lot 68

Girard-Perregaux

Laureato Tourbillon Meteorite

This watch was featured at the "Orchard of Time" auction

Starting bid CHF 35 000
Reserve not met, max bid CHF 36 000
Buy now price CHF 70 000
Total bids 2
Location
Remote warehouse
Daniel Isaak
Watch Expert / Watchmaker
Estimate
CHF 35 000 / CHF 70 000

Specification

CaseTitanium case with a sapphire caseback, octagonal bezel
BraceletIntegrated titanium bracelet
DialMeteorite dial with applied polished superluminous indices, Tourbillon indication at 6 o'clock
MovementRhodium-plated automatic movement, with a Tourbillon complication
Cal.GP9510
Ref.99115-21-194621A
Case No.3*
D=43 mm
Year2021

Condition report

Case:Very good, small signs of wear
Bracelet:Very good, small signs of wear
Dial:Mint condition
Movement:Very good, all functions working properly
Amplitude (Dial on top/Lift angle 52):Approx 330°
Accuracy (Dial on top):Approx +5 sec/day
Box:Yes
Papers:Yes

Details 

An extremely rare, attractive and impressive limited-edition titanium tourbillon wristwatch with meteorite dial of the famous Swiss watch brand Girard-Perregaux, founded in 1791. Estimated production period 2018–2022. Case in titanium, diameter 43 mm, 11.36 mm thick, sapphire caseback. Meteorite dial, luminous hour and minute hands, luminous applied indexes. Caliber GP09510-0003, self-winding, with tungsten mini-rotor, power reserve up to 47 hours. Functions – indication of time in hours and minutes, tourbillon at 6 o’clock. Laureato bracelet in titanium, triple folding clasp in stainless steel by Girard-Perregaux. Limited edition of 15 pieces. 

Lot essay 

The Laureato Tourbillon Meteorite Limited Edition, launched in 2022, is one of the rarest Laureato. Laureato Tourbillons aren’t widely available and are very rarely offered on the secondary market, while the main focus of the public is on automatic models and chronographs. Girard-Perregaux introduced two main versions of the Laureato Tourbillon in 2017 when it relaunched the Laureato collection. It should be noted that this was an internal competition, which is usually not intended by the brands. They're a non-skeletonized Ref. 99105 with mini rotor and tourbillon under the bridge in the iconic shape of Girard-Perregaux’s ‘golden bridge’ and the charismatic skeletonized Ref. 99110 with flying tourbillon and full-size self-winding rotor. Ref. 99105, available in either titanium and 18k rose gold or titanium and 18k white gold, has a 45 mm case. Apparently, this size was considered too large, while the skeletonized Ref. 99110 has a more compact 42 mm case. 

In 2018, the Laureato Tourbillon Ref. 99105 with the iconic ‘golden bridge’ was reissued as Ref. 99115. This time, it received a smaller 43-mm titanium case, a blue Clous-de-Paris dial, and a titanium bracelet of an integrated design. The 43mm case made the watch look even more impressive, as the caliber basically remained the same, but the gold mini-rotor was replaced with one made of tungsten, forcing the new GP09510-0003 caliber designation. The bridge in the legendary ‘golden bridge’ shape also kept its size, which significantly increases its presence on the dial of the reduced reference 99115, which becomes clear when compared to the 45mm 99105reference. 

Girard-Perregaux rarely makes watches with meteorite dials, which combined with the rarity of this limited edition makes this watch one of the finest complicated timepieces among luxury sports watches with integrated bracelet.

Both the 99105 and 99115 were produced in very small numbers and rarely appear on the secondary market, which increases their appeal as collector’s items. 

The present Laureato Tourbillon Meteorite is a very special watch, even among the rare Laureato Tourbillons. It was produced in a limited edition of 15 pieces and has a meteorite dial, an extremely rare option for a Girard-Perregaux watch. It’s probably the first Girard-Perregaux watch ever with a meteorite dial, at least we couldn’t find any other examples of this kind. The meteorite dial of the Laureato Tourbillon Meteorite conforms to the rules of the genre. Its surface features an attractive, angular texture characteristic of meteoric iron, making each timepiece unique. The Laureato Tourbillon Meteorite has appeared only once on the secondary market. So this is a great opportunity for collectors to own this incredibly rare and attractive watch. 

It should also be mentioned that the GP09510 caliber of the present watch was made exclusively for these four Laureato tourbillon references and is currently out of production. One of its features that distinguishes it from other Girard-Perregaux tourbillon calibers with gold bridges is the classic setting of the hands, but not the reversed setting. This is noticeable in the setting of the hour hand, which is traditionally under the minute hand, while it’s the other way around in the reversed hand setting. In the finishing of the GP09510 caliber, we find the traditional classic style characteristic of Girard-Perregaux’s in-house calibers. The meticulous finishing with wide double Côtes de Genève stripes, the perlage on the mainplate, the wide shiny chamfers, the skeletonized bridge of the tourbillon transmission wheel, the tourbillon installed between the branded ‘golden bridge’ (on the dial side) and the half ‘golden bridge’ (actually this is a bar; on the bridges side of a caliber), the engraved and blackened inscriptions and logo – all this makes the movement a real eye-catcher. 

Reasons to buy 

The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Tourbillon Meteorite Ref. 99115-21-194621A is a modern take on a luxury lifestyle sports watch, combining a comfortable wearing experience with an impressive presentation of the high-quality tourbillon caliber and unique meteorite dial. Girard-Perregaux rarely makes watches with meteorite dials, which combined with the rarity of this limited edition makes this watch one of the finest complicated timepieces among luxury sports watches with integrated bracelet.