GIRARD-PERREGAUX has been announced as official watch partner of luxury British automotive manufacturer, Aston Martin. The Swiss brand is one of the oldest names in watchmaking, known for making peerless exemplars of haute horlogerie.
The race against the clock has captivated fans of motor sport for more than 100 years while the measurement of time has challenged watchmakers throughout history. The similarities between both domains are clear to see.
Aston Martin and Girard-Perregaux were founded by visionaries with an innate passion in their respective fields. Aston Martin was born in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, while Girard-Perregaux can trace its origins to 1791.
The now-legendary Aston Martin DBR1 (1956), a car made for competitive racing, was a precursor for some of the marque’s most well-known heritage ‘DB’ road cars. it represents what is unquestionably the finest hour of designer Frank Feeley’s work.
Its shape remains one of the most beautiful and graceful of all time. Moreover, the design incorporates a key functional attribute, the side air vent, which remains a key functional and visual characteristic of Aston Martin vehicles to this day.
Similarly, when Girard-Perregaux released its now-famous Tourbillon ‘with three gold bridges’ in 1867, it transformed three functional components, often hidden from view, into attractive aesthetic features.
With the advent of this watch, the once invisible was deliberately made visible. Throughout its 230-year history, the Swiss watch maker has demonstrated its creativity, often playing with different shapes.
And while both organisations have amassed a wealth of skills and traditions, they continue to look ahead, with both firms embracing this progressive mindset of continuous improvement and the pursuit of superior performance.
“The real beauty of partnerships such as this one is that, although we share very similar core values, the two brands can learn a great deal from one another,” Aston Martin Lagonda CEO Tobias Moers said.
“Girard-Perregaux is a prolific innovator in the use of materials and new technology. We both create highly desirable luxury products that are beautifully designed, deliver a powerful performance and exhibit flawless execution.”
As part of the partnership that will see the two brands collaborate on upcoming limited edition timepieces, Girard-Perregaux branding will feature on the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One team cars, with the first watch to be revealed later this year.
F1 team boss Otmar Szafnauer described the announcement as the coming together of a rich history, a glorious heritage, and a relentless devotion to the pursuit of premium quality combined with high technology.
“On the racetrack, time, too, is of the essence. Formula One and Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team in particular, will prove themselves to be respectively a fantastic promotional platform and a brilliant marketing partner for Girard-Perregaux,” he said.
“2021 is an important year for both Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin. We are celebrating an astonishing 230 years of watchmaking, whilst Aston Martin celebrates its return to Formula 1 as a works team for the first time in over 60 years,” Girard-Perregaux CEO Patrick Pruniaux added.
“We have much to celebrate so uniting our worlds to create something special is the perfect way to acknowledge and appreciate these milestones.”
