The house of Girard-Perregaux is celebrating its 225th anniversary this year. According to the custom of the Swiss watchmaking industry, the Maison will mark the occasion with a couple of new models inspired by its rich heritage. First of the watches, which is also going to be officially presented at the BaselWorld trade show, in a couple of days, is a revamped Girard-Perregaux Laureato.
The Girard-Perregaux Laureato model is a luxury sports watch distinguished by its 1970’s design, and very much alike Gerald Genta’s famous Royal Oak. As you can see, the watch features a round watch face and an octagonal bezel, as well as an integrated bracelet. The first Laureato was launched back in 1975, which makes it one of the first Genta-inspired sports watches. The historic Laureato is inspired by and named after Mike Nichols film The Graduate (1967) starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross. Right from its very beginnings, the Laurato model was made from stainless steel, but model also featured gold, which was particularly unusual for the watches of this type.
The first Laureato watches were powered by an in-house quartz movement, and it was not before the mid 80’s that the brand introduced movements with complications within the Laureato range. On its 20th anniversary, the model was redesigned and fitted with an in-house calibre 3100. Again, in 2003, the brand launched Laureato EVO 3, and the Laureato tourbillon with three Bridges.
In 2016, Girard Perregaux reveals the Laureato 2016, a luxurious, slim, sports watch inspired by the early editions of the iconic Laureato. The watch is made in stainless steel, a material that is consistently associated with the sporty watch designs. The recognizable hexagonal fixed bezel is mounted on a tonneau-shaped case, with an integrated flexible brush-finish bracelet with polished H-links. The case measures 41mm in diameter, marking the return to the original design. The watch face is stamped with a Clou de Paris small checkerboard pattern, and paired with the baton-shaped hands. This time, the hands are coated with a bit of luminous material. The date appears at its traditional position, at 3 o’clock.
The watch is powered by the in-house Calibre 3300, which is a mechanical automatic movement fitted with 27 jewels. The watch beats at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, and it offers around 46 hours of power reserve. In the spirit of haute horlogerie, the movement is fitted with a gold rotor, and finished with circular Geneva stripes, and polished beveled angles. The wearer can admire the finishing through the sapphire crystal on the back of the case.
The new Girard Perregaux Laureato 2016, reference number 8100, will be available with either a blue or silver dial. The model will be issued in a limited edition of 255 pieces per variant, to celebrate the 225th anniversary of the brand.
