Introducing Girard-Perregaux & Williams Unveil Their First Laureato 42mm & Laureato Chronograph

Christmas might still be a few months away, but the horological silly season in the F1 paddock started all the way back during the winter break, which saw Girard-Perregaux depart its previous partnership with Aston Martin (who would jump to Breitling), and land a seat in the world’s fastest circus with a team whose history is rivalled by very few. Alongside pilots Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, team principal James Vowles has been sporting a Girard-Perregaux on his wrist since the partnership was announced, but this new pair of Williams Edition Laureato references is the first instance of a watch made as a collaboration between the watchmaker and the F1 outfit.

It is Williams we’re talking about, so the main colourway had to be blue, and this fresh collaboration is quite blue indeed. The team has featured quite a few shades of blue in their liveries over the last couple of seasons, and this brighter, almost cornflower shade is quite striking. Both the Laureato 42mm and the Laureato Chronograph (also sized at 42mm) Williams Editions feature dials with the classic stamped Clous de Paris patterns, with the main accent colours being brushed silver and bright red.

Going into a bit more detail on the individual watches, the Laureato Chronograph Williams is the more natural connection between the two given the long history of racing and chronograph-equipped wristwatches. Cased in 904L stainless steel, it’s something that Girard-Perregaux continues to offer in some select models, often touted as superior to 316L given its higher lustre and corrosion resistance. The difference in the material’s matte brushed and high-polished finish is best displayed on the bezel, which uses a round, polished base to house an octagonal step with a brushed top. Despite the complex case construction and modular chronograph calibre, the Laureato Chronograph Williams Edition is reasonably slim at just 12.16mm, while the watch’s matching 904L steel bracelet ends in a butterfly clasp (curiously made from 316L steel). 

Speaking of the movement, its full reference is the GP03300-2451, and some basic specs include a high jewel count of 63, a beat rate of 4Hz, and a power reserve of 46 hours. The architecture stems all the way back to the Laureato’s re-introduction nearly a decade ago, with the base of the chronograph module being the frequently-used and ultra-thin GP3300 automatic, which sits at 3.5mm in height. In its chronograph form, thickness jumps up to 6.5mm – which, for reference, is still 1.4mm less than a Valjoux 7750.

The less complicated of the two watches is exactly that – stripped-back, and classically a Laureato from every angle. The red accents are now reserved just for the needle-tipped seconds and the five-second run-down to the subtle Williams logo at 12 o’clock, with no dial text bar the brand name that sits as the only interruption in the Clous de Paris pattern. Now lacking pushers and a crown guard, the case also slims down to just 10.68mm, thanks to the GP1800-2892 calibre within. Interestingly, its diameter is larger than that of the chronograph, with GP preferring to use it here as it’s a better fit for the larger case size, both in terms of positioning of the date window and the view around back. Spec-wise, it’s slim and solid, with a 4Hz beat rate and 54-hour power reserve.

With the release of the Laureato Fifty and its new-and-improved GP4800 calibre, Girard-Perregaux showed real intention to compete even more strongly in the crowded, integrated bracelet sports watch space. The dials of the new Williams Edition watches strongly remind me of the more subtle and refined variants found on the Laureato Fifty - meaning the double baton at 12 replaces the “GP” found there before, and the text at 6 o’clock is gone completely. Speaking of dial changes, can we please stop squeezing the date in at 4:30?

The fact that these are not Fifty models, however, hints at the fact that Girard-Perregaux is looking to offer the Laureato experience at two very different price levels, in a similar approach to how Audemars Piguet positions its Royal Oak (the flagship being the 16202 Jumbo, and the three-handed 15510 its foil). It still remains to be seen how this strategy works out over the long term, but I’d gladly accept these Williams Editions as the subtly redesigned and slightly more approachable models.

Brand: Girard-Perregaux
Model: Laureato Chronograph Williams Edition, Laureato 42mm Williams Edition
Reference: 81020-11-3681-1GM, 81010-11-3680-1GM
Diameter: 42mm
Thickness: 12.16mm (Chronograph), 10.68mm (42mm)
Lug-to-Lug: N/A
Weight: N/A
Case Material: 904L stainless steel (Chronograph), stainless steel (42mm)
Dial Colour: Light blue with stamped Clous de Paris pattern
Crystal: Sapphire front and back
Lume: Yes, hands and batons
Water Resistance: 100 metres
Strap: Integrated H-link bracelet, 904L steel with 316L steel clasp (Chronograph), 316L steel all-round (42mm)

Calibre: GP03300-2451 (Chronograph), GP01800-2892 (42mm)
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph (Chronograph), hours, minutes, seconds, date (42mm)
Power Reserve: 46 hours (Chronograph), 54 hours (42mm)
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 4 Hz
Diameter: 25.95mm (11 ½ lignes, Chronograph), 30mm (13 ¼ lignes, 42mm)
Thickness: 6.5mm (Chronograph), 3.97mm (42mm)
Jewels: 63 jewels (Chronograph), 28 jewels (42mm)
Chronometer Certified: No

Price: A$33,900 (Chronograph), A$26,400 (42mm)
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: No

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