Hands-On: Girard-Perregaux Debuts Laureato Chronograph Ti49

Girard-Perregaux is celebrating the 49th anniversary of the Laureato Chronograph with its first titanium version. Launched in 1975 as one of the great luxury sports watches with a bracelet, alongside the Audemars Piguets Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus, to name a couple, the Laureato Chronograph has since become a permanent fixture in the Girard-Perregaux collection. While the Swiss manufacture has offered other titanium executions of the Laureato, Laureato Chronograph Ti49 is the first to be clad in grade 5 titanium.

The lightweight, yet durable and anti allergenic case, which measures 42mm wide and is just 12mm thick (with 100 m of water resistance), alongside its integrated bracelet is meticulously finished with a mix of polished and satin-touched surfaces. The same goes for the gray dial, which features the Laureato's signature "Clous de Paris" guilloché pattern, which provides a magnificent backdrop for the grooved sub-dials and the discreet date indication between 4 and 5 o'clock.

Titanium is a difficult material to work with but Girard-Perregaux has done a fantastic job particularly on the polished sections on the bezel and bracelet as well as with the chamfering throughout. In fact, there is a healthy amount of polishing when factoring in the center links, the crown and pushers, and the bezel. Too often titanium watches can come off flat but that isn't the case here at all. Also it is worth noting that the tolerances on the bracelet are particularly impressive with little to no noticeable additional gaps between the links when compared to the steel version.

The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Ti49 is powered by the self-winding GP03300-0141 chronograph caliber, which boasts a 46-hour power reserve when fully wound and is concealed behind a closed case back.

The Ti49 will hopefully be the first of several Laureato watches done in titanium. Considering they started with one of the bigger watches in the collection, a titanium version of the 38mm time only Laureato would be met with a lot of praise and interest. The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Ti49 is priced at $19,400 which amounts to a modest $800 premium over the steel model.

To learn more, visit Girard-Perregaux, here.