Editor's Picks
The Evolution of Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato
Editor's Picks
The Evolution of Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato
But let’s wind back for a bit. The ’70s was glorious for music, boasting the likes of Jimi Hendrix and The Who, but it wasn’t as kind to the world of Swiss watchmaking in the least. The introduction of quartz movements had made mechanical watches technically obsolete, bringing highly precise time measurement to the consumer that mechanical timepieces could not hope to match.
So what did Girard-Perregaux do when the Quartz Crisis hit? It joined the quartz race and made sure to take the first prize. In 1975, it launched the first Laureato, appearing in a two-tone version in the desired metal fashion. Against the brushed steel, 18K gold came in the form of its bezel, the crown, hands and appliques. Save for a date window at 3 o’clock, the dial was white and simple, decorated with Clous de Paris embossing and bore the words “Quartz Chronometer”. Powering this timepiece was the Caliber 705, an in-house movement that beat at a blistering 32,768 Hz.
The aforementioned reference to blue sapphire bridges also happened in the same decade, presented in the Laureato EVO 3 Tourbillon. Visible through clear or blue sapphire bridges, the openworked tourbillon was mounted on a GP 9600 automatic caliber, framed within an understated hexagonal bezel.
High complications are back in vogue, though these days the trend seems disposed towards “less is more” where aesthetics are concerned. The new Laureato Tourbillon comes in a size of 45mm, with most of its hobnail dial intact, save for an openworked tourbillon at 6 o’clock. Housed in a titanium case, a single hand-finished bridge mounts the tourbillon to the dial, powered by an automatic micro-rotor movement, caliber GP09510.