Girard-Perregaux marks 50 years of Laureato with four new references

Girard-Perregaux has made the Laureato’s 50th anniversary feel less like a commemorative stunt and more like a smart gift strategy. Instead of one trophy watch, the brand introduced four permanent Laureato Fifty references built around its in-house GP4800 movement, with the blue enamel 39 mm model and the diamond-set steel 36 mm version doing the most emotional heavy lifting for milestone buyers.

That matters because the Laureato is not a watch that needs a reboot. Launched in 1975, it is one of Girard-Perregaux’s defining designs, built around the octagonal bezel, integrated bracelet and Clous de Paris dial texture that helped make the model a sport-chic classic. Girard-Perregaux describes the original as the first and only fully in-house developed, designed and crafted integrated-bracelet watch, which gives the anniversary range real collector gravity even though it is not a one-off limited series across the board.

For the buyer looking for the safest high-luxury present, the 39 mm steel reference is the obvious pick, especially because it is limited to 200 pieces. It keeps the Laureato silhouette intact while signaling that this is the anniversary watch most likely to matter to collectors. The new GP4800 adds mechanical credibility, with 163 parts, 19 jewels, a 4 Hz beat rate, a silicium escapement, stop-seconds and a variable-inertia balance secured by four white-gold screws. Girard-Perregaux lists the power reserve at either a minimum of 55 hours or about 60 hours, which is more than enough for everyday wear.

The most romantic gift in the lineup is the 39 mm blue enamel version. Girard-Perregaux says it is the first blue enamel dial made in-house for the Laureato collection, and that alone makes it the piece to buy when the occasion calls for something that feels unmistakably special. The rose-gold balance bridge gives it a richer view through the caseback, while the enamel adds the kind of depth and light play that steel-only watches rarely deliver.

If the gift moment is more intimate, the 36 mm diamond-set steel model is the one that reads as polished and personal rather than loud. Its mirror-finished silver-toned Clous de Paris dial and bezel set with 64 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 0.55 ct make it the dressiest reference in the group, but it still stays close to the Laureato’s original architecture. The other 36 mm and 39 mm references round out the anniversary release, but these two are the ones that feel easiest to match to a real milestone, whether the goal is collector prestige, a celebration watch or the kind of present that will still feel considered years from now.