Since the partnership between Girard-Perregaux and renowned British luxury automaker Aston Martin was announced in February 2021, the two brands have proven to be natural companions with a shared emphasis on heritage, advanced engineering, and dramatic sinuous design. The first collaboration between the two, the limited-run Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges – Aston Martin Edition, theatrically showcased the two marques’ dedication to world-class luxury and show-stopping forms. By contrast, Girard-Perregaux’s second Aston Martin co-creation focuses on a different set of shared values with a potent blend of elegance and sporting performance. The new limited-production Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph – Aston Martin Edition stretches far beyond a simple dial treatment to create a deep and nuanced visual tribute to all eras of Aston Martin’s racing history, married seamlessly to the Swiss marque’s iconic integrated bracelet design.

The 42mm stainless steel case of the Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph – Aston Martin Edition keeps the refined integrated-bracelet form of the mainline Laureato Chronograph intact, maintaining the series’ distinctive visual DNA. Crafted in bright and durable 904L stainless steel, this case presents an athletically modern stance on the wrist while still offering a balanced and elegant profile with an overall thickness of only 12.1mm. It’s in the fine details that the case of the Laureato Chronograph – Aston Martin Edition sets itself apart, and nowhere is this better demonstrated than in its variety of finishes. Brushing is the backbone of nearly every sports watch case finish, but here Girard-Perregaux allows the smooth and even texture to inform and accentuate the overall shape of the case. Strong horizontal brushing across the top of the main case body and atop the downturned integrated lugs imparts the case with a wider, more aggressive implied stance on the wrist, while the longitudinal brushing long the case sides helps to elongate and slim the case form when viewed in profile.

The Laureato line’s signature layered geometric bezel is topped with contrasting radial brushing, helping to emphasize the sharp form of the raised octagonal segment and subtly setting this apart from the rest of the case with dynamic reflections in changing light. Between these contrasting brushed layers, Girard-Perregaux creates highlights with deep, lustrous polished sections, including a sculptural chamfer running from lug to lug, along with the sides and circular lower layer of the intricate Laureato bezel. The end result is luxurious but masterfully understated, with a versatile character brightened up further by a complex polished crown and matching pushers. Girard-Perregaux crowns this handsome case with Aston Martin’s famous winged emblem emblazoned across the sapphire display caseback. Girard-Perregaux backs up the watch’s sporty character with solid performance, rating the Laureato Chronograph – Aston Martin Edition for an adventure-ready 100 meters of water resistance.

The dial is the real centerpiece of the Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph – Aston Martin Edition, but beyond its striking aesthetics this unique twist on the Laureato formula tells a subtle and deftly integrated story of Aston Martin’s legendary heritage. The first element in this visual narrative is the dial surface itself. British Racing Green is a color with over a century of sporting heritage behind it, and while the verdant hue has taken on many different iterations under a wide variety of British automakers, Aston Martin has carved out a uniquely rich and dramatic shade for itself. This deep, sumptuous metallic green with heavy blue undertones has graced race cars from Carroll Shelby’s Le Mans-winning 1959 Aston Martin DBR1 to Aston Martin’s AMR21 2021 Formula 1 challenger driven by Lance Stroll and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. It’s a color with ties to both sporting excellence and timeless refinement, and Girard-Perregaux has lovingly reproduced this exact green shade with a dramatic sunburst finish. This is no easy effect to achieve, as Girard-Perregaux applies seven distinct layers of paint over 21 individual applications to achieve the exact color and finish.

The dial surface itself ties further into Aston Martin design both past and present, thanks to its engraved crosshatch texture. While this diamond-pattern surface serves as an engagingly unique riff on the textured dial surfacing common among integrated-bracelet sports watches, it also references both the diamond pattern of Aston Martin’s 1921 “AM” logo and the luxe quilted seats that make the interiors of Aston Martin’s modern sports cars so uniquely striking. Girard-Perregaux pairs this complex dial surface with hardware in sporty modern black, with skeleton hands, contrasting brushed subdial rings, a matching black outer chapter ring, and slim beveled applied indices. The overall effect skirts the line between modern and timeless with finesse, with enough aggressive sporty character to properly pay tribute to Aston Martin’s vibrant racing spirit. Girard-Perregaux slips in another tribute to the British brand’s design heritage with the central chronograph seconds hand, which uses a counterweight evoking Aston Martin’s trademark side strakes made famous by the 1958 DB4.

Girard-Perregaux equips the Laureato Chronograph – Aston Martin Edition with its in-house GP03300-0141 automatic chronograph movement. Attractively decorated with a blend of Côtes de Genève, gold filled engravings, perlage, and heat blued screws, the GP03300-0141 is as capable as it is handsome. Girard-Perregaux rates the movement for a capable 46 hour power reserve at a smooth 28,800 bph beat rate.

So much of the character of the Laureato series’ design comes from its integrated bracelet, and Girard-Perregaux preserves this for the Laureato Chronograph – Aston Martin Edition with a sleekly tapering H-link bracelet in 904L stainless steel. The liquid shine of the polished center links gives this design an eye-catching flash all the way round the wrist, while the seamless flowing form of the brushed H-links gives the entire watch a cohesive, unified look with an effortlessly comfortable feel.

Combining the rich heritage and modern sporting prowess of both Aston Martin and the Laureato series is no mean feat, but the limited-run Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph – Aston Martin Edition goes above and beyond with a design that stands as one of the brand’s handsomest in its own right. Only 188 examples of the Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph – Aston Martin Edition will be made, and the watch is available now through authorized dealers at an MSRP of $18,100. For more information, visit Girard-Perregaux’s website.

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