At the beginning of 2023, the Swiss company Girard-Perregaux introduced two new Laureato Absolute watch models: Light & Shade and Light & Fire. The company dedicated one of them to the arrival of the Chinese New Year. In addition, the Maison focused on translucent case materials, which will impress fans of skeletonized watches.
The collection of Laureato sports watches in the history of Girard-Perregaux appeared in 1975 during the "quartz crisis" and was equipped with quartz movements. For a long time, Laureato was ignored, but in 2016 the company revived the collection, retaining the original design and replacing quartz movements with in-house automatic calibers. The Laureato Absolute line, launched in 2019, has become a springboard for Girard-Perregaux to use innovative materials such as carbon glass, PVD-coated titanium and sapphire.
The case made of sapphire glass is a long-term complex and painstaking work. To create the Laureato Absolute Light & Shade watch case, Girard-Perregaux grew a high-quality sapphire crystal using the Kyropoulos method. In the process of applying this method, aluminum oxide powder is converted into a block of sapphire glass within 8 weeks. Next, the crystal is cut into disks, from which the bezel, the middle part of the case and the back cover are made. After that, the parts are heat treated and polished.
Components are carefully checked and only those that meet the specification and do not contain inclusions are selected. After that, under vacuum conditions, the sapphire parts are treated with metallization, as a result of which the components become smoky. Girard-Perregaux spent 170 hours to create this sapphire crystal case.
The case of the second Laureato Absolute Light & Fire model is made of YAG polycrystalline material. Like sapphire crystal, this material is translucent and scratch-resistant. Girard-Perregaux chose the red color for the watch case in honor of the celebration of the Chinese New Year.
Case material is the main difference between the two new Laureato Absolute models, other features are identical. Case diameter is 44 mm. The crown is made of titanium, while the strap lugs are made of black PVD titanium. Girard-Perregaux has adopted a unique manufacturing method that eliminates the need for a conventional case ring. The case and movement are assembled on the same axis, from the case back to the bezel, using a screw system. The octagonal bezel is secured with eight screws that pass through the case and connect to the case back.
Openwork hour and minute hands are coated with luminescent composition and provide excellent readability. The three-dimensional ring located between the bezel and the movement is adorned with the GP logo at 12 o'clock and 11 trapezoidal hour markers. The watch comes with a black FKM rubber strap with a PVD titanium folding clasp and a micro-adjustment system.
The Laureato Absolute Light & Shade and Light & Fire watches are equipped with an automatic in-house skeletonized octagonal caliber GP01800-1143. The openwork rotor reveals the bridges and provides a power reserve of up to 54 hours.
The Laureato Absolute Light & Shade and The Laureato Absolute Light & Fire watches will go on sale in April 2023. The Laureato Absolute Light & Shade is an unlimited edition, while the Laureato Absolute Light & Fire is limited to 18 pieces. The estimated cost of both models is 95 thousand Swiss francs.
