Girard-Perregaux: Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition

Back in the early 1900s, various colours 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 colour 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 colour has remained green. 

The Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition is the latest creation from Girard-Perregaux, made in collaboration with Aston Martin Lagonda. Its dial is suffused with an 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 (1921 – 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 openworked hand, perpetuating the design of the hour and minute hands. The central section of each counter is snailed. A date display is positioned at 04:30, completing the inventory of functions. 

A pane of sapphire crystal, positioned on the back of the 42 mm steel case, affords sight of the automatic, Manufacture movement, the Calibre GP03300-0141, marking the first time a Laureato Chronograph features an open caseback. This movement, 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, a limited edition of 188 pieces, is immediately available worldwide in all authorised Girard-Perregaux retailers at the price of 17.300 CHF.