Girard Perregaux Laureato 42mm Titanium and Rose Gold 81010-26-183426A

Released at SIHH 2017, its fair to say the new Laureato was met with mixed responses, its detractors claiming an all-too close resemblance to another famous steel, octagonal sport watch with a patterned dial. But to dismiss it as an impostor would be doing yourself and it a disservice, especially as the Laureato has been around since 1975, pre-dating the Nautilus from Patek Philippe. But there is no need to defend the Laureato, as it does a pretty good job of doing that itself for those who take the time to delve into the details.

Starting with the Grade 5 Titanium case, which is perfectly proportioned, hitting that sweet spot of 42mm and 10.88mm thick. Atop this case lies a spectacular rose gold bezel, satin finished on its top and polished around the flanks and base, it surrounds a phenomenal blue dial and proves that the combination of gold and blue just can't be beaten. The dial is spectacular in pictures, but even better in person, with the metallic blue Clous de Paris pattern picking up and reflecting the light, and combining with the applied rose gold indices, hands and GP motif to create a dial of great depth. While we're on the dial, other manufacturers should take note of the date window execution. The colour is perfect, the font matching that of the rest of the watch, and size and positioning perfect.

It's mounted to a superbly constructed and articulated integrated bracelet to be ultra-comfortable on the wrist, and in this instance with the added luxury of 18k Rose Gold centre links which creates a striking colour combo against the grey of the titanium outer links. Its powered by an in-house automatic movement with hacking seconds, and features 50m of water resistance.

This particular piece was purchased locally in 2020 and presents in TZ Good condition. The case sides show some hairlines and swirlies, with the bezel showing very light rub marks/light scratching. There's a very minor ding on the outer edge of the bezel between 8 and 9 which downgrades it from 'Excellent' to 'Good' on our grading scale, but as you can see form the images it's in very nice condition. The case back shows rub marks on the polished surfaces. Please see images for full condition details.

Bracelet includes all links, and shows some desk diving marks throughout.

No service history, but a little new for that. All functions operating as they should, and keeping COSC time.

Includes outer box, inner box, warranty card dated November 2020, instruction booklet, hang tag, spare links to complete the bracelet and Watch Vault cleaning cloth.

RRP on this watch was over $40,000 AUD at current exchange rates. Save big on this example that's just a few years old.

Brand: Girard-Perregaux

Model #: 81010-26-183426A

Year: 2020

Style: Sport

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Case details: 42mm x 10.88mm

Movement: GP01800-0008 Self-winding mechanical movement

Dial: Metallic Blue

Hands: 18k Rose Gold

Paraphernalia: Outer box, inner box, warranty card dated November 2020, instruction booklet, hang tag, spare links to complete the bracelet and Watch Vault cleaning cloth

TZ Grading: Good

Watch Vault utilises the TZ grading system. Please see below for details.