The Perfect Laureato? Hands-On With The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty With A Rose-Gold Dial
Last year, I had the honor of testing the new Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty in bi-color prior to its release. It’s a tricky thing to walk around with a watch that isn’t out yet, but luckily, I live in a small village where the risk of it being spotted is rather low. Back then, I was impressed by several aspects of the new Laureato Fifty. The quality of the finishing on the case and bracelet, the beautiful Clous de Paris dial, and, of course, the new in-house developed GP4800 movement. And, most importantly perhaps, the comfort of the watch was more impressive than what I experienced with my Royal Oak 15202.
Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty Rose Gold Dial
This year, GP introduced the stainless-steel versions of the Laureato Fifty. My colleague Mike wrote up the blue enamel-dial version in early June, and I received the 18K rose-gold-dial version a couple of weeks ago. I spend a fair amount of time with it to decipher whether I would prefer it to the blue enamel version. All other specifications are the same, except the price, of course. This gold-dialed Laureato Fifty is priced at €22,700, while the blue enamel-dialed version is priced at €24,000. It’s serious money, anyway you slice it, but it buys you a serious watch.
Haute Horlogerie from La Chaux-de-Fonds
I last visited the Girard-Perregaux manufacturer a long time ago (I think it was 2014), and I remember that it was quite an eye-opener. I knew their watches, of course, but mainly from the visits to Baselworld and the occasional trade show where you could buy them from watch dealers. But once you get a look behind the front door of a watch manufacturer, your perspective can sometimes change. Companies like GP, Breguet, JLC, Blancpain, and Zenith become instantly more interesting and impressive once those doors open. You will meet and see the watchmakers and artisans at work, and with the aforementioned companies, it becomes instantly clear there’s a lot of actual watchmaking taking place.
We often only know (or assume) this is the case at Patek, AP, or VC, but there are many other watch brands that operate in a similar way. Just a smaller scale, or simply not very communicative about it. It’s all very different from the large brands that work in a more industrialized way, like Rolex and Omega. Although I love these two “industrialized” watch brands, the “traditional watchmaking” brands have their own charm, often reflected in the finishing and decoration of the movement. With the new caliber GP4800, GP definitely ticks a box there compared to its previous automatic three-hander movements (e.g., the GP01800).
Prefering the steel over the bi-color
Anyway, let’s have a closer look at this Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty in 39mm (which I should mention is also available in 36mm). When we had the blue enamel-dialed version in, I was more interested in this gold-dial version, but the blue enamel dial did intrigue me as well, I have to admit. What I soon learned was that I prefer the full-steel version to last year’s bi-color model.
I was anticipating a watch I’d really love, and I did from an aesthetic point of view, but once I learned its center links were 18K gold-capped instead of solid gold links, I kinda disconnected with it. I associate gold-capped solutions on modern watches with brands like Tudor and Longines, not with Girard-Perregaux. It’s a great solution for saving cost, and it was a rather thick gold-capped layer, but I expect a solid gold link for a watch with a price tag of nearly €30.000. With the Laureato in steel, this is not an issue, of course. With the new movements, new bracelet (clasp), and enamel and gold dials, it’s clearly a step-up from previous Laureato models we’ve had in the office here.
The Laureato Fifty on the wrist
The GP Laureato Fifty case fits my 18cm wrist perfectly, with a 39mm diameter and a 46mm lug-to-lug distance. The watch’s thickness is 9.8mm, slightly thinner than the 10.2mm blue enamel dial version.
In Mike’s initial review, he goes through all the nitty-gritty. I just wanted to give this gold-dial version a spin to see which model I would prefer. The wearing comfort is as Mike described, and I can only echo his thoughts: “The 39mm Laureato Fifty hits the sweet spot,” since the 42mm Laureato editions might not be for everyone. Although 42mm would be fine for my wrist, I prefer the 39mm version because the proportions are simply spot-on.
It’s not easy to choose between these two
After seeing both Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty 39mm versions in person, I would have a very hard time choosing. As you might know, my love for gold is sometimes beyond healthy, but I do like the blue enamel-dial version a lot. That said, the pink-gold dial on this Laureato Fifty is simply stunning. It has a pink/salmon tone in the press images, but in person it’s less matte than I expected. The 18K rose gold dial has an interesting shimmer, amplified by its Clous de Paris pattern. If you like a bit of shine, this dial is worth exploring. The minute track and plaque with the “Girard-Perregaux” wordmark and logo have a brushed finish, ensuring it’s perfectly legible in all circumstances. Girard-Perregaux crafted the hands and hour markers from 18K white gold, providing sufficient contrast for excellent readability.
Bracelet design
A large part of the fun in wearing (and owning) this watch is, of course, the integrated bracelet. GP managed to create a wonderful bracelet for its Laureato Fifty. It’s uber comfortable on the wrist, and the finishing is top-notch. Wonderful, brushed surfaces combine with polished center links and bevels. And for those who appreciate it, there’s an easy-to-use extension system that provides an extra 4mm of “relief.” I also appreciate the clasp design. Rather than using a generic clasp as we see so often, Girard-Perregaux gave it the attention it deserves and personalized it with a cut-out GP logo.
Caliber GP4800
The haute horlogerie aspect is most evident in the beautiful GP4800 movement. The rose-gold rotor is beautifully decorated and finished, as is the balance-wheel bridge. The GP01800 movement looked a bit more industrial, and the GP4800 will be especially appreciated by the brand’s fans. Girard-Perregaux has put in the effort here to create something worth observing through its sapphire caseback.
It’s also in the details that GP can make a difference compared to so many other bands. They have the know-how and skills in-house to put haute in front of horlogerie and, hopefully, at a competitive price point compared to the other players in this field.
Final thoughts on the Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty
Wearing the GP Laureato Fifty 39mm with the rose-gold dial has been a blast, and I must admit I was sad to see it go. This version is slightly less expensive than the blue-enamel-dial one reviewed by Mike. In the end, I don’t think people looking at watches in this category will make their decision based on the price difference, but on what they like best.
My pick would be the rose-gold-dial Laureato Fifty 39mm ref. 81008-11-3627-1CM. I enjoyed the blue version a lot, but I prefer the golden salmon-dialed version. It just makes it slightly more special, at least for me. And as a bonus, it’s slightly thinner!
More information is available on the official GP website.
