Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 Review
- #girardperregaux
- 1 Apr 2022
Like many watch releases nowadays, at the end of Febraury Swiss Watch Manufacture Girard-Perregaux announced on their instagram feed “ Stay tuned to Welcome Back a GP icon on 22.02.2022! “.
Watches enthusiast started to speculate: will it be a new Laureato? or another iconic watch back from the historic catalogue?
When the watch was announced, the first since Girard-Perregaux became independent from the Kering group ( which brands include Gucci, Balenciaga Bottega Veneta etc.), it was a true surprise.
GP re-issued a quarz watch from the 70’s, the Casquette. From the official description
The original Casquette was produced from 1976 to 1978. During that period, Girard-Perregaux made 8200 examples of this innovative quartz watch. Over the years, it has become much sought after by watch aficionados and style conscious wearers. Now, the Casquette is back! Named the Casquette 2.0, this new model upholds the design language of the original but is now encased in ceramic and Grade 5 titanium. Moreover, it features a new quartz movement with additional functionality. Lastly, with its ergonomic case, the model’s size and design make it suitable for all.
This launch, perhaps snobbed by some purists, is a great success: all the 820 pieces sold out almost immediately.
the official release date was 7 March 2022. I like these releases that, unlike many of the novelties announced at the Geneva fairs, are available in retail after a very short time. As we can see
above the retailer display is a true throwback to the 70’s.
On the release day, the 7th March, all watches were sold or allocated to clients.
Let’s review the specifications:
Now the Casquette is back! This time, officially adopting the original moniker, it has been named the Casquette 2.0. It is housed in a scratch-resistant ceramic case and features a Grade 5 titanium caseback. Both the titanium and ceramic are hypoallergenic and light. Indeed, it has an exceptionally low mass of 107g, helping to augment wearer comfort. In fact, the new Casquette is more comfortable than ever. Rounding off this lightweight ensemble are titanium pushers and a titanium badge which is positioned atop the watch head and emblazoned with a period GP logo. The watch is supplied on a ceramic bracelet with a rubber interior which proves more flexible and comfortable than its counterpart fitted to the original Casquette. The bracelet it now paired with a folding titanium buckle. During the lifetime of the original Casquette, 8200 pieces were produced. Inspired by this latter figure, Girard-Perregaux has chosen to limit the production of the new Casquette to just 820 pieces.
The Casquette 2.0 Ref. 39800-32-001-32A features a black ceramic and titanium case, titanium pushers and at a diameter of 42.40 x 33.60 mm is fairly wearable even with a smaller wrist.
The case thickness is 14.64 mm but, due to the unique architecture, it doesn’t feel bulky at all. The dial is made of a Tubular LED display and has a water resistance of 50 mt. The strap is in ceramic with rubbeer interior and the buckle is a titanium folding buckle.
The watch is powered by the Girard-Perregaux manufacture quarz movement GP3980-1474 with a frequency of 32’768 Hz.
In terms of design this watch is really something very distinct and not seen anywhere else in a modern watch. It is a very interesting combination of a Quarz watch, so somehow “modern”, offered by a traditional Swiss watch manufacture founded in 1791. The ceramic/titanium combination makes it very light and comfortable on the wrist.
The display is simple yet totally retro-cool. “The Casquette allows the wearer to view the time on demand, preserving battery life. In common with the original Casquette, this latest watch displays the hours, minutes, seconds, day, and date. However, the new movement comes with some additional functions, including the month, year, chronograph, second time zone and secret date. This latter function allows the wearer to save a memorable date of the wearer’s choosing. The secret date (date, month and year) can be shown each day at a time specified by the wearer e.g., a wedding anniversary.”
In the era of smart warches the Casquette 2.0 certainly doesn’t compete in terms of technology but, the essential functionality of time, date, chrono and secret date makes it somehow closer to a watch and less likely to be confused for a smartwatch.
Given the great success the Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 is not selling in the secondary market at x4 or x5 times the retail price. This is an indication of the current, almost surreal, market appetite from watches and especially well executed limited editions.
In conclusions, this is an excellent watch if you are looking for a cool, distinct and somehow nostalgic watch that is at ease in a formal environment like the office or the boardoom but also in any casual outfit or environment.