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lot 48

Girard-Perregaux

Laureato Skeleton

Estimate CHF 15 000 / CHF 20 000
Starting bid CHF 15 000
Hammer price CHF 31 000
Total bids 33
Buyer’s premium will not be charged

Specification

CaseBlack ceramic case, sapphire caseback, octagonal bezel
BraceletIntegrated black ceramic bracelet
DialSkelotonized blue dial with applied indices
MovementSkeletonized, blue, automatic movement with a rose gold rotor
Cal.GP 1800
Ref.81015
Case No.615
D=42 mm

Condition report

Case:Very good, only small signs of wear
Bracelet:Very good, only small signs of wear
Dial:Very good, mint condition
Movement:Very good, working properly
Amplitude (Dial on top/Lift angle 52):Approx 300 degrees
Accuracy (Dial on top):Approx + 5 sec/day
Box:Yes
Papers:Yes

Details

A superbly attractive, rare and skeletonised black ceramic numbered-edition mechanical wristwatch of the famous Swiss watch brand Girard-Perregaux, founded in 1791. Numbered edition launched in 2019. Case in black high-tech ceramic, diameter 42mm, 11.13mm thick, skeletonized dial, luminous hour and minute hands, luminous indexes, sapphire caseback. A blue coated caliber GP01800, self-winding, finely skeletonized, 18k rose gold skeletonized oscillating weight, power reserve up to 54 hours. Functions – indication of time in hours and minutes, small seconds hand at 10 o’clock. Black ceramic Girard-Perregaux bracelet, ceramic Girard-Perregaux triple-blade folding clasp. Numbered edition.

Lot essay

The revival of the Laureato collection occurred in 2016, when two commemorative limited-editions were introduced for the 225th anniversary of the company. It was a vintage-inspired piece, at least for the distinctive case design, sized accordingly to modern tastes and powered by a mechanical self-winding caliber, while the original 1975 version was fitted with a quartz movement. The fully-fledged comeback of the Laureato collection, as a pillar collection, happened in 2017, with a comprehensive range of 42mm, 38mm and 34mm watches, in steel, two-tone, titanium, ceramic or gold, with time-and-date movement, chronograph, tourbillon, and skeletonized calibres.

The 42mm Laureato Skeleton, first introduced in 2017, is a modern version of a luxury lifestyle sports watch that combines a comfortable wearing experience with an impressive presentation of the high-class skeletonized mechanical movement within. Girard-Perregaux produces it in stainless steel or in 18k rose gold, and also in black ceramic, as the present example. A modern Laureato is one of the finest examples of an elegant sports watch on an integral bracelet.

Special attention is paid to the impeccable hand finishing of the sharp internal angles. Only a few haute horlogerie brands undertake this extremely time-consuming operation

The traditional art of the skeleton watch, which has been present in watchmaking for many centuries, is characterized by a baroque style with finely trimmed skeletonized parts of the movement, where carving and engraving are used in abundance, so that the overall mechanism leaves the impression of a metallic lace. The style of skeletonization used by Girard-Perregaux in the development of the Laureato Skeleton belongs to the relatively recent art déco period, when watchmakers of the best watch brands began to abandon excessive detailing in favour of a more laconic and clearly expressed image, where pure geometry dominated. This style is emphasized in the present Laureato Skeleton Earth to Sky Edition by the use of a dark blue coating of the skeletonised mainplate and bridges, which gives the movement a somewhat technical character, as well as the costly use of manual labour in decorating all the components of the movement. The skeletonized mainplate, bridges and rotor are finally finished with fine straight grinding, chamfering and polishing, where special attention is paid to the impeccable hand finishing of the sharp internal angles. Only a few haute horlogerie brands undertake this extremely time-consuming operation, with most of them doing their best to avoid the additional cost of this work, which is nevertheless highly valued by connoisseurs and discerning collectors. It seems problematic to accurately calculate all the appropriately elaborated internal angles in the Laureato Skeleton movement – there are clearly more than two dozen of them.

The movement itself is the skeletonized version of the in-house Girard-Perregaux GP01800 self-winding caliber, which was further reinforced – for the first time in a GP1800 movement – by the use of a variable-inertia (free-sprung) balance.

Reasons to bid

The Laureato Skeleton Earth to Sky Edition Ref. 81015-32-432-32A is a superbly attractive purchase for the collector, offering the opportunity to obtain an attractive, rare and spectacular mechanical métiers d’art wristwatch with haute horlogerie skeletonized movement from a world-famous traditional watch brand, one of the undoubted leaders in the haute horlogerie watch market. This watch is an impressive showpiece of traditional craftsmanship, and a kind of skeletonization art masterpiece, destined to be worn on the wrist. The refined finish of the skeletonized movement includes the impeccable hand polishing of the sharp internal angles, this is the most valuable thing to look for in a skeletonized watch.