Girard Perregaux Ivory Watches

A tribute to the fascinating dance of the stars, the Cat's Eye Annual and Zodiac Calendars presents an attractive version of time passing by. In the heart of this watch made of mother-of-pearl, gold and diamonds, a movement crafted by Girard-Perregaux allows to unite civil time, the lunar cycle and the zodiac cycle.The concept of this new model draws its inspiration from traditions passed down from Antiquity: the observation and interpretation of celestial phenomena. The Cat's Eye Annual and Zodiac Calendars combines with the precision of its movement the part of mystery involved in querying the constellations. Its windows open onto distant worlds. Guided by a lucky star, the signs of the zodiac glide by alongside the months of the year. In the centre of the dial, the moon shows its various faces. At 2 o'clock, the date completes the annual calendar, by an ingenious device automatically allowing for months of a different length. A single annual correction at most is needed, in February, except for the leap years.Fragments of universe cut out in the mother-of-pearl, celestial visions moving across the gracious dial: terrestrial, lunar and stellar time are brought together harmoniously in a watch with a remarkable aesthetic power of attraction. Girard-Perregaux demonstrates once again the art of incorporating watch complications as design features in their own right. The combination of precious materials and gentle curves completes the refinement of the Cat's Eye Annual and Zodiac Calendars. Crafted in gold, the characteristic oval of this collection is here adorned with 68 diamonds (about 0.68 carat) on the bezel. The irresistible sparkle of the precious stones echoes the iridescent reflections of the mother-of-pearl dial, which makes each watch unique. The product of painstaking work, in itself it requires about sixty manufacturing steps.Such sophistication demands perfection in the slightest details. This set of functions is driven by the Girard-Perregaux GP033M0 mechanical movement with automatic winding, which is unveiled through the transparent case-back. Avant-garde technologies together with the expert hands of watchmakers made it possible to manufacture this complex calibre.

Here is a cool video of a foudroyante in action. A foudroyante uses a small dial that is marked 0-8. The hand on the dial completes a sweep every second which is an elapsed time of 1/8th of second for each number.