict someone in 2022 would wear.
The new Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 is a break from the designs of the traditional mechanical watches we usually see. And given it doesn’t retail for anything like the mechanical watches from some independents with crazy avant-garde designs, I appreciate it even more.
But I kind of feel that for the price, it is a missed opportunity to not release this as a regular production modern smart watch (or at least have some smart watch capabilities). In that, it surely would have become one of the best, if not the best, smart watch to come out of the luxury world.
Though as it stands, it is still definitely very cool.
To find out more about the new Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 and their other watches, please head to their website here. All images unless otherwise stated are courtesy are ©2021 GIRARD-PERREGAUX.
