With a striking new colour way, the Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk Blue and Orange is the most pelagic model in the collection to date. Girard-Perregaux’s affinity with diver’s tool watches goes back as far as the 1940’s when they produced “active service” watches for use during World War II. By the time recreational diving became popularised, they had already trademarked the slightly heroic “Sea Hawk” name and had produced a few dapper wristwatches under the moniker which were capable of surviving a splash about and a gentle knock or two…but it was the mid-1970’s before the first true Sea Hawk divers model was born.
Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk Blue & Orange – An Adventurous Design
In 2012, despite the fact that everyone else was glancing back through their archives for some vintage inspiration, Girard-Perregaux unveiled an all-new Sea Hawk model featuring bold, modernistic styling without even a hint of the model’s heritage in its unexpected angular form. It was a risky move by Girard-Perregaux to sign off such an adventurous design, but one which has paid off. The contemporary styling has been accepted and now Girard-Perregaux can play with the aesthetics.
Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk Blue & Orange – Dial
Despite the robust characteristics of the Sea Hawk range, let’s remind ourselves of its subtleties. The raised honeycomb pattern on the dial adds interest, providing a backdrop for the chunky indications. There is equipoise to be found in the positioning of the power reserve indication and the small seconds counter. The date window which is slipped in at the 2 o’clock location is deeply recessed with some clever polishing on its inner sides. The rotund markers bring to this dial a superb 3D aspect, which can only be appreciated with live wrist shots or better still, on the wrist.
Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk Blue & Orange – Ultra-Modern Aesthetics
The combination of orange and blue has always been the diver’s friend. A little of the drama gets lost with the bracelet edition of this model, but on rubber the Sea Hawk Orange and Blue is the epitome of a modern divers watch. The designers at Girard-Perregaux pick up the “coral orange” on the unidirectional bezel, the minutes hand, the small seconds hand and on the power reserve. Readability is ensured with a liberal coating of lume where necessary. The ultra-modern aesthetics of the 44mm case are heightened by the rawness of a satin-brushed finishing, and over on the left, the lines taper outwards offering protection to the crown, which finds itself in the perfectly placed location of 4 o’clock (ask any diver).
Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk Blue & Orange – All the Requisite Safety Features
As expected, all Sea Hawk models have the safety features required to ensure a safe dive – a screw-down case-back, unidirectional bezel – sturdy, but not too jagged, and an anti-bends decompression valve to make sure that it won’t implode on the way back up. Inside, the in-house GP03300 automatic movement is safely enclosed to withstand depths of up to 1000m and produces a power reserve of 46 hours. On the case-back is the characteristic Sea Hawk engraving, a synonymous and supercool feature.
The Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk Orange and Blue edition comes with a choice of cobalt blue rubber (ref. 49960-19-431-FK4A) at $10,100 strap or steel bracelet (ref. 49960-19-431-11A) at $11,850.
