Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm: get caught in a web

Girard-Perregaux has a lot of very intriguing watches in their lineup. While watches from, say, their Bridges collection, or vintage reissues like the Casquette grab the attention, I find myself more at home at another spot. Those watches are great, and have unique things about them that are clever. For a solid, everyday sort of watch, though, the Laureato is where it’s at. And now, they’ve released a brand new Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm with a dial that brings all the texture.

All about that dial

Within the Laureato line, you know to expect an octagonal bezel set on top of a slim case with an integrated bracelet. So, each new model has to have something new to help it stand out, to make a mark. In this case, the mark was made directly on the dial itself.

At first blush, the Grand Feu enamel dial looks like “just” another sunray dial. A closer look reveals the webbing that connects each ray, making it look like - to my eye - like a spider web got laid down, and then had the enamel applied. Oh, and about that enamel? It’s no simple paint job:

The enamel is composed of a precise mixture of silica, minium, potash, and soda, finely ground into powder and combined with metal oxides to achieve its nuanced hue. Layered carefully onto the dial, it is then fired at around 800°C in a kiln—repeated five to ten times—to achieve its flawless, radiant surface.

And the movement?

While Girard-Perregaux produces sublime aesthetics on the wrist, they also give plenty of attention to the movement tucked inside. In this case, it’s an in-house calibre, the GP01800 automatic that first appeared in 2017. That means that, along with keeping the time and date accurate, and making for a slim watch, it’s a proven quantity.

Wrapping things up

The Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm is available - today - from all the places you’d regularly find a G-P watch. If you want to put this one on your wrist, you’re looking at a price tag of $17,900. I know I am rather keen on this dial implementation, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who will be caught in its web. girard-perregaux.com

Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm Tech Specs

• Movement

  • Reference: GP01800-2524

  • Self-winding mechanical movement with pink gold

  • oscillating weight

  • Diameter: 30.00 mm (131/4’’’)

  • Height: 3.97 mm

  • Frequency: 28,800 Vib/h – (4 Hz)

  • Number of components: 191

  • Number of jewels: 28

  • Power reserve: min. 54 hours

  • Functions: hours, minutes, central second, date

• Case

  • Material: steel, polished and satin finished

  • Diameter: 42.00 mm

  • Height: 10.68 mm

  • Glass: anti-reflective sapphire crystal

  • Case-back: sapphire crystal

  • Dial: grey enamel with a flinqué sunray motif, rhodium-plated GP logo and indexes

  • Hands: ‘baton’ type, rhodium plated

  • Water resistance: 100 metres (10 ATM)

• Bracelet: steel, polished and satin finished