BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
The Formula One season has been back on for a bit now, and even though this weekend’s excitement has now passed there’s still plenty to take in. Take the newest watch from Girard-Perregaux, for example, which is dedicated to team Aston Martin Aramco F1, Aston Martin being Girard-Perregaux’s watchmaking partner du jour. Let’s look closer at the new piece.
The new timepiece is based on the Laureato Absolute watch, which is Girard-Perregaux’s oversized sports watch based on their standard integrated bracelet sports watch. Sound familiar? If I were to be unkind, this is a pale imitation of Audemars Piguet’s successful Royal Oak Offshore models. I don’t think the Laureato Absolute is that, but it does follow the same logic. The fact is, Girard-Perregaux happens to make excellent wristwatches, ones that sadly don’t sell as well as I’d like them to, so they have to try and capture the essence that the big successes use and put that into their own style. Very few businesses in this world can afford to make weird things that don’t sell well. The maths just don’t add up.
So, that leaves us with this new piece that comes in an attractive sandblasted case made of grade 5 titanium. The case measures 44.00mm x 14.65mm, like I said it’s big on purpose. It’s 300m water resistant, though, despite not being a diving watch. The watch is supplied with a green rubber strap with a textile effect and has a titnium folding buckle with micro-adjustment.
The dial is also sandblasted and is a subtle green colour, apparently Aston Martin’s Racing Green colour. It reminds me a little of the Bell & Ross BR-05 Horolum we reviewed a few years ago in that sense, and I liked the sandblasted dial then. The hands are green with with green lume, and there is a green seconds hand too with a counterbalance styled to be reminiscent of the grille design on Aston Martin’s world-renowned cars.
Housed within the watch and covered by a solid caseback with the Aston Martin logo is the calibre GP03300-1060 with a minimum power reserve of 46 hours and a 4Hz beat rate. Girard-Perregaux makes it in-house at their La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture and is based on their GP03300 calibre, which has itself been used in all manner of places from calendar and chronograph watches to serving as the basis for the movement in MB&F’s HM8 MoonMachine. But Girard-Perregaux is a very well-respected name, so it’s no surprise other companies are interested in using their movements.
Unsurprisingly, with a special edition watch commemorating the Aston Martin Aramco F1 team, there aren’t going to be many of these watches available. Girard-Perregaux says they’re making 88 examples only, and they’re priced at CHF13,700 including taxes, which seems quite reasonable compared to what I was expecting.
