GIRARD-PERREGAUX – LAUREATO Absolute Light & Fire Edition

GIRARD-PERREGAUX – LAUREATO Absolute Light  & Fire Sapphire and Titanium 44mm Limited Edition 

Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Light & Shade
and Laureato Absolute Light & Fire

The powerful silhouette of the LAUREATO

La Chaux-de-Fonds, January 17th (10AM CET), 2023 – Since the inaugural version of the Laureato was unveiled in 1975, the model has masterfully united contrasting elements to glorious effect. Housed in a metallised sapphire crystal case, the Laureato Absolute Light & Shade juxtaposes curves and lines, modern and traditional and, lastly, aesthetics and functionality. Girard-Perregaux has also created a special reference featuring a distinctive translucent red case to mark the advent of the Chinese New Year.  

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Limited to just 18 pieces, the Laureato Absolute Light & Fire will be presented worldwide for the celebration.

Captivating contrasts

When Girard-Perregaux released the inaugural version of the Laureato in 1975, its masterful blend of different shapes proved distinctive, yet harmonious. Its looks complemented a lounge suit but also worked with casual attire. Over the years, the Maison has introduced new complications and worked with a variety of materials and colours, but the Laureato has always remained instantly recognisable and has always retained its timeless looks.

In 2019, Girard-Perregaux unveiled the Laureato Absolute line. Many of the Laureato’s recognisable design codes were carried over to this bolder interpretation of the 1975 model, including the legendary octagonal bezel sat atop a circular ring. However, the Laureato Absolute line also incorporated an integrated rubber strap, along with many additional changes, some more subtle than others, ultimately contributing to the contemporary appearance of the Laureato collection.  

Now, Girard-Perregaux is pleased to unveil the new Laureato Absolute Light & Shade, a model that draws on the Maison’s amassed watchmaking know-how and employs its vast expertise working with innovative materials. Measuring 44 mm in diameter, the case of this latest model is made from metallised sapphire crystal, endowing the watch with a fascinating brilliance. On one hand, the model exhibits a visually light appearance and bestows transparency, while conversely it looks dark and reflective. This visual lightness is accompanied by a low mass of just 85 grams. Throughout its composition, the watch juxtaposes contrasting characteristics, distinguishing this contemporary expression of fine watchmaking as quite unique.   

A cutting-edge case, a traditional respect for craftsmanship

In order to create a watch with a sapphire crystal case, a boule of sapphire crystal must be created using a technique termed ‘the Kyropoulos growth method’. This protracted growth method transforms alumina powder into a solid block of sapphire crystal, a process that takes up to 8 weeks.

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Thereafter, the block is cut into small discs which are then skilfully machined to form the bezel, case middle and caseback. Once this phase is completed, the parts need to be thermally treated and then polished. The components are carefully screened, only those corresponding to the specifications and without inclusion are selected.
 
The sapphire crystal components are then subjected to a metallisation treatment. This process involves applying a surface treatment to the parts within a vacuum. Ultimately, this suffuses them with a smoked appearance. The creation of this sapphire crystal case requires 170 hours of complex work.

A fusion of aesthetics and functionality

Since Constant Girard created La Esmeralda, the Maison has repeatedly fused aesthetics and functionality, creating numerous watches that showcase the company’s horological prowess and mastery of shapes.   
The new Laureato Absolute Light & Shade upholds this ethos by revealing the movement to glorious effect courtesy of the sapphire crystal case. The mainplate of the in-house movement, the Calibre GP01800-1143, is octagonal-shaped, a respectful nod to the Laureato’s famous bezel. The skeletonised movement reveals a plethora of parts normally hidden from view, providing a fascinating vista of curves and lines enriched with pockets of light and shade. The barrel is openworked, affording sight of the mainspring in various degrees of tension. Likewise, the balance wheel can be seen oscillating to-and-fro in a bewitching dance.   

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The gold oscillating weight is openworked, inviting the wearer to admire the bridges below. Upholding Girard-Perregaux’s reputation for refined finishing, the NAC-treated bridges and mainplate incorporate sandblasting, traits-tirés, circular satin finishing and bevelling, with no less than 55 hand-polished inner angles.

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Refinement is a reoccurring characteristic with the Calibre GP01800-1143. It is fitted with a variable-inertia balance. Most watches feature an index regulator which alters the effective length of the hairspring, making the watch run faster or slower. With a variable-inertia balance, the length of the hairspring is fixed and the rate is altered by adjusting the inertia weights fitted to the spokes of the balance wheel. This system delivers greater stability as well as superior shock resistance.

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Powerful and elegant, openworked hour and minute hands ensure excellent readability. A three-dimensional ring sitting between the bezel and the movement, plays host to the GP logo at 12 o’clock and the remaining 11 indexes. Girard-Perregaux has employed a unique construction method, obviating the need for a conventional casing ring. The case and the movement are assembled on a single axis, from the caseback to the bezel, by a very specific screw system. The demanding design of these screws requires micron-level precision to hold the different components together.

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Two black, PVD-treated titanium lugs are integrated within the case, uniting the watch head with a black rubber strap. This arrangement not only looks modern, but also ensures the strap is optimally positioned on the wrist, thereby conferring impressive wearer comfort. The lugs incorporate satin-finished surfaces with polished angles. The strap is made from FKM rubber, a material that delivers superior suppleness and resistance when contrasted with conventional rubber. In order to further heighten the visual allure of the strap, its appearance is enriched with a fabric effect façade. The buckle is fitted with a micro-adjustment system, allowing the wearer to fine-tune the union between the strap and their wrist. The crown is made of polished and sandblasted PVD-treated titanium, echoing the appearance of the lugs.

A great start to the year

Paying homage to the Chinese New Year, the new Laureato Light & Fire reveals a deep and captivating red colour. An intense red that plays with light, like the burning embers of a flame. Limited to just 18 pieces, the model shares much in common with the Laureato Absolute Light & Shade but is housed in a new polycrystalline material named YAG. Similar to sapphire crystal, this translucent material is hard and scratch-resistant, but also offers a variety of dark shades. This latter characteristic was particularly important to the Maison’s design team who were keen to dress the limited-edition timepiece in a deep red vibrant hue, a colour that evokes thoughts of energy, vitality and prosperity.

 Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO  

The Laureato Absolute Light & Shade and The Laureato Absolute Light & Fire will go on sale in April 2023 and will be available worldwide in all authorised Girard-Perregaux retailers.

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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Model: LAUREATO Absolute Light & Fire Edition

 Reference: 81071-44-3115-1CX

Edition
Limited and numbered edition of 18 pieces

Movement
Reference: GP01800-1143
Self-winding mechanical skeleton movement
Diameter: 30.00mm (13¼’’’)
Height: 4.16mm
Frequency: 28,800 Vib/h –(4Hz)
Number of components: 172
Number of jewels: 25
Power reserve: min. 54hours
Functions
Hours, minutes, small seconds
Case
Material: red YAG and black PVD-treated titanium
Diameter: 44.00 mm
Height: 11.56mm
Glass: anti-reflective sapphire
Case-back: anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Water resistance: 30 metres (3ATM)
Dial
Skeleton dial
3D ring with polished trapezoid indexes
Hands: skeletonised, rhodium-plated, skeletonised with luminescent material
Strap
Material: black FKM rubber alloy (injected titanium on rubber) with a fabric effect
Buckle: black PVD-treated titanium, folding with micro-adjustment system

 Limited to Only 18 Pièce

PRICE :   World Price: CHF 77,000  incl. VAT / Free shipping 

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Press release - 2023
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Press Contact:
Manager: Ivanne Perrinjaquet, iperrinjaquet@girard-perregaux.ch

Girard-Perregaux,
International PR : christine.giotto@girard-perregaux.com

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Pierre DeRoche – GRANDCLIFF Annual Calendar Automatic

Pierre DeRoche – GRANDCLIFF Annual Calendar Automatic

Pierre DeRoche's new declaration of love for horological complications

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"When I was a kid," recalls the co-founder of Pierre DeRoche, Carole Dubois, "my grandfather taught me that to remember the months with 30 and 31 days, I only had to look at the troughs and ridges on the backs of my hands. It was from this simple answer to a complex question that the idea for the GrandCliff Annual Calendar was born, to round off the brand's collection".

In 1980, a brand no longer in existence presented what was probably the 1st annual calendar in wristwatch form. This fine feat was also the fruit of work by Dubois Dépraz. Forty years later, the complications specialist from the Joux Valley and Pierre DeRoche have pooled their know-how to revisit this subtle horological complication, with added refinement. The sobriety of the gentlemen's version and the delicacy of the ladies’ version round off the GrandCliff collection perfectly, and reinforce Pierre DeRoche’s positioning as a horological complication specialist.

Ranked among the so-called useful or practical complications, the annual calendar is one of the iconic sophistications of watchmaking. It is also one that introduces a touch magic simplifying everyday life. By developing in parallel its gentlemen's and ladies' versions of the complication, Pierre DeRoche set out to restore its full prestige.

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Hence 16 years after the launch of the very first GrandCliffs, the brand is increasing its collection by two models. True to the aesthetic codes of GrandCliff, they maintain, in a slightly slimmed-down diameter, the perfect poise and elegance of the series. In its resolutely feminine Milady version, the Annual Calendar offers complication lovers a rare occasion to assert their watchmaking affinities.

The days that count, by Pierre DeRoche

Recognised for its innovative creations in modular designs, particularly the now famous Royal Retro movement with its six retrograde seconds hands, Pierre DeRoche quite naturally turned its attention to the Calendar, one of the iconic complications of watchmaking know-how.

The three watchmaking calendars

An ingenious mechanism, the calendar adds to the time display on timepieces a calendar day reading, available in three different degrees of sophistication.

A simple calendar requires correction five times a year, for every month with fewer than 31 days. The more refined annual calendar correctly displays the date 364 days out of 365, only requiring correction when the date changes to 1st March. Finally, regarded as a watchmaking masterpiece, the perpetual calendar manages the date correctly all year round, including leap years.

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It was based on an annual calendar that Pierre DeRoche opted to design its new GrandCliffs. Equipped with a Dubois Dépraz module, the GrandCliff Annual Calendar and GrandCliff Milady Annual Calendar boast quick date correction via the crown, and quick month correction via a corrector.
By opting for a 32 mm mechanism, which allows for a large-diameter date disc, Pierre DeRoche offers a particularly generous date display to guarantee optimal readability of the annual calendar.

GrandCliff Annual Calendar, the elegance of the essential

The newest member of the GrandCliff family, the new Pierre DeRoche Annual Calendar rounds off the collection inaugurated in 2005.

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Thinner, and slightly smaller in diameter (41 mm vs. 42.5 mm), the new case of the GrandCliff Annual Calendar adopts the line's aesthetic codes, its round shape, and the recognisable design of its horns, to perpetuate the perfect poise and fine elegance which have underpinned the collection's success.

Featuring applique silver indices, the shaded black dial with velvety background highlights the annual calendar complication superbly. A generously-sized date window at 3 o’clock, plus a month indicator at 7 o'clock by means of a coloured red disc under the dial.

Enhanced with grey stitching, the Cordura-look leather strap gives the GrandCliff Annual Calendar a final touch of the elegance of a classic and contemporary timepiece.

GrandCliff Milady Annual Calendar, an assertion of watchmaking femininity

In dreaming up the feminine version of its Annual Calendar, Pierre DeRoche wanted to offer watch lovers a rare occasion to demonstrate their taste for mechanical subtleties, while proudly asserting their femininity.  

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Using the same Dubois Dépraz module as the masculine version, the GrandCliff Milady Annual Calendar dares to bedeck itself in finery traditionally regarded as typically feminine.

Featuring a diamond-set bezel, the finely wrought silver-plated dial bears a sunray decoration at 3 o’clock, complemented by a date window with black writing on a white background.

The month indicator at 7 o'clock uses a counter with heart-shaped cut-outs. The displays are read via a burgundy-coloured disc to match the leather strap, plus the seconds hand.

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TECHNICAL DATA

Collection GRANDCLIFF    

Model:   GRANDCLIFF ANNUAL CALENDAR

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Ref. GRC10014ACI0-001CUI

ANNUAL CALENDAR WITH DATE AND MONTH INDICATORS

MOVEMENT
Mechanical automatic, Dubois Dépraz calibre 6501, 21 jewels.
Nickel silver rotor on ball-bearing mechanism, cut-out and engraved.
FUNCTIONS
Hours, minutes, seconds.
Annual calendar with date and month indicators
CASE
Steel polished and satin-finished.
41 mm diameter.
CRYSTAL Anti-reflective sapphire crystal and sapphire back.
DIAL
Black shading.
Applique hour-markers.
WINDING CROWN
Screw-lock winding-crown with the Pierre DeRoche logo.
WATER-RESISTANCE Water-resistant to 50 m.
STRAP
Black Cordura-look leather with steel folding clasp.

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TECHNICAL DATA

Model:   GRANDCLIFF MILADY ANNUAL CALENDAR 

 Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO  

Ref. GRC10014ACI1-001CUI

ANNUAL CALENDAR WITH DATE AND MONTH INDICATORS

MOVEMENT
Mechanical automatic, Dubois Dépraz calibre 6501, 21 jewels.
Nickel silver rotor on ball-bearing mechanism, cut-out and engraved.
FUNCTIONS
Hours, minutes, seconds.
Annual calendar with date and month indicators
CASE
Hours, minutes, seconds.
Annual calendar with date and month indicators
CASE
Steel polished and satin-finished. Bezel set with 94 diamonds, brilliant cut VVSI (0.42 cts).
41 mm diameter.
CRYSTAL Anti-reflective sapphire crystal and sapphire back.
DIAL
Silvered, sunray pattern.
Month indicator with heart-shaped cut-out.
Applique hour-markers.
WINDING CROWN Screw-lock winding-crown with the Pierre DeRoche logo.
WATER-RESISTANCE Water-resistant to 50 m.
STRAP
Burgundy Cordudra-look leather strap with steel folding clasp.

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PIERRE DEROCHE
LE REVERS 1
1345 LE LIEU
SWITZERLAND
T. +41 21 841 11 69
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