Girard-Perregaux Cat Eye Tourbillon

It’s stunning; it’s expensive; it has a little window so you can see its inner core, known as the tourbillon. It’s meant to be a showpiece. It even keeps time, but it does require winding.

Maybe most people today have no need of a watch, what with smart phones and their built-in alarms, and the ever-present computer with calendar reminders. But then, most people don’t own the Girard Perregaux Cat’s Eye Jewelry Tourbillon with Gold Bridge. In short, this is a superb designer watch made in the fine old Swiss tradition that those in the know have coveted for as long as two centuries.

The traditions of “haute horology” — or highly skilled watchmaking, pushing the boundaries of skill and beauty — come together in this ladies watch that is encrusted with snow diamonds, a unique gem-setting technique which allows no visible metal boundaries. Three weeks of painstaking work are required to set the 1,000 gemstones in the white gold case; when complete, each watch is an original piece of art, breathtakingly brilliant. The oval face of the watch is mother of pearl, accented at the 6 o’clock position by a gold bridge tourbillon which hints at the watchmaker’s skill and the mystery of the timepiece itself.

A GP09700 Manufacture Movement powers the watch with a minimum reserve of 70 hours. A total of 177 components, which are assembled and fitted by hand, complete the exquisite watch, which is enhanced by an alligator strap with snow-set clasp.

It’s definitely a sight to behold. And even though the lady might not require it to get anywhere on time, she will certainly have a reason to show her wrist in public. If the question is asked, “Is it new jewelry, or a new watch?” The only required response, the only possible answer, is “Yes.”