For anyone even tangentially involved in the watch community, there are two trends that currently dominate enthusiast discourse: the proliferation of the integrated bracelet sports watch, and the general across-the-board downsizing of watch diameters. Put simply, a smaller-than-40mm Genta-esque sports watch design should be right at the top of the hype-watch wish list right now, but it takes more than a list of enthusiast bullet points for a timepiece to truly capture the market. The Girard-Perregaux Laureato collection has long sat just outside this bubble of enthusiast hype, and even the introduction of the more contemporary-sized 38mm model in 2022 didn’t quite push it into the realm of genre-defining hype pieces. With that said, the 38mm Laureato is an excellent dark horse alternative for those looking for the same quality and style as the segment leaders, but without the baggage that surrounds them, and for its latest release of 2024 the brand adds more options to this more compact Laureato iteration. The new Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm models in Sage Green and Midnight Blue bring a more versatile, classic look to the compact, balanced side of the Laureato collection, creating some of the most compelling alternatives to the small integrated sports watch hype train on the current market.

Both new iterations of the Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm share their cases with the 2022 version, including their (naturally) 38mm diameters and stainless steel construction. While the design may not be new, this is far from a bad thing, as the proportions of this case work impressively well for a variety of wrist sizes. A 10.02mm overall thickness may not be the absolute slimmest in this segment of the market, but with much of the overall height confined to the bezel, the trim case sides feel elegant but substantial on the wrist. The unique horizontally brushed upper surfaces take up most of the visual real estate when viewed from above, and help to give this design a subtly different, more satiny cast during wear when compared to its competitors. Of course, the Laureato’s signature stacked circular and octagonal bezels remain a literal highlight on the wrist, adding a fair amount of polished flash to the proceedings and making the silhouette instantly recognizable from a distance. Like other models in the series, Girard-Perregaux fits these new iterations with a sapphire display caseback and rates them for a reasonably sporting 100 meters of water resistance.

Although the underlying dial design should be familiar to enthusiasts, the two new dial colors in the Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm family both take this existing style in drastically different directions. When the 38mm Laureato was first launched in 2022, the brand chose to debut it with a striking but offbeat copper dial, and the line still hasn’t added any more conventional colorways to balance it out — until now. The Midnight Blue variant is the safe, conservative choice here, sporting a deep oceanic sunburst finish that stands as a more or less definitive hue for this style of integrated sports watch. It’s a color that understandably works well with the rest of the 38mm Laureato design on the wrist, complementing the Clous de Paris dial texture, pointed paddle hands, and matching pointed baton indices handsomely. Like the rest of the watch, though, it’s the little things that really set the Laureato 38mm Midnight Blue apart from a crowded field of integrated sports watches. Take the perfectly dial-matching blue date display at 3 o’clock, for example, or the way that the chamfered plaques sporting the dial text are raised just slightly above the level of the peaks of the Clou de Paris texture, making them stand out dramatically at varied lighting angles. There’s meticulous attention to detail here, and a finely considered sense of visual balance that lets this otherwise rather standard layout feel refined and elevated.

By contrast, the Sage Green version of the Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm offers a much more unique visual punch. In many lighting conditions, this dial hue barely comes off as green at all, instead reading as a dusty, modernist cool gray. Beyond just making the dial much more versatile for regular wear, this unique desaturated approach to green also makes the underlying olive tones that much more dramatic when they are coaxed on the wrist. Girard-Perregaux further emphasizes this with a pair of contrasting gold touches. Both the central seconds hand and the applied GP logo at 12 o’clock are finished in this warmer metal, giving this variant a louder wrist presence than its sibling and complementing the green dial base attractively.

Like previous iterations, both new models in the Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm family are powered by the brand’s in-house GP03300 automatic movement. Performance here is largely unchanged from previous versions, including a solid-if-unspectacular 46-hour power reserve at a 28,800 bph beat rate. Where the GP03300 really shines, though, is its finishing. With miniature perlage for the baseplate, elegantly smooth Côtes de Genève on the bridges and balance cock, polished sinks, polished anglage, and minuscule blued screws throughout, this movement rewards the wearer’s close inspection with more visual detail at every corner. The radially striped 18K rose gold rotor atop this movement is a fittingly attractive capstone, as well.

No integrated sports watch is complete without its signature bracelet, and the new iterations of the Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm keep things familiar on this front. The smoothly tapering stainless steel H-link deployant bracelet is versatile, impressively comfortable, and easy to wear, but as with everything else here, the difference really is in the details. Not only does the uncommon and eye-catching horizontal brushing from the upper case continue across each of the H-links, the polished edge chamfers narrow gradually towards the clasp very slightly to direct the eye back towards the watch itself. Furthermore, the rectangular center links take a conventional design and elevate it through surfacing. Not only are these links brilliantly mirror-polished, but they offer the only truly (albeit subtly) rounded surfaces anywhere on the Laureato, making them stand out even further from their surroundings.

Despite sitting at the intersection of two of watchmaking’s biggest trends and coming from a historic, desirable brand, the Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm collection stands just to the side of the pantheon of “hype watches” that dominate the current market and enthusiast discourse. While they may not command the fanaticism of some of their competitors, the new Sage Green and Midnight Blue Laureato 38mm models offer all the dimensions, style, and build quality of these market behemoths with none of the associated baggage – something that’s easy to appreciate. The Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm models in Sage Green and Midnight Blue are available now through authorized dealers. MSRP for both models stands at $14,900 USD as of press time. For more information, please visit the Girard-Perregaux website.