Girard-Perregaux was technically founded in 1791, but it did not gain its distinctive name until the 1850s when it was bought by Constant Girard and Marie Perregaux. This Swiss watchmaking company is known for timepieces that combine beautiful elegance with innovative technology.

The Girard-Perregaux logo reflects the company’s devotion to style, so it has been changed many times to reflect current trends. Keep reading to discover more of the rich tradition behind this historical luxury watchmaking-brand’s logo.

Girard-Perregaux Logo Design Elements

The Girard-Perregaux logo is essentially a large logotype. It contains three lines of text that are used to sum up the company’s brand identity. Each line of text is centered, creating a tidy and symmetrical appearance. The logo is normally written as black text on transparent or white background, but the colors can change occasionally.

At the top of the logo are the initials “GP” in a large font. The center of the logo says the full name, “Girard-Perregaux,” in slightly smaller text, and then the bottom says “Mechanics of Time since 1791” in much tinier text. All of the letters are capitalized, and they are written in a beautiful san-serif font that contains slanted curves and slightly curling serifs.

Changes and Evolution

1. Shape

It is no surprise that Girard-Perregaux has had several logos since they have been around for almost 250 years. At first, the logo was actually for Jean-Francois Bautte, the former owner of the company. For a while, they used variations of a circular font with heraldic symbols like eagles, anchors, and sea serpents. These logos referenced the company’s position as wristwatch producers for the navy.

Once they switched to text logos, Girard-Perregaux changed the text several times. For a while in the mid 1900s, it said “Fine Watches since 1791.” The inclusion of the large brand initials is the most recent major change, occurring just a couple of decades ago. The tagline in the logo has occasionally changed as well. Past mottos include “Watches for the Few Since 1791” and “Swiss Haute Horlogerie Since 1791.”

2. Color

Like many other watchmaking companies, Girard-Perregaux has made the smart decision to avoid limiting their brand to just one color. Though it frequently shows up as white text on a black background, the Girard-perregaux logo can technically be any color. It frequently shows up in tasteful neutrals, like black, grey, white, gold, silver, or brown, when it is on watches.

3. Font

The font for the basic “Girard-Perregaux” portion of the logo has changed many times along with the logo itself. For many years, an ornate script font was used to reference the impressive history of the brand. When it was updated, it became a somewhat gothic font. This was changed to an elongated san-serif font similar to the style that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s. After bouncing around between trendy fonts for a while, it seems that Girard-Perregaux has finally settled on a font they like. Their current font has remained the same for many recent logos.

Influences/Inspiration

Girard-Perregaux designed their logo with a few key goals in mind. They knew they needed something versatile, since the company likes to put elements from their logo on watches. Therefore, a combination of brand name and brand initials was chosen. The initials are small enough to fit on tiny watch components, while the brand name is long enough to arch around the face of a watch. Girard-Perregaux always includes a motto about their founding date because they know that consumers value tradition and history when they are shopping for luxury watches.

Trivia

• Girard-Perregaux’s logo has the honor of being on the first wristwatch that was ever commercially produced. They were made for German naval officers, and even Kaiser Wilhelm I wore one.
• The company gets its name from Constant Girard, who named it with his family name and his wife’s maiden name. At the time, it was quite unusual for a watch company to contain the name of a female.
• Though you can seen most of the logo on Girard-Perregaux watches, the motto is never included.

Conclusion

Though the Girard-Perregaux logo has changed several times, they always include a few key elements. A motto referencing their founding in 1791 helps to remind buyers of the brand’s proud history and tradition of excellence. The use of the brand initials makes the logo instantly recognizable while the inclusion of the full name of the brand further highlights that they are an important part of Swiss luxury watchmaking tradition.

After being founded in 1892 as a clock company, Seiko decided to challenge popular Swiss watchmakers in 1895 by creating one of the very first luxury watch companies in Japan. In modern times, the brand now has an unrivaled reputation for making precision timekeepers that are stylish enough to be a status symbol and fashion accessory.

All their watches bear the crisp, precise Seiko logo that stands for quality, accuracy, and durable construction. Our history of the Seiko logo will take an in-depth look at the design of this iconic symbol.

Logo Design Elements

The official Seiko logo is very clear and straightforward. Despite being a Japanese company, the brand uses English lettering to write “Seiko” in a bold font inspired by the Bookman typeface. The Seiko logo’s font is distinguished by uniform lines and thick, block-like serifs. This design is intended to be legible at very small sizes, yet it also looks strong enough to be the main focus on big advertisement posters. All the letters are written in capitals, and all letters besides the I and the O are written in a uniform width. To keep the logo from looking too engineered or rigid, the arms of the K connect in an asymmetrical slant.

Changes and Evolution

1. Shape

Throughout the history of Seiko, the company has always just used the brand name, written in a bold serif font, as the logo. Even old Japanese advertisements from the early 1900s use the English spelling of Seiko as the logo for the company. This consistently simple logo helps Seiko to distinguish itself from all the Swiss watch companies that use heraldic devices or elaborate script on their logo.

2. Color

Seiko’s logo has always had rather versatile coloring because the company regularly switches up the colors to match design schemes for different products, advertisements, and stores. It is most commonly depicted as a black on white design, but many versions of the logo have also appeared as a deep royal blue color on a transparent background. When the logo is put on watches, Seiko frequently displays it in either silver or gold.

3. Font

Seiko has always used their own proprietary font for the Seiko logo, but this font has been slightly tweaked over time. This font got its start by looking quite similar to the historical Bookman font that was first created in 1858. Originally, the serifs at the end of each letter were much thinner and slightly curved. Over time, the serifs have become slightly thicker and blockier. They are now as thick as the other lines in the letter, and they intersect the lettering at sharp right angles.

Seiko Logo Influences/Inspiration

The founder of Seiko made the decision to write his logo in English lettering because he wanted to create international watches that would be worn around the world. Founder Kintaro Hattori wanted to use a simple logo because the company desired a logo that would last for decades. Instead of following trends, the Seiko logo uses a timeless design that looks nice on a variety of different watches. This decision allowed the company to use special alternate logos for lines like the Speedtimers and Grand Seikos without compromising their brand identity. The simplistic design of Seiko’s logo also allows it to be used in any color for any type of watch design.

Trivia

• The name Seiko comes from an abbreviated form of the Japanese word, Seikosha, that means “House of Exquisite Workmanship.”
• Though Seiko had been making watches for years, no watch at the company actually bore the logo until 1924.
• In a recent announcement, the company announced plans to remove the Seiko logo from the face of their classic Grand Seiko watch. This has been met with some annoyance from watch enthusiasts.
• Seiko used to sponsor Honda racing cars, but the company pulled their funding because they did not want their logo appearing alongside tobacco companies on the racing vehicles.

Conclusion

The versatile nature of the Seiko logo allows it to be used on tiny watch faces or huge storefront signs. Despite minor alterations, the logo has remained roughly the same for a century. Its uniquely geometric font and bold design mimic the precision, style, and simplicity of the watches that made Seiko famous. Seiko’s signature logo is an ideal brand ambassador for their company, and they will probably continue to use it as long as they are producing Seiko watches.