The Girard-Perregaux World Wide Time Control Titanium is a sophisticated Swiss mechanical watch developed around one of the most useful complications for international travel: simultaneous world-time indication. Introduced around 2000, the WW.TC combines a rotating 24-hour display and city ring with a full chronograph and date indication inside a substantial 43 mm titanium case.
At its core is the automatic Girard-Perregaux Calibre 3387, a manufacture-based movement operating at 4 Hz and equipped with 63 jewels. The model is particularly interesting because it integrates global timekeeping and chronograph functionality into a single mechanical architecture while retaining the distinctive twin-crown configuration that became one of the visual signatures of the World Wide Time Control family.
Design
The Girard-Perregaux World Wide Time Control Titanium uses a large round case measuring approximately 43 mm in diameter and 13.9-14 mm in thickness. Titanium gives the case a muted metallic appearance, while the predominantly brushed surfaces emphasize the technical character of the watch. The bezel is fixed, broad and smoothly rounded, providing a clean frame around the unusually information-rich dial.
The black dial is organized concentrically. At its center are large luminous hands and prominent hour markers, including the oversized Arabic numeral at 12. 3 subsidiary registers occupy the lower and lateral areas of the dial: small seconds and the chronograph counters are arranged around the central time display. A date aperture appears asymmetrically between 1 and 2 o’clock.
The defining visual element is the world-time system surrounding the central dial. An outer ring lists major international cities representing the principal time zones, while the adjacent 24-hour ring provides the corresponding time across the world. Contrasting sectors distinguish daytime and nighttime hours, making the global-time display immediately recognizable as a functional part of the design rather than a decorative scale. The multiple concentric indications create considerable visual density, yet the separation between the central time display, chronograph registers and world-time rings maintains a clear hierarchy.
A sapphire crystal protects the dial, while the version shown is paired with a matching titanium bracelet composed of broad brushed links. The combination produces a coherent monochromatic exterior, with the black dial and colored 24-hour scale supplying the principal visual contrast. A sapphire display back is also documented for titanium examples of this reference.
Case & Construction
The case of this Girard-Perregaux World Wide Time Control is manufactured from titanium, an important choice for a watch measuring 43 mm across and approximately 14 mm thick. Its predominantly brushed finish suits the functional nature of the WW.TC and gives the relatively large case a restrained surface treatment. The construction incorporates a sapphire crystal at the front and a transparent sapphire caseback secured by six screws.
One of the most characteristic structural details is the presence of 2 opposing crowns. The screw-down crown at 3 o’clock handles winding and time adjustment, while the additional crown at 9 o’clock, which is not screw-down, operates the world-time city ring. 2 rectangular chronograph pushers are positioned on the right side of the case.
Water resistance is rated at 30 metres (3 ATM), confirming that the World Wide Time Control was conceived primarily as a complicated luxury travel watch rather than an aquatic or professional sports instrument. The titanium configuration shown here is completed by a matching titanium bracelet.
Movement
Powering the Girard-Perregaux World Wide Time Control Titanium is the Girard-Perregaux Calibre GP 3387, a Swiss automatic mechanical movement developed for the original WW.TC World Time Chronograph. The self-winding system uses the motion of the wearer’s wrist to tension the mainspring through its oscillating rotor, while manual winding remains available through the crown.
The movement operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz), contains 63 jewels and provides approximately 46 hours of power reserve. It manages the conventional time display together with small seconds, date, world-time indication and a flyback chronograph, allowing an ongoing timing operation to be reset and immediately restarted without first stopping the chronograph.
The GP 3387 is particularly interesting for the number of indications it coordinates mechanically. Instead of relying on an independently adjusted GMT hand, the WW.TC combines local time with a rotating 24-hour scale and city ring, allowing the wearer to read multiple international time zones from a single display. The automatic movement can also be viewed through the sapphire caseback.
Functions & Complications
This Girard-Perregaux World Wide Time Control Titanium combines hours, minutes and small seconds with a world-time display, date and flyback chronograph. Its rotating city ring identifies the principal international time zones, while the synchronized 24-hour scale allows their corresponding local times to be read around the dial. Contrasting sectors distinguish daytime from nighttime hours.
The chronograph incorporates 30-minute and 12-hour counters, while the flyback function allows the running chronograph to be reset and restarted immediately with a single operation rather than following the conventional stop-reset-start sequence. A date window positioned between 1 and 2 o’clock completes the display. This combination of world time and flyback timing gives the WW.TC an unusually comprehensive set of functions for an early-2000s mechanical travel watch.
Performance
At 43 mm wide, approximately 13.9 mm thick and around 53.6 mm lug-to-lug, the Girard-Perregaux World Wide Time Control Titanium has substantial wrist presence. The titanium construction is especially valuable here because it reduces the perceived mass of a case designed to accommodate several complications and multiple display levels. The broad lugs and matching metal bracelet give the watch a secure, purposeful stance on the wrist.
Legibility benefits from the strong contrast between the black dial, white central hands and hour markers, while luminous material is documented on the hands and hour indicators. The colored 24-hour scale also separates the world-time information from the central timekeeping display.
Its 30-metre water resistance limits its suitability for demanding aquatic use, but this is consistent with its original purpose. The combination of automatic winding, approximately 46 hours of autonomy, chronograph timing and simultaneous global-time information makes the model particularly effective as a mechanical travel watch for business and international use.
Technical Data
Brand: Girard-Perregaux Watches;
Model: Girard-Perregaux World Wide Time Control Titanium “WW.TC World Time Chronograph” (Ref. 4980);
Year: 2000s;
Case Material: Titanium;
Case Diameter: 43 mm;
Case Thickness: 13.9-14 mm;
Lug Width: 22 mm;
Lug-to-Lug: 53.6 mm;
Crystal: Sapphire Crystal;
Water Resistance: 30 m / 98 ft (3 ATM);
Power Reserve: 46 Hours;
Movement: Automatic Mechanical Watches – Girard-Perregaux Calibre GP 3387 (Swiss Movement);
Functions: Hours, Minutes, Small Seconds, Automatic Winding, Chronograph Timing, 30-Minute Counter, 12-Hour Counter;
Complications: World Time Display, 24-Hour Day/Night Indication, Date Display, Chronograph;
Bracelet / Strap: Titanium Bracelet / Folding Clasp;
Type: Chronograph Watches, Luxury Watches, Pilot Watches, Sports Watches, Travel Watches, Worldtimer Watches;
Sex: Men’s Watches;
Nationality: Swiss Watches.
Retail Price (Launch): ~€12,500 / ~$15,000.
The Girard-Perregaux World Wide Time Control Titanium represents an important phase in the manufacture’s early-2000s approach to complicated contemporary watches. Introduced around 2000, the WW.TC combined world time and chronograph functions in a format aimed directly at international travellers, while its twin crowns and concentric global-time display gave the collection a clearly identifiable design language.
The titanium reference adds a practical advantage by reducing the weight associated with its 43 mm dimensions. Combined with the GP 3387 automatic calibre, 24-hour global display, chronograph and date, it remains a technically distinctive example of Girard-Perregaux’s complicated travel watches from the period and an interesting alternative to more conventional GMT models.
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