Girard Perregaux Three Bridges Tourbillon 9700 31mm White Gold, late 1990s

Dealer description — S.Song Watches

One of the oldest and most historically important names in Swiss watchmaking, Girard-Perregaux has been responsible for many incredible watches over its long history, but none is more emblematic of the brand than the Tourbillon Sous Trois Ponts d'Or, or Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges. The origins of the Three Bridges date back to the 1860s, when Constant Girard began experimenting with tourbillon pocket watches featuring three parallel bridges. Rather than hiding these structural components beneath the dial, Girard turned them into a defining part of the watch itself, arranging the barrel, gear train and tourbillon vertically beneath three distinctive arrow-shaped bridges. The concept would become one of the most recognisable movement architectures in watchmaking and remains a signature of Girard-Perregaux more than 150 years later. Here, we have a particularly unusual execution in the form of the Ref. 9700, housed in an 18-carat white gold case measuring just 31mm. While 31mm sounds incredibly small by today's standards, there is something rather charming about fitting a complication as prestigious as a tourbillon into such a diminutive case. It is unapologetically a product of its era and, despite the dimensions, the open construction and long sculpted lugs give the watch considerably more presence than one might expect. The dial, if you can call it that, is undoubtedly the highlight. Three beautifully finished pink gold bridges run vertically across the watch, holding the barrel at 12 o'clock, the central wheel in the middle and the tourbillon at 6. Contrasting against the white gold case and intricate silver-coloured guilloché work beneath, the warm bridges, exposed ruby jewels and heat-blued hands create an incredible mixture of colours, textures and depth. Despite having virtually no conventional dial at all, the entire composition remains wonderfully symmetrical and balanced. Powering the watch is Girard-Perregaux's manual-winding Cal. T3P, with the three bridges forming an integral structural part of the movement rather than simply serving as decoration. This is what I have always loved about the Three Bridges. The movement is the dial and the dial is the movement, with almost every important mechanical component proudly displayed from the front. Rarity is another interesting aspect of the Ref. 9700. While I have never seen a reliable production figure published for the reference, these watches appear extremely infrequently, particularly in white gold. It is also difficult to imagine that Girard-Perregaux sold very many 31mm, precious metal, high-complication tourbillons during this period. While I wouldn't put a number on it without evidence, everything about the watch suggests production was extremely small. For me, the Ref. 9700 is one of the more charming and unusual interpretations of Girard-Perregaux's most important complication. At just 31mm, it is certainly not for everyone, but that is also exactly what makes it interesting. With its white gold case, contrasting pink gold bridges, intricate guilloché work and one of the most historically significant movement architectures in watchmaking, there is very little else quite like it.