The Laureato Collection is part of Girard-Perregaux’s more recent history; here we look three examples of Laureato Collection timepieces dating from 1975, 1995 and 2022. Our traditional deconstructions of these timepieces will follow.

In 1975 Girard-Perregaux launched the GP Chronometer, the first in what we now know as The Laureato collection.

A modern timepiece, it was a commercial success and the affection shown by the Italian collectors, who referred to it as the Laureato (“The Graduate”). This badge of honour was later be adopted by Girard-Perregaux as the official name of the watch.

At this time, the watch industry was heading in a new direction, away from mechanical timepieces. The GP Chronometer was powered by a quartz movement that carried Chronometer certification, the 32,768 Hz Quartz movement,  which became the standard for quartz movements.  The Octagonal bezel gave the watch its distinctive look, the bi-metallic bracelet was particularly difficult to produce.

The black “Clous de Paris” dial has “Girard-Perregaux” below the GP 12 o’clock index and the words Quartz Chromometer above 6 o’clock. The hour markers have a discreet Lume tip and Lume has been applied on both the hour and minute hands. On the movement we can see the finishing and the calendar numerals that are hidden beneath the dial have a distinctive almost digital look to them, all in keeping with the period.

The crown has the GP logo of the period; we can see the evolution of the aesthetics of the brand logo and it follows the overall design of the watch.

The year 1995 saw the most significant transformation: the watch was released with an in-house Mechanical Automatic movement and the official name “Laureato” was used for the first time on the case back.

Marking a return to mechanical watchmaking in the industry, the Laureato Automatic was available in both bi-metallic case and full steel version like its predecessor.  In accordance with standard practice at the time, the case back is solid and has the name Laureato engraved. However the crown no longer has the GP logo as can be seen below.

The dial design has greatly evolved with subtle but consistent changes from the original design. The hour markers have changed, but as with the original, both hands and hour indicators share a design. There are now minute indicators and Lume is now more prominent on the hour markers, as well as the minute and hour hands for greater visibility. The number 12 now replaces the original GP marker and the numerals on the calendar are no longer digital in style.

There have been other versions of the Laureato with other dials, however the Laureato Green, released in November 2022, is the third Laureato we will be looking at.  It was initially available on sale through Wempe Stores only and later opened to all other markets. This partnership with stores is a commercial practice that dates back decades in the industry.  

The design remains true to its origins, with an octagonal-shaped bezel, however the Laureato Green has a full steel 42mm case.

It has a “Sunray” green “Clous de Paris” dial, even the calendar numerals background is green, another subtle evolution from the vintage versions. The minute and hour hands, as well as hour indicators remain similar in design to the 1995 automatic. The “GP” at 12 o’clock allows us to truly see difference between the 1975 and 2022 “GP” logos. The name “Girard-Perregaux” on the dial is underlined by an illustration of the Girard-Perregaux bridge, this is a reference to the brands long historique past. The name “Laureato” is now on the dial, as the case back is now crystal as is now more common practice. The case size for the Laureato Green is larger than its predecessors shown here at 42 mm however the function remains the same. Function: centre seconds, date, hours and minutes. An automatic movement as in 1995, this movement has a power reserve of 54 hours.

The movement is now visible through the back sapphire and we can see the numerous finishing techniques that have been applied, Geneva stripes, circular grain, angling, engraving. 

The logo has returned to the crown, following in the style of the original GP Chronometer. However the crown design has evolved dramatically from the 1975 crown.

The three timepieces show an evolution of The Laureato and although there are other versions that exist, this selection gives us the opportunity to see the evolution of the brand from an aesthetical perspective but also from a technical side and act as our introduction to the deconstructions that will follow.