BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
Girard Perregaux gave the Laureato a bold makeover last year by releasing the Laureato Absolute watches. And now the brand has taken its bold and experimental aspirations to an all-new high with the new Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Crystal Rock. The is new watch features an in-house chronograph movement that is packed inside a striking carbon glass case.
As you can tell by looking at the pictures, the main talking point about this new watch is its carbon glass case. So, what exactly is carbon glass? It is a high-tech material that is created by combining carbon fiber and fiberglass and then heat treating this combination to a very high temperature resulting in a homogenous material. Carbon glass has some interesting characteristics. First and foremost, is its distinctive visual appeal. The amalgam of carbon and fiber leads to the creation of intricate abstract patterns that cannot be duplicated, implying that no two crystal rock cases can ever look alike. Secondly, carbon glass light, very light. To give you some context here, the crystal rock weighs just 94 grams in its entirety, which should make it sit comfortably on the wrist for a long time at a stretch. The case measures 44mm in diameter and features the signature Laureato silhouette. It is water-resistant to 50 meters.
To complement the back and white case, Girard-Perregaux gives the Crystal Rock a Matt black face with a gradient effect. The dial begins with a blackish white color at the center and culminates into a deep shade of black towards the outer periphery. The layout looks quite familiar with nicely recessed sub-registers at 3, 6, and 9, sandwich-style hour markers, and well-proportioned baton-style hands. To help with low light legibility, the hour and minute hands have been filled with luminous paint.
Ticking inside the Crystal Rock is the calibre GP03300. A fully in-house movement, the GP03300 operates at 4 Hz and offers an autonomy of around 46 hours. While the movement is nicely decorated, it has been hidden underneath the closed case back.
The new Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Crystal Rock comes attached to a grey rubber strap with a textile pattern and would retail for USD 16,900. The watch is limited to just 100 pieces worldwide.
Visit Girard-Perregaux here.
