The Girard‑Perregaux Laureato Absolute watch is dark and handsome, and boasts elements such as a rubber strap injection‑moulded with the brand name
Cover The Girard‑Perregaux Laureato Absolute watch is dark and handsome, and boasts elements such as a rubber strap injection‑moulded with the brand name

With a bold new look featuring revolutionary material, the Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute timepieces add a sporty and masculine dimension to the range

Sporty, powerful, and yet sleek-looking, the trio of Laureato Absolute watches are the newest and coolest members of Girard-Perregaux’s iconic Laureato collection. Set to surprise watch connoisseurs with their radical aesthetics, the Laureato Absolute, Laureato Absolute Chronograph and Laureato Absolute WW.TC bear robust 44mm cases cast in satin‑brushed black PVD-treated titanium, which gives them an urban, contemporary edge never seen before in Laureato’s history. The use of titanium not only ups the cool quotient, it also gives the watches the advantage of lightness despite their generous dimensions.

All three feature sunburst dials with a colour gradation running from dark blue in the centre to deep black around the rim. The white inner bezel ring with its luminescent accents accentuates the depth of the matte black hour markers. The play on colours—black as the universe, blue as the sky, combined with white accents—is intended as a nod to the “Earth to Sky” theme guiding Girard-Perregaux’s new launches for 2019.

A fully integrated black rubber strap, injection-moulded with the brand name and stitched with blue thread, completes the athletic, masculine look and gives these watches a youthful appeal without altering its genetic code. They are each water-resistant to 300m and fitted with an in-house automatic movement that provides a power reserve of 46 hours.

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The new watches share a common design language but cater to uniquely different needs. The most basic of them is the Laureato Absolute, which represents a modern twist to a traditional three-hander and is the only one of the new variants to be distinguished by a red seconds hand, a symbol of strength and energy.

The sportiest of the series is undeniably the chronograph, which bears redesigned pushers that look angular and are highlighted by a blue border. The Laureato Absolute Chronograph is also available in a Carbon Glass version, made from a revolutionary material that was recently unveiled by Girard‑Perregaux at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in January this year.

Carbon glass is a new type of carbon that is uniquely impermeable, lightweight—it practically floats on water—and a hundred times stiffer than steel. It is also a visually fascinating material, producing a unique composited “net-effect” look that combines black carbon and blue glass fibre. In the case of the Laureato Absolute Chronograph, blue is used, but other hues are possible as well and even materials such as gold may be substituted. This paves the way for more exciting combinations down the road.

More sophisticated and contemporary than ever before, the Laureato Absolute trio is designed to speak to modern, active men. Each model has a strong presence on the wrist and an array of functions. With the Absolute collection, Girard‑Perregaux has officially brought the time-tested design of the Laureato to the forefront of modernity.

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Icon in the Making

A quick look at how the Girard-Perregaux Laureato has evolved through the years:

  • The first Laureato was launched in 1975 and fitted with an in‑house quartz movement, which Girard‑Perregaux—an early innovator in quartz technology—had been producing since 1971.
  • Its name comes from The Graduate (Il Laureato in Italian), the 1967 film starring American actor Dustin Hoffman. 
  • The Laureato took on larger dimensions and a more athletic look with the Evo3 update in 2003, officially propelling it into the new millennium.
  • In 2016, the Laureato, after having faded somewhat into the background, was relaunched as a commemorative, limited edition steel model in 41mm.
  • New sizes in 34mm, 38mm, 42mm and 44mm, as well as a tourbillon and a skeletonised version of the Laureato, were introduced in 2017.
  • This year, the Laureato Perpetual Calendar was unveiled alongside the avant-garde Laureato Absolute collection that ushered in a new aesthetic for the line of watches.

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