Questions and answers with Clemence Dubois, Chief Marketing and Product Officer of the Swiss watch manufacturer Girard-Perregaux

The Swiss watch manufacturer Girard-Perregaux, founded in 1791, is one of the oldest fine watch manufacturers still in operation. It is celebrating its 230th anniversary this year and is now the official watch partner of the British car manufacturer Aston Martin Lagonda and the Formula 1 team Aston Martin Cognizant, which is returning to Formula 1 after a break of more than 60 years. For the 2021 F1 season, the Girard Perregaux branding will appear on the rearview mirrors and team uniforms of Aston Martin F1 cars, and several co-branded watches will be featured. We can also expect to see GP watches in Aston Martin street cars. I will sit down with Clémence Dubois, Girard-Perregaux’s Chief Marketing and Product Officer, to discuss this collaboration.

Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges Aston Martin Edition

Photo courtesy Girard-Perregaux

Why did Girard-Perregaux choose to partner with Aston Martin and what values ​​do you share?

In the past, Girard-Perregaux had a strong connection to the automotive world, which we wanted to reactivate more strongly as a brand. In the months before Aston Martin was confirmed as a partner, we had discussions with several car brands who had approached us at different times. Ultimately, we believe that this connection fits perfectly when you consider the common themes of both brands: craftsmanship, material innovation, technical mastery and performance, quasi-obsessive attention to detail, exclusivity (in relation to our limited production) and still inclusivity in ours respective brand messages due to our openness to a wider audience of passionate enthusiasts. Both enjoy the reputation of some kind of insider brands or at least remain ambitious in their respective fields. An Aston Martin is rarely the first car, and the same is true of Girard-Perregaux: it is rarely the first watch. Both brands enter the life of an accomplished collector or someone curious about the field, aka someone who knows their stuff. The additional platform that Formula 1 offers gives our two brands an invaluable boost in terms of mutual commitment.

Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin are celebrating the 230th anniversary of Swiss together … [+] Watchmaker

Photo courtesy Girard-Perregaux

Why is there such a long-term partnership between watch brands and cars / motorsport, and what significance do cooperations have for the brand image?

As anyone familiar with the subject can confirm, there are several parallels between the automotive world and watchmaking. Like a car, a watch is driven by a kind of motor: its clockwork. If you take the comparison further, you could compare the barrel of the watch to a fuel tank, its case to a chassis, and so on. Additionally, both worlds appeal to similar enthusiasts: those who are inspired by mechanics and performance. The mechanics behind both require many small pieces to come together to create a machine with purely mechanical harmony. Rather than brand image, I think the greater impact this partnership will have on our respective brands is mutual awareness. In fact, Girard-Perregaux now has a way to reach a whole new clientele who, given all the similarities we share with Aston Martin, will likely ultimately appeal well to us. From a design point of view, both sides benefit from sharing our respective know-how and giving our stakeholders a deeper insight into the other’s world if they are curious.

Girard Perregaux branding on the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula 1 racing car

Photo courtesy Girard-Perregaux

What types of Girard-Perregaux x Aston Martin watches can we expect now and in the future?

First of all, we strongly believe that Aston Martin’s design ethos fits into our broader vision for our own brand and overall product plan. It is expected that in the long term this collaboration will result in several timepieces, the first of which perfectly embodies an innovative material that has never been used in the watchmaking industry before. Aston Martin’s design teams have participated in high-level discussions on movement, aesthetic touch, material use and ergonomics in general, where their and our teams have discovered many common points of contact and complementary expertise. Both the Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin design teams have worked hard to create a watch of fine watchmaking that embodies the design ethos of both brands. Given Girard-Perregaux’s 230th anniversary, it was only natural that Aston Martin would want to revisit one of our well-known icons to further highlight this partnership and build a bridge between our two brands. Later that year, a second limited edition Girard Perregaux watch will appear under the Aston Martin banner from another of the manufacture’s iconic collections.

Clémence Dubois, Girard-Perregaux Chief Marketing and Product Officer

Photo courtesy Girard-Perregaux