Girard Perregaux Laureato

Luxury watch manufacturer Girard-Perregaux shows off their sporty side in the Laureato collection. The traditional Swiss company first introduced this model in 1975. Initially outfitted with in-house quartz movements, the earliest watches already featured everything that makes the Laureato popular today. This includes the bezel with an octagonal top and round bottom. The integrated band has also always been part of the Laureato's design.

Girard-Perregaux has released numerous iterations of the Laureato over the years. For example, the Equation Soleil from the early 1990s has a display for the twelve zodiac signs. The Laureato EVO3 saw the introduction of mechanical in-house calibers to the collection, including movements with a chronograph function, moon phase display, or large date.

After disappearing for a few years, the Laureato made its comeback in 2016 in celebration of the company's 225th anniversary. Originally intended as a limited edition, the Laureato has since transformed into a full-fledged collection and now includes timepieces with intricate complications like a tourbillon, chronograph, world time display, or perpetual calendar. What's more, the manufacturer has started using more exotic case materials like titanium, ceramic, carbon, and sapphire in addition to conventional stainless steel and gold.

After a successful relaunch, Girard-Perregaux introduced a series of interesting Laureato models in 2017, including several tourbillon editions. The Laureato Tourbillon is an especially classic timepiece. Its clean, simple dial is available in gray or blue and features beautiful clous de Paris engraving. There are also applied bar indices and matching baton hands. The tourbillon sits beneath one of the company's iconic bridges at 6 o'clock. The Laureato Tourbillon is available in a 43 or 45-mm case. In terms of material, you can choose between titanium or two-tone editions in titanium and rose or white gold. You can call one of these timepieces your own for between 67,000 and 75,000 USD, depending on the exact model.

The Flying Tourbillon Skeleton does without a dial entirely. Girard-Perregaux's designers instead focus all of the attention on the skeletonized in-house caliber GP09520-0001 and its flying tourbillon at 11 o'clock. The movement sits within a 42-mm rose or white gold case and has a 50-hour power reserve. Prices for this sporty skeleton watch vary by model and condition and range from 75,500 to 103,000 USD.

If you can forgo a tourbillon, the Laureato Skeleton is a less expensive alternative. Its movement, the GP01800-0006, is also intricately skeletonized but features a simple balance wheel in place of a tourbillon. The most affordable Laureato Skeleton is made of black ceramic and costs around 22,500 USD. At 27,000 USD, the stainless steel edition requires a slightly larger investment. The version in 18-karat rose gold occupies the top of the price range at about 41,500 USD.

The Laureato With a Chronograph Function

The Laureato collection is also home to men's and women's chronographs. The only difference here is the case size: While the women's models measure 38 mm in diameter, the men's editions are 42 mm across. Both versions have a small seconds at 3, date display at 4:30, minute counter at 6, and hour counter at 9 o'clock. The dial is available in silver, black, or blue and sits within your choice of a stainless steel or rose gold case.

You can purchase a stainless steel timepiece for roughly 12,500 USD, regardless of its size and dial color. The 38-mm Laureato Chronograph in rose gold demands some 21,000 USD, and the 42-mm gold men's watch changes hands for around 27,000 USD.

Girard Perregaux also crafts a model for women with a fondness for diamonds: the Laureato Chronograph Lady. The only differences between this version and the 38-mm stainless steel edition are its diamond-studded bezel, white mother-of-pearl dial, and white leather strap. It also comes with a slightly higher price tag of 15,500 USD.

Three-Hand Laureto Watches

Those with more modest tastes may prefer the Laureato collection's three-hand models. These timepieces bear the strongest resemblance to the original from the 1970s and come in three sizes: 34, 38, and 42 mm. The two largest variants get their power from automatic calibers, while versions with the smallest case size use in-house quartz movements.

All three sizes are available in stainless steel or rose gold. Girard-Perregaux also crafts 42-mm watches in ceramic or as a two-tone edition in titanium and rose gold. Additionally, the two smaller models are offered with or without diamonds.

Prices for a 42-mm Laureato begin around 8,900 USD for a stainless steel watch and go all the up to 19,000 USD for the two-tone version. Plan to spend about 8,300 USD for a 38-mm timepiece in stainless steel. The addition of diamonds to the bezel increases that price to 12,500 USD. Finally, the 34-mm editions cost anywhere from 5,300 to 13,500 USD, depending on the exact model.

Absolute Models

The Laureato Absolute series made its debut at SIHH 2019. Its design is decidedly modern with a black coating on its titanium case, a blue sunburst dial, and an integrated rubber strap. Another notable feature is the Absolute's depth rating. With 300 m (30 bar, 984 ft) of water resistance, this model is ten times more water-resistant than the rest of the Laureato collection.

The Absolute series contains one three-hand model, one chronograph, and the Absolute WW.TC – a world time watch. The Absolute WW.TC is able to tell the time in 24 time zones simultaneously using a 24-hour scale and an outer city disc with each city representing its corresponding time zone. Be sure to have around 10,000 USD on hand for this timepiece. You can purchase the Absolute Chronograph for about 11,000 USD. The Absolute with three hands is the most budget-friendly and sells for roughly 7,800 USD.

If you're looking for something with a bit more color, you should check out the Laureato Absolute Rock. This model is technologically identical to the Absolute Chronograph; however, its case is made of black carbon glass with swirls of blue. The final result resembles a mineral deposit. Prices for this watch sit around 13,500 USD.

The three-hand Laureato Absolute Light premiered in 2020. It is made of clear sapphire crystal, which enables the wearer to view its automatic caliber from every angle. Girard-Perregaux has limited the Absolute Light to a run of 88 pieces. You can call this extremely rare timepiece your own for about 89,500 USD.

The Laureato EVO3 series first appeared at the start of the new millennium. Unlike their predecessors, these timepieces feature automatic mechanical calibers. They are also much heftier than quartz-powered Laureato watches, measuring 44 mm in diameter and 15 mm thick.

The EVO3 is available as a chronograph or three-hand model. The latter boasts a power reserve indicator at 4, moon phase display at 8, and large date at 12 o'clock. This stainless steel watch comes with your choice of a black or white dial and demands about 5,000 USD.

As for the Laureato EVO3 Chronograph, you can choose from a stainless steel, titanium, or rose gold case. All three are available with a black or white dial. Four subdials dominate each dial. There's a small seconds at 3, a 12-hour counter at 6, a 24-hour display for a second time zone at 9, and a pointer date at 12 o'clock. While two central hands serve as the conventional time display, the third and fourth hands track the chronograph minutes and seconds.

The stainless steel model is the least expensive EVO3 Chronograph at roughly 7,300 USD. You can purchase the titanium edition for about 8,800 USD. The rose gold versions demand the highest prices and cost around 13,000 USD.

Most vintage Laureato models on the market today are from the 1980s and early 1990s. Each is powered by an in-house quartz caliber, and select models boast truly unusual complications. One example is the Laureato Equation Soleil, which has a zodiac sign indicator at 6 o'clock and a pointer date at 12. The Laureato Equation Temps also features a pointer date but lacks the zodiac sign indicator. If you prefer timepieces with a conventional date window at 3 o'clock, you should take a closer look at the Laureato Quartz Chronometer.

With diameters of between 30 and 35 mm, these watches are small by modern standards. Furthermore, most have two-tone cases in stainless steel and rose gold. Prices for vintage Laureatos depend on the model and range from 1,700 to 3,300 USD.