Girard-Perregaux, Gyromatic, High Frequency, "High-Beat Collection", wristwatch, 38.5 mm

Development collaboration between Swiss manufacturers.

Sometime in the mid-sixties, it is reported that Eberhard, Favre Leuba, Girard Perregaux and Zodiac (as well as Doxa according to some sources) all contributed to the development of a high-beat watch movement through some form of collaboration. The “joint development” was based upon the Adolph Schild 1687/1688 ebauche and is believed to have focused on the automatic winding mechanism of the movement, but each manufacturer ultimately entered the market with a solution so different that there were actually four distinct movements and it was not even possible to interchange parts between them, so the degree to which there actually was any "joint development" is unclear. What is clear is that among these four collaborating companies, Girard-Perregaux succeeded in bringing the technology to market first.

Girard Perregaux calibre 32A – the original high-beat wristwatch.

In 1965 to 1966, Girard-Perregaux developed the caliber 32A as the first serially produced wristwatch movement oscillating at 36,000 vibrations per hour (vph) in the pursuit of chronometer certification for its high-end wristwatches. The 32A was a further development of the Gyromatic movement which had been developed earlier by adding a proprietary Girard-Perregaux automatic winding unit and rotor to a high-grade base movement (ebauche) from Adolph Schild. The new Gyromatic High Frequency (HF) movement won acclaim and chronometer certification from the Bureaux officiels de contrôle de la marche des montres (B.O.) with testing for 15 days in 6 positions, under 3 temperatures, with “especially good results” noted on the chronometer certification. These chronometers were the original Girard-Perregaux Gyromatic HF watch series. A limited number of these were submitted to Neuchatel Observatory (Observatoire chronométrique et astronomique de Neuchâtel) for an additional 45 days of testing and were certified as the original high beat “Observatory Chronometers”. In addition, for this development Girard-Perregaux was awarded the Centenary Prize by the Observatory. Descendants of the cal. 32A movement, such as the cal. 440 found their way into later Girard-Perregaux watches.

Girard Perregaux Gyromatic High Frequency
The High-Beat Collection features the Girard Perregaux Gyromatic HF ref 440-287 with the cal 440 automatic movement with 17 jewels, 46 hour power reserve, sweep center seconds, day and date functions, with signed dial and crown, on original Milan style bracelet.