Worn & Wound
Girard-Perregaux’s Brand New Caliber GP4800 Finds Its Home in the Laureato Fifty
Let’s orient ourselves in the watch world five decades ago. The year is 1975, and we are in the height of the quartz crisis. Just six years prior in 1969, the watchmaking landscape forever changed with Seiko’s introduction of the first quartz timepiece, which called into question the future of mechanical timekeeping as we knew it. The era also marked the advent of the luxury sport watch, beginning with Gerald Genta’s Royal Oak for Audemars Piguet between 1970 and 1972. These two pivotal moments in horological history gave birth to an icon: the Girard-Perregaux Laureato. The first Laureato entered Girard-Perregaux’s catalog in 1975. The model was modestly sized by today’s standards and was even rather mid-sized for the era with a case measuring just 36mm (by comparison, the first Royal Oak began to set the tone for more oversized watches clocking in at 39mm, but was considered notably large and given the nickname “Jumbo”). The 1975 Laureato featured a two-tone construction, highlighting its mix of curves and geometric shapes. The design echoed Genta’s but with softer edges and a slightly more elevated look thanks to the addition of yellow gold elements combined with stainless steel. In line with the times, the model housed a quartz caliber, but not just any quartz caliber – it was COSC-certified. “The Laureato was more than just a new model for Girard-Perregaux’s catalog,” confirms Beatrice Morelli, Chief Customer Experience Officer. “It represente...
