Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm Sage Green Watch Review

The 1970s was a turbulent period in the history of the watch industry. It saw the advent of the quartz crisis that decimated the industry but also, by the end of the decade, became a golden era of integrated bracelet, steel sports watch design. Gerald Genta was at his prime with the Royal Oak, Nautilus and Ingenieur. But he by no means had the monopoly on this style of watch. It was in this atmosphere that the original Girard-Perregaux Laureato designed by Adolfo Natalini came to be. The legacy of which can be seen in the new Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm Sage Green.

Holding the watch up to the light, it’s easy to admire the flawless finishing across the steel case and bracelet. While integrated designs like this are now common to find in any material, steel is the OG. The practical nature of the metal, with its scratch resistance and anti-corrosion properties, makes it the ideal material for the bold shapes and facetted angles of this style of watch. The Laureato in particular makes great use of this in its octagonal bezel and the alternating brushed and polished finishing found across its design.

Strapping the watch on, it’s presented at a diameter of 38mm, which is the mid-range size nestled between GP’s 34mm and 42mm offerings. It’s a really, really nice size (it’s very thin too, with a thickness of just 10.02mm). It’s not so large as to compromise wearability but at the same time sacrificing no amount of wrist presence compared to the larger cousins. Of course, a key part in drawing people’s eye towards your wrist is the dial, which is where the Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm Sage Green really excels.

Girard-Perregaux first dabbled in sage green dials earlier this year with the launch of a 42mm edition in rose gold but for my money the colour works much better here, paired with the colder tone of the steel. Look up even the most basic aesthetic design guide to sage green and you’ll quickly learn that it pairs best with neutral tones like cream and beige and the cool silver of steel adheres to that philosophy much better than rich gold. Although gold isn’t fully absent as its present via the seconds hand and the GP logo that replaces the 12 o’clock numeral.

The pattern of the dial is a Laureato signature, Clous de Paris, a hobnail style of guilloché with a repeating motif of small pyramid shapes. It almost seems to trap light, reflecting off the many micro-surfaces, occasionally creating glimpses of a more intense green where it can otherwise appear quite grey a majority of the time.

Undoing the butterfly clasp and slipping the watch off lets you take a look at the exhibition caseback. It reveals the GP03300-2476 automatic movement housed inside, which just like the case is finished immaculately, including the pink gold rotor. It sports a 46-hour power reserve and operates at a frequency of 4 Hz. In terms of functions, it’s a classic time and date model with hours, minutes, seconds and date.

It’s priced at £12,700, which is not an inconsiderable amount, highlighting the other, less used moniker of integrated bracelet sports watches, Sports-Luxe. However, considering that this watch was created following requests from GP’s own fanbase for a smaller, steel sage green edition, I’m sure there will be plenty of appetite for it. Alongside this model, GP have released a second version in Midnight Blue, which will likely be just as anticipated, though I personally prefer the green.

More details at Girard-Perregaux.

​Oracle Time 

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