ReviewOctagonal Wonder: The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph

It was in the 1970s when a new subgenre emerged in the luxury sports watch segment: steel sport watches with integrated straps. Among the heavy hitters, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus—both handiworks of Swiss designer Gérald Genta—shot to fame for their edgy construction, integrated bracelets, and subtle, yet distinctive charm. A third watch to join this league of athleisure watches—amalgamating features of a sports watch with the look of a dress watch—was the Girard-Perregaux Laureato by the brand’s in-house designer at the time, Adolfo Natalini. Today, the Laureato collection is broader than ever, including editions with various complications. However, featuring the most popular complication, the Laureato Chronograph is a bestseller, next only to the automatic time-and-date models.

Dynamics Of An Eight-Sided Bezel

Girard-Perregaux unveiled their first Laureato model in 1975. Initially, the watch series was christened the Quartz Chronometer, but the moniker Laureato stuck on. Meaning Italian for ‘graduate’, the name Laureato was a reference to the model being a ‘graduate of the school of Girard-Perregaux’.

Laureato’s signature trait is the octagonal bezel—redolent to Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, which was modelled after ‘a vintage deep-sea diving helmet’—that sits over a round pedestal and a tonneau case. This impressive ‘geometrical stack’ of polished and brushed surfaces, however, may have appeared as Natalini’s attempt to just follow the trending Royal Oak and even the Nautilus. For the Milanese, however, his sole inspiration behind the round and octagonal shapes and their coalescing was the dome of a Florentine cathedral called Santa Maria del Fiore; better known as the Duomo of Florence.

Girard-Perregaux Laureato

₹19,70,000

Check Our Selling Price

Instead of the usual 316L steel, Laureato follows the trend started by Rolex in using 904L steel as its high chromium content renders the watches corrosion-resistant. This satin-brushed case is flat-bodied and produced at the brand’s in-house manufacture. Do note the contrasting textures on the case with a matt effect produced from horizontal brushing, and polished bevelling of the sculptural chamfer and inner links.

The first Laureato model, with its slim quartz movement GP-350 calibre, paved the way for many ultrathin watches, both quartz and mechanical. Even the integrated bracelets were exceptionally thin. Both these traits are visible in the Girard-Perregaux Chronograph versions, inbuilt with the upgraded 4Hz calibre GP03300, offering 46 hours of power reserve and an accuracy of +/-3 to 4 seconds per day. Presently, the Laureato line is divided into four categories, including the Chronograph series.

The Chronograph Era

In 2018, Laureato unveiled its 38mm and 42mm Chronograph models in stainless steel with three colour options for dials—a black-on-white ‘panda’ version, black with blue sub-dials, and an all-blue dial. These models sport an integrated bracelet, while a dark blue leather strap accompanies the sole model in 18-karat pink gold. All models carry forward the classic Laureato traits—polished octagonal bezel, clous de Paris-style guilloche dial, interlinked bracelet, the brand’s founding year 1791 below the emblem at 12 o’clock—while accommodating the three counters on the dial’s lower half.

The Laureato Chronograph in 18-karat pink gold with blue leather strap is a departure from the steel models of the other three models in this collection series

₹44,20,000

Check Our Selling Price

The pink gold model carries all the Laureato traits—polished octagonal bezel, clous de Paris-style guilloche dial, interlinked bracelet, the brand’s founding year 1791 below the emblem at 12 o’clock

₹44,20,000

Check Our Selling Price

The tri-compax watch has the running seconds at three, and 30-minute and 12-hour chronograph counters at nine and six o’clock

₹44,20,000

Check Our Selling Price

01

The tri-compax watch has the running seconds at three, and 30-minute and 12-hour chronograph counters at nine and six o’clock. A date aperture with a background matching the date has been moved from the three o’clock position—where it appears in the regular three-hand Laureato—to 4:30 on this Chronograph edition, to accommodate a sub-dial.

Two pushers and the screwed-in crown, engraved with the ‘GP’ logo, operate these registers, and connect with the automatic calibre GP03300 assembled in-house. Additionally, the 42mm version is powered by the GP03300-0141 automatic chronograph movement with a 46-hour power reserve, beating at 28,800vph. Despite its mechanical intensity, the chronograph’s exterior appears decorative with a Côtes de Genève finish, perlage, gold engravings, and blue screws.

The 42mm version is powered by the GP03300-0141 automatic chronograph movement with a 46-hour power reserve, beating at 28,800vph

₹19,70,000

Check Our Selling Price

Two pushers and the screwed-in crown, engraved with the ‘GP’ logo, operate these registers, and connect with the automatic calibre GP03300 assembled in-house

₹19,70,000

Check Our Selling Price

Each sub-dial features snailed detailing (engraved concentric circles), white numerals and brushed sub-dial rings are subtle contrasting elements to the dial’s hobnail pattern

₹19,70,000

Check Our Selling Price

The dial showcases bevelled baton indexes with a Super-LumiNova centre and blue/black outlines and a black outer chapter ring

₹19,70,000

Check Our Selling Price

01

Each sub-dial features snailed detailing (engraved concentric circles), white numerals and brushed sub-dial rings are subtle contrasting elements to the dial’s hobnail pattern. Bevelled baton indexes with a Super-LumiNova centre and blue/black outlines and a black outer chapter ring complete the dial protected by sapphire crystal.

Taking precedence on the polished caseback, held in place by six screws, are engravings of the brand’s name, water resistance and reference and serial number.

Spin On The Classics

The Bedazzled Laureato

For lovers of glittering dials, there’s a Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph at 38mm, with a bezel studded with 56 diamonds—0.9 carat each, a mother-of-pearl dial with an additional 12 diamonds as hour markers.

Laureato Chronograph Lady at 38mm flaunts a 56-diamond studded bezel, and a mother-of-pearl dial with an additional 12 diamonds as hour markers

This daintiest piece from the Laureato Chrongraph series comes with a white alligator strap, and a stainless steel triple-folding clasp

Girard-Perregaux Laureato

₹17,22,500

Check Our Selling Price

Housed within is the calibre GP03300-0135, which is a slight variation of the in-house GP3300. This daintiest piece from the Laureato Chronograph series comes with a white alligator strap, and a stainless steel triple-folding clasp.

The Absolute Laureato

Girard-Perregaux kick-started an Absolute edition in 2019 and launched new time-and-date, world-timer and chronograph versions. Absolute models are the Laureato at their modern sportiest best, and equipped with new features, such as integrated rubber straps, lightweight titanium, and brilliant-cut diamonds. The Laureato Absolute Chronograph with black strap has a 14.65mm thick case made from black PVD-treated titanium to house the calibre GP03300. This self-winding movement beats at 28,800vph, 46 hours of power reserve. Water-resistant to 300m, the case’s back is secured firmly with six screws, and comes engraved with the Laureato Absolute logo. A trinity of black sub-dials for, a black date aperture at 4:30, and applied hour markers with lume present striking contrast against the blue sunray-finished dial.

Girard-Perregaux Laureato

₹17,00,000

Check Our Selling Price

Like its non-chronograph counterparts, the Laureato chronographs are designed to suit both formal and casual attire. The eight-sided bezel, however, will always add that extra edge. While the Laureato collection always sees new editions with innovative materials and various functions, the chronograph continues to be a mainstay and a favourite.