Thursday, January 12, 2012

Girard-Perregaux Hires Legendary Watchmaker Dominique Loiseau

Dominique Loiseau at work

Legendary watchmaker Dominique Loiseau has joined Girard-Perregaux as part of the Swiss luxury watch brand's manufacturing team.

Loiseau has worked at the highest levels of complex horology for more than 30 years and is the creator of several remarkable timepieces, including six Montres de Sables, the Rose de Temps clock, the Renaissance or Capriccio pocket watches and the famed Blancpain 1735 wristwatch. His latest timepiece, the Loiseau 1f4, is the most complicated automatic watch in the industry with eight patents in its movement.

A restorer of collectors’ timepieces, artisan and teacher at the International Museum of Watchmaking in La Chaux-de-Fonds, where the Girard-Perregaux manufacture is located, Loiseau said he is no stranger to Girard-Perregaux.

“Girard-Perregaux is a unique brand in that it is a true manufacturer founded in very rich history and heritage”, Loiseau said of the watch brand that traces its origins back to 1791. “I am very excited to have become a part of this amazing team and look forward to a successful partnership”.

Loiseau was brought in by the Sowind Group (Girard-Perregaux and JeanRichard) during the last quarter of 2011 in order to strengthen the brand’s “think tank,” the company said in a statement Thursday. He will bring a new and fresh perspective to the brand but has also taken on the project of developing new complications and movements.

“We are extremely happy to have a man such as Dominique Loiseau on board,” said Michele Sofisti, CEO of Sowind Group (Girard-Perregaux and JeanRichard). “He is a true visionary, a legend within our world, but more importantly, he understands the values Girard-Perregaux.”