The Laureato is Girard-Perregaux’s answer to the integrated luxury sports watch. Born in 1975 as a chronometer-certified quartz sports watch, Girard-Perregaux revived the Laureato in 2016 as a limited edition to celebrate the brand’s 225th anniversary, and later as a collection in 2017. Produced three years after Gérald Genta’s landmark Royal Oak but a year before the Nautilus, the original Laureato consolidated the design language of the fledgling genre with a slim, tonneau-shaped case and a raised, gold octagonal bezel. Building on that heritage, the new Laureato Chronograph 42mm pairs the collection’s familiar geometry with a more assertive, modern two-tone steel and rose gold execution with a Toblerone chocolate dial in a limited run of 50 pieces.
The original 1975 Laureato captured the groove of the day with a sleek integrated steel case and bracelet, a polished yellow gold bezel and a curious tapering gold line running down the central link of the bracelet that looked painted – it was, in fact, a gold-capped insert to produce a more streamlined effect. The new Laureato Chronograph references its ancestor with a two-tone steel and rose gold colour scheme but shows off its muscles with a contemporary chocolate brown dial with a bold hobnail pattern and matching rubber strap, highlighting its distinctive architecture with contrasting textures and finishes.
Measuring 42mm across with a height of 12.16mm, the 100m water-resistant tonneau-shaped steel case has a sporty horizontal brushed finish with polished bevels. The contrast with the gleaming polished rose gold pushers and screw-down crown is striking. Also crafted in rose gold, the distinctive octagonal bezel, sitting on top of a polished round gold base, is circular-brushed. Less common than 316L steel and more expensive, the higher level of chromium in 904L steel used for the case makes it more resistant to corrosion.
Rose gold and chocolate brown are a delectable, eye-catching combination. Like mini Toblerones, the lively hobnail or Clou de Paris pattern on the dial hosts three sub-dials with wide concentric rings and a date window angled at 4:30 with a brown background. The baton indices suspended over the dial and the hour and minute hands are rose gold-plated with white luminescent material, while the central chronograph hand and the three hands corresponding to the counters are just gold-plated.
The height of the Girard-Perregaux Laureato is quite contained, and that’s primarily thanks to the GP 03300 calibre. A variation of the reputable GP 3000, which has been ticking since 1994 and is renowned for its slim height of 6.5mm, this 419-component modular chronograph movement beats at 28,800vph and has a 46-hour power reserve for the time, small seconds, chronograph and date functions. Visible through the sapphire crystal porthole on the screwed-down caseback, the relatively small movement (25.6mm diameter) is decorated with circular graining, Côtes de Genève, snailing and polished bevels.
Matching the dial texture, the brown rubber strap has a hobnail pattern running down its centre and is attached to the wrist with a steel triple-folding clasp. The Laureato Chronograph is a limited edition of 50 pieces, priced at CHF 24,300 or EUR 26,800.
More information at girard-perregaux.com.