Girard-Perregaux has released a number of new iterations of the Laureato in recent days, but the most fascinating of them for me is this new red and black chronograph version. Launched at the Festival Automobile International in Paris, the Laureato Absolute Passion follows the design character of the Absolute line in continuing to be much more aggressive and sporty compared to the rest of Laureato line. A perfect release alongside new sports cars being shown at the FAI.
Coming in at 44mm, this watch is made in PVD-coated titanium and features a 46 hour power reserve. Not many chronographs can add this to their resumé, but this Laureato chronograph surprisingly has a 300m water resistance. Included is a rubber strap with a red fabric effect going down the middle and red stitching on the sides. The buckle on this watch has a micro-adjustment system to aid in finding a perfect fit.
A big reason why this watch interests me isn’t necessarily for a great reason. Although I like the look of the watch and I like the price point that they’ve set it at, I can’t help but wonder why they’ve chosen to use PVD for the coating instead of DLC. They’ve previously released Laureatos in ceramic, so we know they’re capable of making a ceramic case. Granted, this would have raised the price of the watch higher than they may have wanted, but why not at least go with DLC then? Unless this is some new version of PVD, PVD-coated watches have previously been known to have the coating scratch off fairly easily. That’s why DLC is generally the preferred method… you eliminate the shattering potential that is inherent in ceramic, but reduce the likelihood of the base material showing through.
The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Passion is made in a limited run of 50 pieces and is priced at 13,400 USD.
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