Next year, the Girard-Perregaux Laureato watch will celebrate its 50th anniversary.
I'm telling you about this now, well before the anniversary, so you can prepare for the wave of new releases. A year before the big anniversary, two very fresh yet rich versions of the watch debut. The Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm Pink Gold Sage Green and Ultramarine Blue feature dials that change shades, making the watches look young and fresh.
Next year will be the year of Adolfo Natalini. Who? The Italian who created the original Girard-Perregaux Laureato model in 1975. Natalini (1941-2010) was a world-renowned architect who also held a professorship in architecture at the University of Florence. While almost everyone knows Genta, Natalini is almost unknown, which is a shame, as the Laureato is a design that has stood the test of time. The model debuted as a quartz chronometer made of steel and yellow gold. Its name was derived from the Italian title of the famous 1967 movie "The Graduate," in which Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft played the roles of Mrs. Robinson (do you hear Simon and Garfunkel singing: "And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson. Jesus loves you more than you will know. Whoa, whoa, whoa"? The Italian distributor "GP" at the time decided it would be a good idea to name the new watch after the popular movie.
Introducing Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm Pink Gold Ultramarine Blue and Sage Green
The Laureato lives in the shadow of the Nautilus, Royal Oak, and to a lesser extent, the Overseas. It competes for attention with newcomers like the Chopard Alpine Eagle and Czapek Antarctique. But it shouldn't have to. It belongs to the "old guard" and deserves respect. The combination of the octagonal bezel on top of a circle with an angular tonneau-shaped case beneath is simply architectonic.
The new Laureato 42mm Pink Gold Ultramarine Blue and Sage Green models also display a subtle and dynamic interplay between polished and satin-finished surfaces. The case measures 42 mm across (as you might guess from the name) and is 10.68 mm thick. Of course, at this thickness, it doesn't follow the "rule" I set in the article "High-end sports watches with integrated bracelets deserve to be thin." However, the lug-to-lug length of 49.1 mm is quite acceptable. And since these are essentially sports watches, the water resistance is 50 meters.
Soft Glow of the Sage Green Model
The Sage Green dial version (reference 81010-52-3333-1CM) comes on a pink gold bracelet and costs 54,700 euros / 51,900 USD. Under the sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, pencil-shaped hour and minute hands with conical bases and a central second hand with a GP-style counterweight rotate against a beautiful sage green background with a Clous de Paris pattern.
The date is displayed at the "3 o'clock" position with white numbers against a sage background that blends with the dial. According to GP (who took this word from the dictionary), the word "sage" means "wise, especially as a result of great experience." To me, this speaks more about GP's 233-year history than the dial's appearance. Nevertheless, the soft shade is very subtle - "retro-chic," if you will - and it can also be called "Italian," if you know what I mean.
So, the color choice is spot on, but what I find at least strange is the fact that the luminescent green hands and indices are coated with galvanic plating, not solid gold. This doesn't sound luxurious and certainly not like a watch costing over 50 thousand.
Laureato Ultramarine Blue - New and Old at the Same Time
When we delve into the past, much further back than 1975, we find ourselves in the Renaissance era. The Renaissance began around 1300. In the paintings of that time, ultramarine blue, sometimes called "true blue," was a defining feature. This color was incredibly expensive, so it was used only in small amounts. However, due to its expressiveness, it still stood out. Do the Laureato 42mm Pink Gold Ultramarine Blue watches, made in the same expensive shade, stand out?
They do, especially when looking at reference 81010-52-436-BB4A. This version comes on a blue alligator leather strap and an additional rubber strap of the same color. Due to the absence of a pink gold bracelet, the price of this version is 37,300 euros / 35,400 USD. But fear not, gold lovers: there is also a version with a gold bracelet. The model with reference 81010-52-436-52A, like the Sage Green, will set you back 54,700 euros / 51,900 USD. This is quite logical. At the same time, it suggests that true blue is no longer as expensive as it once was.
Inside the GP Movement
Both watch models are powered by the in-house caliber GP01800-0004. This automatic movement consists of 191 components, meticulously finished in Haute Horlogerie style. The main plate is adorned with pearlescence, while other components feature chamfering, mirror polishing, satin finishing, and various engravings. Through the sapphire window on the case back, you can see that the bridges are decorated with straight Geneva stripes, and the pink gold rotor with circular Geneva stripes. The 30 × 3.97 mm GP01800 is not the newest movement, and its age is indicated by the 54-hour power reserve.
What do you think? Are these two new models good enough for the Laureato, which still showcases Adolfo Natalini's original design, to step out of the shadow of Genta's creations? Or is it still too early, and will it happen next year when the Laureato turns 50? Share your thoughts in the Telegram channel.