My first haute horlogerie timepiece…

I bought my first haute horlogerie timepiece, the Girard-Perregaux 1966 Blue Moon ref 49545-11-432-BH6A. This is a sort of grail watch for me and I have to say I am absolutely over the moon about this watch! Everything about it seems to represent my personality, lifestyle and personal story. Owning a watch of this caliber was a dream for me and today it became a reality! Getting to this point in my life was a long arduous journey and if anyone is interested, please feel free to read on.

I didn’t really get into watches until 5 years ago but I grew up around watches as a kid because my dad owned a jewelry/watch store when I was really young. Although I wasn’t into watches at that time, my family started experiencing severe financial hardships when I was in my early 20s and I had to abruptly cut my studies short and start working to help my family’s living expenses. Every dollar and cent I earned went to buying necessities or building a nest egg. To save money, I lived at home and always bought the cheapest necessities at discount stores or went deep bargain hunting online for items I needed. Discretionary spending was pretty much out of the question and whenever I ate out or spent time with friends, I always ordered the cheapest dishes or drinks on the menu. On really bad days, lunch was simply grabbing samples at the local supermarket and maybe another one nearby. While this helped me save money and stay financially independent, life was a daily struggle for me. I became very self conscious because most of my friends had full time jobs and could afford some luxury items. My self esteem took a huge blow and I yearned for the day when I could spend money responsibly without worrying about costs and potentially overspending. I made an oath to myself that my situation would not be permanent and with hard work and good financial decisions, I will dig myself out of this! 

As the years went by I went through many ups and downs but after 2011, my financial situation gradually improved where I was no longer living paycheck to paycheck. I was able to move out on my own, pay off my debts, build a nest egg and save funds for discretionary spending. For the first time I was able to purchase quality clothing, fragrances and spend more on social activities with friends. This lifestyle oriented mindset rekindled my interest in watches. My first new purchase was a Fossil smartwatch but I soon worked my way up to Timex, Orient, Seiko, Citizen, Hamilton, Raymond Weil, Frederique Constant, and Baume et Mercier. Earlier this year I purchased my most expensive watches to date, the Nomos Metro Neomatik 1115 and Tangente 164. These were the first watches that made me feel wearing a luxury watch was something special.

Over the summer as I was reflecting on my life and how I started to really appreciate well made watches, I realized that I wanted to get a haute horlogerie (pedigree) watch to celebrate my journey so far. I’m not affluent but at the same time, I’m no longer in a precarious financial situation. Plus, I was saving up for a big watch purchase ever since I started collecting. I knew it wasn’t going to be a “holy grail” piece like a Patek or Lange but something that was a stretch to purchase but still obtainable. I wanted this watch to be a companion watch for the rest of my life, something special and not just another watch in my collection. I began to think about what characteristics I would want in this watch and I came up with the following: It had to be a blue dial (my favorite color), 38-42 mm diameter, fairly classical design (nothing funky), under 12 mm thick, automatic movement, from a horologically significant brand (no microbrands), non chronograph but maybe a moonphase, and under $12K retail. Ideally it would be a somewhat unique watch brand too, something that not everyone would wear often.

As I was doing my research, I looked into Tudor, Omega, Breitling, Hermes, Glashütte Original, IWC, JLC, but then I came across Girard-Perregaux. I heard the name before but was unfamiliar with their line of watches. I was immediately drawn to the 1966 Earth to Sky blue dial watches with blue/black gradient dials. Their long history and heritage was impressive as well. The GP ticked a lot of the boxes on the checklist and after considering many other blue dial possibilities and hours of research reading articles and watching videos, I decided that the Blue Moon variant was the watch to get. I was a little apprehensive because I didn’t get to try it on in person and there weren’t many videos and articles on this particular model. I also read a lot about buyer’s remorse and I really wanted to get this right because I’m not a flipper. Deep down I had faith in my research and I felt confident that I would really like it. Another watch enthusiast online who owned the same watch generously shared pictures and videos of his watch which greatly assisted in my decision.

As I was anxiously awaiting its arrival, I prepared myself as if I was going to undergo a sacred ritual. The watch finally came and I carefully opened the box and unpacked all the plastic wrappings with great excitement. When I saw the dial for the first time, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction overwhelm me. The dial was even more beautiful in real life than I had imagined! My eyes just got a little watery (I know it's just a watch right?) but it was about the roller coaster journey that got me here to say I own a beautiful haute horlogerie timepiece!  After struggling with putting on the new strap and unfortunately making a tiny scratch on the rear of the lug, I put the watch on for the first time and I felt a sense of joy which kept me smiling the whole day! It didn’t come with the original strap because it came from overseas but this beautiful carbon fiber like strap from FinWatchStraps is a great substitute which makes the watch even more casual. I really feel a strong connection with this watch because GP is a very high quality brand but very underrated and I feel that way about myself. I believe I am a very high quality person but underrated in my personal and professional life. Hopefully both GP and I will get more recognition in the future!

It feels so satisfying knowing I purchased this watch with 100% of my own hard earned money given how far I have come in all these years. This watch is a testament to my achievements and owning this watch after all I went through makes the experience priceless! I hope this will be an inspiring story for others and if you are in a place of financial hardship and never get the watch of your dreams, have hope because I was able to pull my straps together and turn things around. It wasn’t easy but if I can do it, so can you!  Thank you for reading my story and peace to all my fellow hobbyists out there!