History of Girard-Perregaux Laureato Watches
One of the iconic watch collections made by Girard-Perregaux, the Laureato has a rich history dating back to 1975.
Suggested by Girard-Perregaux’s Italian distributor, the name is a nod to the film world. It is inspired by and indeed bears the same name in Italian as the Mike Nichols film The Graduate (1967) starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross.
The Laureato’s polished octagonal bezel embedded in a satin-brushed case makes it a pioneering model in integrated bracelets. The bracelet’s aesthetically pleasing design didn’t sacrifice comfort or flexibility and not long after, a polished strip was added across all of its polished-hinge satin-brushed links.
A beautiful interplay of shiny and matte or – for models with a gold bezel and links adorned with gold insets– precious yellow and sporty gray. As soon as the Laureato was introduced, it was part of the emerging trend for two-toned watches.
While today the Laureato’s design is obviously iconic, when it was first released Girard-Perregaux was focusing its efforts on completing a pivotal technological advance. At a time when the arrival of quartz in Swiss watchmaking was threatening to upset the most established balances, the Brand began developing a quartz movement in-house.
By setting the quartz’s oscillation frequency at 32,768 Hz, Girard-Perregaux set the standard for quartz movement timekeeping. This was when dials were first beginning to be marked with “Quartz Chronometer,” as are all watches that pass a stringent inspection for precision even today. This standard is still the quality benchmark and the international standard for makers of quartz movements.
1984: First upgrade
In 1984, complications were added to the Laureato that increased its allure and presence across all market segments. This is when it was equipped with the famous Equation movements that supplied astronomical indicators. The bezel on the case and integrated bracelet was still octagonal and polished. The bracelet was enhanced with domed interlinks with a polished surface that nicely offset the shiny bezel while also resulted a pleasantly rounded form.
1995: Larger dimensions and complications
In order to accommodate the slimline self-winding mechanical GP 3100 movement, the Laureato’s dimensions had to be enlarged with a new construction that did not at all affect its original proportions. There was more room for the bezel and case-band while the links in the bracelet began resembling an H.
In 1996, the chronograph version led to the Olimpico collection and in 1998 this design change resulted in encasing the well-known Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges movement, a signature feature that is synonymous with Girard-Perregaux.
2003: EVO3
With a self-winding mechanical chronograph movement, the now famous Laureato design entered the third millennium by advancing toward diameters larger than 40 mm. The Laureato EVO3 case came in at 44 mm and had an octagonal bezel – the first one to be satin-brushed – that was nestled inside and enhanced by the circle. Seamlessly integrated, the screwed winder and push-pieces showcased the collection’s sporty style.
Inside the Laureato EVO3, the 52-jewel manufacture movement Girard-Perregaux GP 033C0-A0VAA with a 46-hour power reserve is a kinetic tribute to the micro-complications and the balance of their display: the 24-hour counter sits at 9 o’clock opposite the second counter at 3 o’clock and the calendar-hand date marker lies at 12 o’clock. The chronographic minute and second hands are tipped in red and sweep across the entire dial.
The collection was then developed with versions of the Laureato Tourbillon with Three Bridges that were completely transparent. Bridges made of sapphire as well as blue spinel presented a levitating effect and as a result the model met with phenomenal success.
Relaunch of Laureato
2016: Girard Perregaux relaunches the Laureato to commemorate its 225th anniversary.
2017: Launch of the Laureato 34mm and Skeleton models.
2018: Expands the Laureato collection with the new Chronograph, Perpetual Calendar, Tourbillon and Ceramic models.
2019: Launches the Laureato Absolute, Laureato Absolute Rock and Laureato Skeleton “Earth to Sky” Edition models.
2020: Presents the Laureato Absolute Light, Laureato Absolute Passion and Laureato Absolute Crystal Rock models.
2021: Introduces the Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin, Laureato Absolute Gold Fever, Laureato Absolute Wired, Laureato Absolute Ti 230 and Laureato 42mm Eternity Edition models.
2022: Launches the Laureato 42mm Pink Gold & Onyx, Laureato 42mm Green and Laureato 38mm Copper models.
2023: Introduces the Laureato Absolute Light & Shade, Laureato Absolute Light & Fire, Laureato Green Ceramic Aston Martin, and Laureato Absolute Chronograph 8Tech models.
2024: Presents the Laureato Chronograph Ti49.
2025: Launches the Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition with Iridescent Green Dial, Laureato Absolute Aston Martin F1® Edition, Laureato 38mm, and Laureato 42mm Infinite Grey models.
