Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42 mm Infinite Grey Watch Review
The Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42 mm Infinite Grey is the latest creation to emerge from the Swiss Manufacture, based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, The model’s dial is adorned with a flinqué sunray motif and subsequently dressed in multiple layers of Grand Feu enamel. US-based Meehna Goldsmith provides her take on this latest chapter of a story that began in 1975.
The emergence of the luxury steel sports watch
It was the groovy decade when men and women dressed in bell-bottoms, the Bee Gees topped the charts and lava lamps created a cool vibe. The 1970s also scared the ‘bejesus’ out of the Swiss watch industry. It was then that the Japanese released accurate battery-powered quartz watches, with Seiko and Citizen leading the charge. The Swiss were taken off guard, their bottom line gutted by the cheap, rugged new kids on the block. In a state of panic, the watch industry needed a lifeline.
The Swiss had to do something fast, but what? Audemars Piguet, on the brink of collapse, did a brand pivot, releasing the Royal Oak in 1972. It was a blasphemous, even crazy, idea. A sports watch in steel that cost more than one crafted in gold! What?! Would people buy into the concept?
In fact they did, big time. Designed by Gérald Genta, the Royal Oak created the category of the luxury steel sports watch. It was a huge departure from the typical, conservative round watches the Swiss specialised in. In addition to the steel, the Royal Oak featured an integrated bracelet, octagonal bezel with visible screws and industrial finishes. And, of course, that jaw-dropping price tag was a strategic move.
The inaugural Girard-Perregaux Laureato (1975)
With the success of the Royal Oak, other brands jumped onto the playing field. Next came the Patek Philippe Nautilus in 1976. Oh, wait a minute! Did you know that Girard-Perregaux introduced the Laureato, its rendition of the luxury sports watch, in 1975? Yes, it did. But in an under-the-radar release. Not the parade AP threw for the Royal Oak. While the Laureato followed the successful formula of stainless steel case, octagonal bezel, and integrated bracelet, it offered a slightly different proposition.
In comparison to the Royal Oak, the Laureato had a more refined appearance. While the Royal Oak came out swinging with a bold, 39 mm case, the Laureato was a slimmer 36 mm. Unlike the Royal Oak, the Laureato’s bezel was smooth and had no screws. The dial face was also finished with classic clous de Paris, giving it a dressier look. Another differentiating factor was the more accessible price point, about 1/3 of the Royal Oak.
Here’s where it gets interesting. The inaugural Laureato was fitted with a quartz movement, which was developed in-house. Although the Japanese leaped out of the gate with the first quartz movements, GP brought credibility to the technology. It engineered a quartz oscillator vibrating at 32,768 Hz, which the brand submitted for chronometer testing at the Neuchâtel Observatory. Crushing expectations for precision, the Laureato was the first watch to receive Observatory-level chronometer certification in Switzerland. The frequency of 32,768 Hz ‘was set by the Manufacture and subsequently adopted as the universal standard for quartz watches’.
The Laureato from the late ’80s to the noughties
By the late 1980s thru part of the 2000s, Girard-Perregaux strayed from the DNA of the original Laureato. It tried out odd case shapes, chunkier proportions and the addition of bling. GP seemed to be poking around in the dark trying to figure out what it wanted the Laureato’s identity to be. The question is: why change when the original is so good? Sometimes that happens when you think that there might be something better on another street. Only to realise like Dorothy did that home is where she belongs instead of in Oz.
Girard-Perregaux Laureato 40th anniversary model
Girard-Perregaux finally realised the error of its ways and unveiled the 40th anniversary edition of the Laureato in 2016. And she was a beauty. The integrated bracelet, the octagonal bezel and the Clous de Paris made a welcome return. In keeping with the times, GP scaled up the case proportions to 41 mm, followed later by 38 mm and 42 mm models. All movements were mechanical and contained a Manufacture movement. Instead of taking a backseat to the holy trinity of watchmaking, GP stood proud, positioning the Laureato firmly in the Haute Horlogerie luxury sports watch category.
Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42 mm Infinite Grey – Grand Feu dial
The most recent addition to the Laureato family is the Laureato 42 mm Infinite Grey, and that silvery-blue Grand Feu dial ‘is killer’. The sunray flinqué motif beneath the translucent enamel adds depth and lustre. An artisanal technique, Grand Feu enamelling is a rare art that few have mastered. In French, Grand Feu means ‘great fire’, a name that refers to the sizzling temperatures between 800–900°C used in the kiln firing.
What makes Grand Feu enamelling so demanding is the temperament of the enamelling process. First, the enamel must have the proper ingredients of silica, minium, potash and soda ground into a powder, after which metal oxides are mixed in to create a coloured hue. The recipe must be exact or the enamel won’t behave.
Once the elixir is ready to go, there comes the most nerve-wracking steps. The artisan must apply the enamel to the dial one layer at a time, up to 5 to 10 times. Each layer requires a firing in the hot breath of the kiln. Like a fickle mistress, you never know how the enamel will respond. It can crack on layer 4 or the dial might come out with an imperfection. That means back to square one and the artisan has to start over.
By the way, to complete just one dial takes days. Imagine that crack appearing on the last firing. The tedious Grand Feu technique is worth it though because a perfect enamel dial will keep its colour and look just as good in several lifetimes. The surface doesn’t fade, tarnish or oxidise. Few Manufactures have the capabilities to produce enamel dials in-house, having to contract the work to specialist firms. Not so GP, it has a department set up in-house.
Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42 mm Infinite Grey – additional dial details
Against this extraordinary dial, rhodium-plated baton hands slip round keeping time. Notice how the counterweight of the central seconds hand resembles GP’s iconic Golden Bridge. The date aperture at 3 o’clock matches the dial colour, with white numbers on top, keeping the eye focused on the dial, which is the main event.
Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42 mm Infinite Grey – case
If you can draw your eyes away from the dial for a moment to take in the whole picture, you’ll see the elegant design of the 1975 version shining through. Smooth octagonal bezel meshed with a tonneau-shaped case in a slim profile. The case alternates between polished and satin-brushed surfaces and secures to the wrist with a sleek integrated bracelet. It does make a stunning picture for the wrist, doesn’t it?
Girard-Perregaux calibre GP01800
The Laureato 42 mm Infinite Grey gets its power from the in-house self-winding calibre GP01800, which offers a minimum 54 hours power reserve. Through the sapphire caseback, the movement and its decoration are on display. A pink gold oscillating weight features circular Côtes de Genève, while the bridges contrast with straight Côtes de Genève. Circular graining on the mainplate, gilded engravings, mirror-polished screws and bevelled edges show GP is serious about making the Laureato come up in the same conversation with the Royal Oak, Nautilus and Overseas.
Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42 mm Infinite Grey – closing remarks
In recent years, there’s been some pandemonium surrounding the Royal Oak and Nautilus, with collectors going mad to get their hands on coveted models and driving up prices to insane levels. In some cases, two to four times the original retail price on the grey market. While the masses clamour for the obvious, they’re running right past the Laureato. For those of us who want something more individual, who appreciate amazing style and quality without the hype, the Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm Infinite Grey proves a logical and compelling choice.
Further reading
Technical specification
- Model: Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42 mm Infinite Grey
- Reference: 81010-11-3475-1CM
- Case: stainless steel, diameter 42 mm, height 10.68 mm, water resistance 10 ATM (100 metres), sapphire crystal to front, exhibition case back.
- Functions: hours, minutes, central seconds, date
- Movement: GP01800-1404, self-winding movement, frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz), 191 components.
- Strap: steel bracelet, polished and satin-finished, fitted with a triple-folding buckle
- Price: £15,200 (RRP as of 26.10.2025)