WATCH REVIEW Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk Pro 1000

A large but comfortable watch

You’ll be struck by the size and weight (168g) of this Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk Pro 1000 as soon as you handle it.

And yet, once it’s on your wrist, and despite its strong presence still being felt, you’ll also notice its comfort – an unexpected surprise given the size of the watch…

Indeed, its large lugs come down 4mm below the bottom edge of the case, and thus, the case middle of the watch sits naturally on the curvature of the arm, even for an average-sized wrist (17.5cm).

The strap also contributes greatly to the overall comfort of this dive watch.
Its internal rubber structure, shaped like cobblestones, provides a steady hold while preserving the necessary flexibility.

While it was successfully done in this case, this is by no mean an easy feat when trying to mix a heavy steel case with a light composite strap.

Furthermore, the end of the bracelet is slightly curved right at the width between the lugs in order to nicely fit the shape of the case.

This allows for a closer attachment, and thus more flexibility between the angle of the bracelet and the case.

Finally, the large folding clasp also contributes to this comfort, providing the ability to quickly adjust the diving strap extension – also used for fine-tuning during everyday usage, such as when your wrist swells up in high temperatures.

A high-end quality

The asymmetric case middle gives this Girard-Perregaux a technical-looking outline with its large-sized crown protector which completely envelops it, keeping it safe from any potential impacts.
The crown is thus positioned at 4 o’clock.
This unusual placement is found on numerous diver’s watches: with the crown no longer perpendicular to the case, making it less exposed.

The brushed flanks and the lugs’ polished top, very cleanly finished, soften the toolwatch aspect of this Sea Hawk Pro 1000, and give it a touch of elegance.

The screwed bottom, very flat, also contributes to the overall comfort, and bears a large and deep engraving portraying the trident, the anchor and the porpoise, the symbols of the Girard-Perregaux brand.

The unidirectional steel bezel, heavily notched around the circumference, allows for a good grip, even while wearing diving gloves.

The watch is designed to be water-resistant for up to 1,000 meters, allowing the Sea Hawk to enter the very exclusive club of the diver’s watches that can reach depths of 3,300 feet.
This is strictly for the pleasure of pure performance since very few of us will ever go that deep!

Dial

The hours’ oversized luminous and rimmed hands contrast nicely with the dial’s grainy matt black background.
The hands, white and arrow-shaped for the hours and orange for the minutes, reprise the diver’s watches’ traditional color codes.

This Girard-Perregaux’s readability is therefore of a very high quality in all conditions.

One small drawback, however: it’s a pity that this readability is slightly altered by the circular and silver power reserve indicator.
Indeed, the whole upper part of the dial is empty, the indicator being only on the lower half…

The red date indicator on a white background is itself quite discreet in its window located between one and two o’clock, while still staying very readable.

Diving enthusiasts will also miss the absence of a luminous indicator showing that the watch is working correctly, thus letting the diver know that the watch has not broken down during the dive.

Movement: caliber GP033R0

The solid background hides the GP033R0 automatic caliber.

It is common, by the way, for such a technically-oriented piece, with a case middle/glass/bottom system that must be resistant to high pressure, to not have a sapphire background.

The GP033R0 is a manufactured movement developed by the Sowind Group (from now on a subsidiary of the PPR Group) which Girard-Perreaux is a part of.

Beating at 28,800 alternations per hour, it has a high-quality finish: circular-grained mainplate, bridge plated with straight Côtes de Genève and circular Côtes for the rotor.

What to remember

With this Sea Hawk Pro 1000, Girard-Perregaux offers us a diver’s watch with a strong personality due to its offbeat aesthetic and its imposing size.

Comfortable, technical, with a zest of elegance, it will accompany you in all of your aquatic adventures, but will not easily be compatible with a suit and tie.