Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition
Cars & motorsport
Girard-Perregaux’s Latest Aston Martin Ode Is Classically Bond-Worthy
With no less than six – count ‘em – six collaborative timepieces together, today, the partnership between the Swiss watchmaker and British performance automaker steers onto a new vintage-meets-modern track with its latest co-signed wristwatch.
By Mike Espindle
Executive Editor
Partnerships between automotive brands and watchmakers often come and go. With some notable exceptions, the two worlds can meet, test the waters for a while, and then it’s off to the next race for both.
That said, since the partnership announcement between Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin in 2021, we’ve seen an automotive-inspired take on the watchmaker’s designs in five distinct iterations over just three short years. Today, we get the sixth mashup between the two iconic makers with the Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition.
A Brief Trip Down Memory Lane
The debut collaboration between Girard Perregaux and Aston Martin came four years ago with the duo’s take on the watchmaker’s signature triple-bridge design in the Tourbillon Three Bridges-Aston Martin followed later in that same year with the decidedly sporty Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition.
The next year, the brand’s combined efforts delved even more into new, cutting-edge, and track-ready materials along with chromatic riffs on the unmistakable Aston Martin racing green tone with the Laureato Absolute Chronograph Aston Martin F1 Edition followed by a two-hand Laureato Green Ceramic Aston Martin Edition, both from 2022.
During Dubai Watch Week in 2023, the partners unveiled an even sleeker revisitation of Girard Perregaux’s bridges approach with the stunning Neo Bridges Aston Martin Edition.
The Latest and Greatest
The just-announced next chapter in the story – the new Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition – could easily be explained as an update to the collaborative Laureato from 2022. However, it feels like more with the focus on both new materials and classic automotive-appeal sportiness joining forces for a potent high-octane one-two punch.
As a big fan of both brands, I’ll just say it: something about this new commemorative Laureato Chronograph is reminiscent of what is arguably the most beautiful and iconic Aston Martin vehicle ever. The Silver Birch Aston Martin DB5 famously driven by Sean Connery’s James Bond in 1964’s Goldfinger, is nothing less than legendary (even without the spy gadgets).
While the press release for the new collaboration references Aston Martin’s current DB12 super-tourer, this author happens to see DB5 all over this watch.
Edgy Meets Timeless
The two-pronged approach with new materials and classic styling begins with the watch’s primary construction. Yes, the use of lightweight, strong-and-stiff Grade 5 titanium for this 42mm Laureato might not be as next-gen as the 2022 collaborations’ use of carbon fiber and ceramic compounds, but it’s still derived from the practical racing goal to cut weight. However, the multi-faceted brushed and polished metal, from the octagonal bezel to the circular plinth, case edges, chrono pushers, and central links of the bracelet carry a silvery gleam just like the classic roadster (to my eye).
Many of the previous collaborations focused on a more authentic reproduction of the automaker’s signature racing green livery. The dial of this new Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition, while also green, tells yet another chapter in the timepiece’s materials tale.
Using modern iridescent automotive paint, the dial’s unique tone is achieved by first applying 15 thin layers of the paint to the surface. Then, each layer is put through two cooking/curing phases before applying the next.
Since the surface area of a watch dial is so much smaller than an automotive body, the paint itself was put through extraordinary filtration processes to remove even slight impurities and grains that could mar the finish. The result speaks for itself: rich and verdant but airier and more playful with light than a traditional racing green hue
Under The Hood
Powered by a decorated in-house manufacture GP03300-2451 self-winding chronograph calibre (visible through the Aston Martin-etched case back), this new timepiece’s skeletonized and lumed hands, black-tipped chronograph seconds hand that reaches into the outer slanted track of the dial, three registers (30-minute counter, 12-hour tallier, and small seconds), and date aperture between 4 and 5 o’clock, completes the classic Laureato presentation.
Sporting 46 hours of power reserve and water resistance to 100 meters, the titanium Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition goes on sale today with a price tag of $22,700. You can learn more at the watchmaker’s website.
