New Release: Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0

nos·tal·gia/näˈstaljə,nəˈstaljə/noun

1. a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.”I was overcome with acute nostalgia for my days in college”

As a tow-headed Northern Youth my grandfather, in his wisdom, gave me a Texas Instruments digital watch. It easily weighed a pound, and died three times in less than 4 months before being dutifully consigned to the dustbin the week after Halloween. My July birthday present did not live to see Christmas. 

I don’t claim to know how good or bad sales are for GP. I can say that apart from some pieces finding their way onto the wrists of a few journalists, you don’t tend to see them “in the wild” on an even remotely regular basis. There are a lot of reasons for this, but chief among them is a fairly significant identity crisis. In fairness to the former managers / new owners, this is not a new development. Without consistent and comprehensive communication, it is quite hard to understand just what GP is trying to do or to be.

 With that said, I had to scratch my head when I clapped eyes on the newly released Casquette 2.0…

Like pretty much everyone else who writes about watches, I am nostalgic. I sincerely appreciate whimsy, and those who try to do something different.  With that said, $4,700 is a bit further and deeper than I am willing to go to scratch that particular itch. More to the point, it is yet another odd choice made by GP in recent times. 

Should you be aching to put on your leisure suit and splash on some Hai Karate and take a deep dive back to that simpler time, here are the pertinents, straight from the source -LIMITED EDITION OF 820 TIMEPIECESCASQUETTE 2.039800-32-001-32A

• WATCH
  • CASE
    • Case material :black ceramic and titanium, titanium pushers
    • Diameter :42.40 x 33.60 mm
    • Thickness :14.64 mm
    • Case-back :titanium, secured by 4 screws
    • Dial :Tubular LED display
    • Water resistance :50 m
  • STRAP
    • Strap material :ceramic with rubber interior
    • Buckle :titanium folding buckle
• MOVEMENT
  • CALIBRE
    • Number :GP3980-1474
    • Mechanism :quartz
    • Total Diameter :26.24 x 25.65 mm (-)
    • Height :6.40 mm
    • Frequency :32’768 Hz
    • Number of Parts :50
    • Number of Jewels :0
    • Oscillating weight :-
    • Power Reserve :-

GP’s neighbors up the hill floated a similar idea at a past BaselWorld when Corum came out with an LED Bubble. How well or poorly that particular anomaly sold is a question only Corum will ever be able to answer. 

Now in fairness, for all I know all 820 pieces of the Casquette 2.0 have been sold. I am clearly not part of that demographic ; )

Nostalgia is a beguiling force. But ultimately, I will leave it with that other great commentator on the watch business, Anwan Glover as Slim Charles in The Wire –