The Aston Martin Formula One team has turned it around for the 2023 season. The F1 car is operating at a consistent pace, only surpassed by current champions, Oracle Red Bull Racing. That’s also considering that one of its drivers, Lance Stroll, broke his wrists two weeks before the inaugural race, and the other driver, Fernando Alonso is now in his forties. Maintaining a fitness and focus level this far into an F1 career is a challenge, but Alonso still managed a podium position at the first race in Bahrain. This upward spike in popularity and support for the Aston Martin F1 team has undoubtedly raised the profile of its timekeeping sponsor Girard-Perregaux. To kick the season off, GP unveiled new Laureato models with a full-ceramic bracelet and case in 38mm and 42mm diameters.
This year marks Girard-Perregaux’s third consecutive season as a timekeeping sponsor for the Aston Martin Formula One team. Coincidentally, it’s also Aston Martin’s third year competing in the top echelon of motorsports. However, the team has been around since the ‘90s, initially under the Jordan Grand Prix marque. The team still bases itself trackside at Silverstone, Britain’s famous race circuit. But rebranding to Aston Martin provides a cachet to the team thanks to the prestige and heritage of Aston Martin’s road cars. With the performance gains over the winter break, Aston Martin looks particularly punchy if testing and the first race are anything to go by, so Girard-Perregaux is keen to showcase its new Laureato Green Ceramic.
This is the first time that Girard-Perregaux has used the Laureato three-hander for an Aston Martin collaboration. Previously, GP unleashed its iconic Three Bridges model, limited to 18 pieces, which was perhaps too high-end for the partnership. During its launch, I even stated, “That’s why with the announcement that Girard-Perregaux was striking a deal with Aston Martin, my mind immediately conjured the sporty Laureato.” GP soon followed the Three Bridges with two Laureato timepieces, the Chronograph and Absolute Chronograph editions. Both watches feature the Aston Martin signature cross-hatch across the dial, seen on the seat stitching of classic Aston Martin cars. The same goes for the new Laureato with an entirely ceramic green case and bracelet.
GP chose ceramic as the material is very long-lasting and scratch resistant. Ceramic is also lightweight and used in motorsports as brake discs due to the high-temperature tolerances. Despite the delicacy of machining the material, GP still applies distinct finishes, from satin brushing on the top surfaces to polishing the edges and accents. Achieving the trademark British racing green was another challenge, which GP workshopped through various metal oxides to accomplish the specific hue. The color symbolizes Britain’s racing pedigree and is part of Aston Martin’s heritage. The story of the British racing green began at the birth of motor racing. Typically, nations raced in their flag colors, but motor racing was illegal in England. The English instead went to Ireland to go racing. Once the ban was lifted, the green became a symbol of gratitude to Ireland’s emerald isle.
Another nod to Aston Martin’s branding is the subtly integrated “side-strike” on the central seconds counterbalance. This grille is a crucial detail from the DB4, DB5, and DB6 classic cars to modern-day vehicles. The Laureato is considered the hero watch of Girard-Perregaux, and forming an all-green ceramic Aston Martin edition solidifies the partnership between the icons of each industry. Whether green is your thing or not, the execution across the length of the watch showcases the dual branding most overtly thus far. While the F1 team appears prominently in the marketing thanks to its emerging performance, the watch celebrates Aston Martin, including the automotive division. It’s also great to see Girard-Perregaux satisfying all wrist sizes with a 38mm and 42mm option.
The limitation of 388 pieces for the 42mm version is slightly higher than that of 38mm model due to the more considerable popularity. But don’t sleep on the latter, which is a very wearable size and even more limited at 188 pieces. The 42mm version uses the manufacture GP01800 movement, which is visible via the sapphire case back with Aston Martin’s logo laser-etched onto the glass. The oscillating rotor provides automatic winding, with the caliber operating at 28,800vph and offering 54 hours of power reserve. The 38mm uses caliber GP03300 with a slightly lower reserve at 46 hours but the same beat frequency.