Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin Unveils the Laureato in Green Ceramic

Girard-Perregaux is joined by Aston Martin to premiere a special edition of the Maison’s signature Laureato model. For the first time, the timepiece will be attired in a green ceramic build and will be offered in both 42mm and 38mm case sizes in a limited quantity.

Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin proudly present the Laureato Green Ceramic Aston Martin Edition, the first Laureato timepiece to feature a green ceramic case and bracelet. This is the latest collaboration between the prestigious Swiss maison and the British ultra-luxury marque, two institutions with a rich history of creating iconic products that stand the test of time, through excellence in design, materials and craftsmanship.

While some of the materials used for this new timepiece are ultra-modern, the essence of Girard-Perregaux’s inaugural 1975 Laureato, which translates to English as ‘Graduate’ and was named following the 1970s film, has been respected. The highly exclusive Laureato Green Ceramic Aston Martin Edition is offered in a choice of two case sizes – 42mm and 38mm – and limited to just 388 and 188 examples.

Sleek, contemporary and notably elegant, the design of the Laureato Green Ceramic Aston Martin Edition encompasses elements inspired by Aston Martin cars, from powerful engines to sleek contours and lightweight construction. It is this latter trait which encouraged Girard-Perregaux to equip this new model with skeletonised ‘baton’ type hour and minute hands, both light and functional. The watch dial is presented in a cross-hatch design, a diamond-like pattern found on Aston Martin’s original ‘AM’ logo used from 1921-1926, as well as the quilted leather upholstery found in some of the marque’s high-performance vehicles.

In the same way that the timeless design of the Laureato has attracted the admiration of enlightened commentators and watch aficionados, Aston Martin has repeatedly shown its prowess for sculpting iconic shapes that have never lost their appeal. Whether it’s a DB4 of the early 60s, a DBS V8 of the 70s or a modern-day Vantage, all models share the same attributes of elegance, luxury and performance.

Aston Martin’s iconic association with the colour green began many decades ago, when manufacturers raced in the colours of their country of origin, in this case British Racing Green. Since then, Aston Martin racing cars have competed in various shades of green before resting on the now familiar Aston Martin Racing Green, which adorns its Formula 1® cars. It was a logical conclusion for this co-branded timepiece to be dressed in green, a colour that evokes thoughts of performance and success.

Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Girard-Perregaux, said: “From the outset, the design of the Laureato was distinctive, yet cohesive. Its styling encompassed geometric, clean-cut lines while exhibiting a slightly gentle character. Contrasting polished and satin finished surfaces, an ergonomic integrated bracelet and, of course, as always, an in-house movement… these are the essential ingredients which have made the Laureato a remarkable success. The same ingredients are much in evidence with the new Laureato Green Ceramic Aston Martin Edition, along with the addition of an interesting, highly contemporary material”.

Marek Reichman, Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, of Aston Martin added: “Our goal was to conceive an advanced luxury product. Interestingly, Patrick and I spent a lot of time talking about the folklore of the Laureato and the design play between shape and proportion of its iconic bezel. When he shared GP’s exploration into the optical properties of technical ceramics, micro beads and microns, I became quite enchanted by this idea of the past becoming the future. We’re always exploring combinations of technology, colour, and materials in Aston Martin sports cars to enrich performance, functionality and owner enjoyment. Together we’ve fused these ideas and attributes to generate this cool new Aston Martin GP Laureato”.

Both Aston Martin and Girard-Perregaux operate within a world of excellence, where time-honoured skills imbue products with a distinctive character and an enduring quality, creating rare objects that confer lasting appeal. The Laureato Green Ceramic Aston Martin Edition is the latest offering from this unique collaboration, which began in 2021.

Presented in a 42mm or 38mm model, the new timepiece will be available to buy worldwide in selected Girard-Perregaux retailers from June 2023. For more information, come into the beautiful and timeless world of Girard-Perregaux.

Kering Group is playing its part in combating the Covid-19 pandemic in France.

Founded in 1963 by François Pinault, Kering S.A. is a French multinational corporation and conglomerate headquartered in Paris, France. Its portfolio includes luxury brands specialized in the design, the making and the sale of fine products, especially in the fashion, leather-goods, shoes, watches and jewelry sectors: Gucci (fashion), Yves Saint Laurent (fashion), Boucheron (jewels and watches), Bottega Veneta (fashion, leathergoods), Balenciaga (fashion), Girard-Perregaux (watches), Alexander McQueen (fashion), Pomellato (jewels), Ulysse Nardin (watches), a.o..

The Kering Foundation is committed to defending women’s dignity and rights by combating violence against women and promoting women’s empowerment. Since 2009, the Foundation initiated 47 partnerships with NGOs and supported many social projects oriented towards women’s rights. Many of ‘their’ brands have their own philanthropic projects with the support of the Kering Foundation.

Now the Kering Group is playing its part in combating the Covid-19 pandemic in France. In the days ahead, Kering will provide the French health service with 3 million surgical masks, which the Group will purchase and import from China.

Meanwhile, the French workshops of Kering’s Houses Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent are preparing to manufacture masks while complying with the strictest health protection measures for their staff members, with production getting underway as soon as the manufacturing process and materials have been approved by the relevant authorities.

With a view to providing a lasting response to the current pandemic, Kering has made a financial donation to the French Institut Pasteur to support its research into Covid-19. On March 11 in Italy, Kering and its Houses made donations to the four major foundation hospitals in Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany and Lazio.

More recently, Gucci responded to a call to fashion companies from the Regione Toscana for surgical masks and medical overalls, and could be able to donate 1.100.000 surgical masks and 55.000 medical overalls in the coming weeks, subject to relevant authorizations.

On January 28 in China, Kering and its Houses announced a donation to the Hubei Red Cross Foundation to help fight the spread of the virus.

 

 

 

Place Vendôme for charity

Only Watch Charity Auction is a non-profit to benefit Monaco Association against Muscular Dystrophy (A.M.M) founded in 2001 ‘by parents of children suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy who decided to unite their resources and shared experience to support progress on scientific and medical research’.

The Auction itself is biennial. Every watch being auctioned is a one-of-a-kind creation and donated by the brands. In 2013, there were 33 extremely generous brands whom participated by submitting a watch. 100% of the more than $6 million raised was donated to the charity. That’s some serious love from the watch industry! So far, 43 brands have committed a timepiece to Only Watch, 2015!

What’s also exciting for the 6th iteration of the Only Watch Auction is that it was hosted by Phillips Auction in association with Bacs and Russo. The Auction will took place on November 7th, 2015, after the complete collection of Only Watch, 2015 watches made a world tour!

Some vèry complicated, some vèry luxurious or sumptuous, but all vèry beautiful and extraordinary watches. I have a total weekness for French jeweler watches like Boivin, Boucheron, Chaumet, Mauboussin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Poiray and ofcourse Cartier. Now on Only Watch, 2015 are two of my favorite ‘Place Vendôme’ brands: Van Cleef & Arpels and Boucheron.

 

Van Cleef & Arpels Pierre Arpels Heure d’ici & Heure d’ailleurs

For Only Watch 2015, Van Cleef & Arpels has created a unique Pierre Arpels Heure d’ici & Heure d’ailleurs timepiece, illustrating the brand’s vision of travel and their lasting ties with Monaco. A complication piece with dual time zone function, it pays tribute to the Principality with its dial displaying a radiant Mediterranean blue with a pique motif at its center. Crafted with the brand’s ‘Poetry of Time’ philosophy, it celebrates the beauty of the moment and the promise of distant, fairer horizons.

 

 

Van Cleef & Arpels Pierre Arpels Heure d’ici & Heure d’ailleurs

Measuring 42mm, the white gold case is fitted with a self-winding movement developed by Agenhor exclusively for Van Cleef & Arpels. The winding micro-rotor is made of solid platinum, with 48 hours of power reserve and double jump hour and retrograde minute complications.

 

Boucheron Epure Vauge De Lumière

Also Boucheron invokes the power and the beauty of the seas with their entry into Only Watch 2015 in Monaco

Boucheron Epure Vauge De Lumière

The unique Boucheron Epure Vague de Lumière was created for Only Watch’s 2015 charity auction. The wave featured on the dial is a three-dimensional sculpture in white gold that stands away from the sea represented by aventurine glass. Inspired by the artist Hokusai, the hollow carving is paved with both round and baguette diamonds using marquetry to create the shimmering wave as it unfolds onto aventurine glass. 

Boucheron Epure Vauge De Lumière

The 41 mm white gold case features Double Gadroons and Cabochons, signatures of Maison Boucheron, and is engraved ‘Pièce Unique 1/1’ on the exhibition caseback.  Timekeeping is provided by the automatic caliber GP400 manufactured by Girard Perregaux. To complement the dark blue glass background, the watch is fitted on a blue alligator strap. 

 

 

I count only the joyful hours with Boucheron’s new Épure watch

French Maison Boucheron has created, after their iconic Reflet and Carrée watches, a new timeless watch. With the hallmarks of this famous Parisian jeweller encapsulated in an elegantly simple design, the new Épure is tipped to become a classic men’s watch,

Translated from French, the word épure means ‘working drawing’ or sketch, evident in the clean and precise lines of the watch. You can almost imagine the sharply etched pencil draft from which it was born lying on the drawing table.

As its name suggests, Boucheron’s Épure embodies a design approach as pure as morning light. Launched at Baselworld 2013, the beauty of the Épure lies in a rigorous design aesthetic that strips away the superfluous and glorifies exquisite nuances and rich materials. The iconic sculpted curves of mirror-polished gadroons and two glossy blue cabochon sapphires are the only embellishments this watch needs.

The double gadroon, or edging, seen on the bezel, the crown and the golden circle on the dial is a leitmotif of the house, created by the founder Frédéric Boucheron in 1889. This motif was inspired by the ribbed double-bands of metalwork or stone found on Parisian landmarks, such as the monumental Eiffel Tower. Today this design element is very much present in Boucheron’s ‘Quatre’ jewels as well as the new Épure watches.

Electric blue in colour, the cabochon has a subtle glow that is unique to the intimate savoir-faire of the Jeweler of Lights. Known as the ‘oracle stone’ in antiquity, this polished sapphire is positioned at the top of the winding crown and of the dial, drawing attention to this iconic Maison Boucheron motif more than ever before.

It’s not surprising that ‘the jeweller of light’ is playing with the sun in a new way. With just one small movement of the wrist, rays bounce off the shiny golden surfaces, glow against the satin finish of the dial and race across the curved glass. The entire case of the watch is lens-shaped, giving it its sculptural form, with refined lugs that hug the wrist.

 

With the Epure collection, Maison Boucheron becomes an architect of time. With its strong lines, and classic esthetic, the Maison plays on contrasts that come together in a celebration of simplicity, this promising a new and timeless elegance.

Je ne sonne que des heures heureuses.

Available in both 38mm and 42mm models in white or rose gold, variants include a tourbillon as well as diamond-set bezel options. All the Épure watches are powered by the GP 4000, a sophisticated Girard-Perregaux movement made in Switzerland. The movement is visible through the case back, and the oscillating mass is decorated with a charming cut-out in the form of a ‘champagne cork’, another house design cue. A small champagne cork can be found stamped into the gold on the inside of all Boucheron jewels.

Boucheron Épure watch in rose gold 38mm.

 

Boucheron Épure watch in white gold and diamonds 38mm.

 

 

Boucheron Épure watch in white gold 42mm.

 

 

Boucheron Épure watch in white gold with white dial 42mm.

 

 

Boucheron Épure watch in white gold and diamonds with white dial 42mm.

 

Boucheron Épure Tourbillon in white gold with white dialwatch 43mm.

 

On the back of the watch you will see the engraving ‘Je ne sonne que des heures heureuses’, which also harks back to the maison’s history. Frédéric Boucheron, who founded the firm in 1858, first set up shop in the arcades of the Palais-Royal. From here he could see a small cannon, which was fired each noon to help the good gentlemen of Paris set their watches precisely. The cannon was engraved with this phrase in Latin. Being of a romantic nature, Boucheron was so taken with the inscription that he made it the firm’s motto, which is why you will find it on the back of each and every Épure watch. The phrase translates as ‘I count only the joyful hours’, a very positive attitude to timekeeping.

More than just a timepiece, Épure is a philosophy of life : It preserves only the essential to brighten life’s most joyful hours.

The Boucheron Épure Collection is available now at Boucheron boutiques and selected stores worldwide. Come into the beautuful world of Boucheron.