The partnership first revealed in early 2021 between Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin has led to the creation of a new timepiece, the Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition. Its styling masterfully plays with shapes, textures, and light, tailored to those who appreciate luxury and performance in a limited edition of 188 pieces.
Back in the early 1900s, various colors were assigned to racing cars to distinguish the different nationalities of the teams. As a result, French cars were presented in blue, Italian cars were famously red, Belgian cars were yellow, German cars were silver, and British cars were dressed in British Racing Green. As a British marque, Aston Martin adopted green as its racing color with the most famous example being the Aston Martin DBR1 that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959. From that car to the modern-day Formula 1 car, Aston Martin’s racing color has remained green.
The Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition is cased in a 42 mm 904L stainless steel case —less common than 316L, costlier, with superior corrosion resistance, improved scratch resistance, and a much brighter, luxurious appearance—and its dial is suffused with a delightfully decadent application of what is now known as “Aston Martin Green”, achieved by painstakingly applying paint twenty-one times to the dial, forming seven distinct layers of paint as a result.
The automotive influences also encompass cross-hatching, a diamond-like pattern first seen with the carmaker’s ‘AM’ logo between 1921 and 1926. This motif was also inspired by the quilted seats found in the British brand’s numerous high-performance sports cars.
Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Girard-Perregaux, said: “Our Manufacture has a long history of collaborations, beginning with our founder Jean-François Bautte who brought different “établisseurs” together under one roof, effectively creating one of the first Manufactures as we know them today. Not only has our partnership with Aston Martin yielded two exceptional timepieces now, it is indeed a meeting of the minds and marks the beginnings of a true friendship between both brands and our teams. The Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin edition is evidence of that mutual understanding and shared philosophy.”
Marek Reichman, Aston Martin Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, added: “As Aston Martin and Girard-Perregaux strengthen our partnership, the same is happening with our common design ethos, geared towards discreet luxury. Evidence of it continues to appear in subtle touches throughout the watch, for instance in its partially openworked hour and minute hands, which have been purposely designed to evoke thoughts of racing cars, eschewing extraneous material to deliver superior performance. Likewise, the central chronograph seconds hand features a counterweight that resembles the sides strakes first seen on the 1958 Aston Martin DB4.”
Three counters grace the dial, two chronograph registers, and a small seconds display. Each counter features a partially open-worked hand, perpetuating the design of the hour and minute hands. The central section of each counter is snailed. A date display is positioned between 4 and 5 o’clock completing the inventory of functions. Sporting an octagonal bezel, the profile of this model honors the watch brand’s iconic Laureato of 1975. Upholding Girard-Perregaux’s design philosophy, the case masterfully plays with different shapes. Moreover, the numerous curves, facets, and lines, along with satin-finished and polished edges, collaborate, delivering a wonderful play with light.
A display case back allows for views of the automatic in-house movement calibre GP03300-0141, marking the first time a Laureato Chronograph features an open case back. This 419-part movement with 63 jewels provides a power reserve of 46 hours when fully wound. Based on the highly regarded Calibre GP03300 is endowed with Côtes de Genève, in both circular and straight forms, polished sinks, thermally blued screws, and perlage. The movement also bears the eagle emblem, signifying it is an in-house calibre.
The Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition is available in a limited edition of 188 pieces. This new timepiece is immediately available worldwide at all authorized Girard-Perregaux retailers.
Sticker Price $18,100 USD. For more info on Girard-Perregaux click here.
