The Girrard-Perregaux Laureato Three Gold Bridges Has Changed My Mind

I rarely speak negatively about brands or watches here on The Subdial.

It just doesn’t feel right. If I’m going to take the time to research, write and ultimately share something, why would I do that for something I’m not particularly interested in? It doesn’t make sense to me. If I can be excited about something, why wouldn’t I?

Some take my overly positive coverage as a lack of journalistic integrity or bias, and you know what? They’re at least a little right. But the truth is, if I don’t like something, I physically can’t write about it. If I try, my fingers will cramp up and my chest tightens. I’ll show you, let me talk about the Cubitus……….. Nope, can’t do it.

This physiological aversion is why I haven’t covered Girard-Perregaux much. Although I respect the brand hugely, its watches don’t ‘spark joy’ in me like others do, except for the Laureate Absolute Aston Martin Edition, love that thing. As for the rest of them, there’s something about the design, wearability or positioning that makes me feel slightly uncomfortable. I can’t explain it. However, this all changed last night when I received a press release for the new Laureato Three Gold Bridges in my email. I was shocked out of my sleepy daze immediately. This is it. This is the connection I’ve wanted to feel for GP.
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Finally, the graduate has graduated. Bellissimo!

Finally, A Laureato I Can Love

The Laureato, or ‘Graduate’ in Italian, was released in 1975 as a quartz watch at a time when mechanical watchmaking was having a difficult moment (a bit like my early teens). Unlike its peers the Royal Oak and Nautilus, the decision to lean into quartz would have been a scary one, embracing new technology always is. Girard Perregaux saw where the industry was headed and went with it.

Since then, the Laureato has grown in size and range, but has stuck close to its original design codes. The octagonal bezel resting on top of a circular plinth, the integrated bracelet and its Clous de Paris dial all became hallmarks of the Graduate over the years. As I look back at its lineage, I can’t help but notice that Girrard-Perregaux couldn’t quite crack the code for this watch. Like me in my early teens, it’s always looked a little awkward. It’s frustrating because the ingredients for something truly great have always been there.

That brings us to the latest and, in my opinion, best, Laureato, the Three Gold Bridges. It’s 41 mm, steel, with a movement that shares its design with their more traditional collection. Game changer.

The Three Gold Bridges

As the name suggests, the new in-house Calibre GP9620 shows off the brand’s iconic bridge architecture. First developed in 1867, so that Constant Girard didn’t have to hide what he had worked so hard to for, finishing. It was one of the first movements that was created with open working as a structural feature, not just an aesthetic one added (or taken away) after the movement was created.

All three bridges of the GP9620 are in white gold, the top securing the barrel and platinum micro rotor, the middle supporting the gear train and motion works and the lower holding the tourbillon. Each bridge is open worked and has more inward angles than a geometrician’s workshop. For the nerds out there, the calibre has a total of 418 hand polished angels, 362 of which are inward.

The movement sits slightly below the minute track, giving the bridges some vertical breathing space. The whole package has a striking visual symmetry that no previous Laureato has had. Breaking up the monochromatic theme are three huge purple jewels that anchor the main pivot points on both the front and the back. They pop!

It’s a bold statement, but this movement is one of the best executions of open working I’ve ever seen. It’s so ornate yet entirely pragmatic. The bridges are diamond like in their finishing, but also increase torsional stiffness dramatically. It’s a marriage of engineering and art. Everything has its purpose and fulfils that purpose with elegance and beauty.

As a side note, there’s a small white gold plate on the base of the movement that’s sighed by the master watchmaker that assembled and finished it. With that it mind, If I hear anyone complaining about how the bridge screws are misaligned, I’m going to find that watchmaker, and we'll cause some trouble. Got it?! Good.

Proportion Worthy Of A Graduate

A white gold bezel to match the bridges sits on top of a steel case and bracelet that at first glance looks identical to its brothers in the range. Look a little closer, however, and the differences are many. The case has been completely reworked with deeper bevels and broader polished facets. The bracelet, known as ‘the polishers' nightmare’, has domed centre links that will scratch If you look at them the wrong way, and the triple folding clasp has these wonderful little faceted pushers to match the bezel. A really nice touch.

Four millimetres of micro adjustment are also built in, which to be honest should be a standard feature these days. Although some brands haven’t received the memo. What will come first, you think, GTA 6 or micro adjust on a Grand Seiko?

These changes don’t sound like much, and to be honest, they aren’t. But somehow, they have completely transformed the visual aesthetics of the Laureato. It’s lost its awkward teenager proportions and grown in to a handsome and confident young man (I’m still waiting for the same to happen to me). It’s iterative design at its best.

With this watch, GP has broken down the door and proven that it deserves a place at the top of the watchmaking tree. To my eye, the Laureato finally looks right, and is confident enough in its skin to be fully respected among its peers.
As I said at the top of the article, I have a huge amount of respect for Girard Perregaux. Its history, technical achievements and artistic chops place it among the very best in the industry. GP sits right beside Patek Philippe, Audemars Piquet and Vacheron Constantin in terms of raw watchmaking ability and now, finally, their flagship watch has found its feet.

I just hope they take what they have learned and apply the same thinking to the rest of the line. If they do, I fear a Laureato will be making it's way on to my wish list.

Cya in the next one x.