* Girard-Perregaux, that is. But it will still remind you of glorious British races
This, along with a lucrative F1 sponsorship, is the result of Aston Martin’s collaboration with watchmaker Girard-Perregaux. It’s a relationship that started this year, despite Aston saying the partnership is also a “real friendship between Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin,” which sounds nice.
However, the core of Girard-Perregaux’s game for the limited “Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition” is that the emerald green dial is linked to both the Laureato’s chronograph function (i.e. timing races) and Aston Martin’s racing history. Most clearly with the DBR-1, but also with today’s F1 efforts.
For those who don’t have a coffee table creaking under the weight of hardcover racing story books, the Aston Martin DBR-1 won Le Mans in 1959 while driving under what was then the official British Racing Green. For those scratching their heads over a modern Aston Martin F1 team, things get a little trickier. Lawrence Stroll, father of F1 driver Lance Stroll, bought Force India and changed it to Racing Point Force India, then just Racing Point, then Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team, after also buying a large part of Aston Martin. And the 2021 Aston F1 car is – you wouldn’t know – painted green.
Of course, Colin Chapman broke the chain of green British racing cars in the sixties with the Lotus 49 in gold leaf paint and was revived when Jaguar, Lotus or Aston Martin needed a bit of nostalgia to lean on.
The cross hatching, on the other hand, evidently evokes memories of the old round “AM” logo, before Aston got its wings, so to speak. And according to the official Bumf, proper car drilling can expect to find evidence of lightweight construction, racing and even the Aston DB4 side strikes around the clock. We looked but kept coming back with a GP Laureato with a green hatched dial. Your mileage may vary.
If you haven’t heard of the Laureato – or Girard-Perregaux, for that matter – don’t feel too clueless. Although Girard-Perregaux is one of the first Swiss top watchmakers, dating back to the 1790s, it never really set the world on fire like Audemars Piguet, for example. And so it is with the Laureato, a sports watch made of steel in the tradition of AP’s Royal Oak, which, however, suffers a bit in comparison and recognition value compared to the sports watch flag bearer. But that’s fine; even Patek Philippe’s attempt, the Nautilus, suffers for the same reason.
Girard-Perregaux has partnered with companies such as Lancia, BMW, Fiat and Ferrari in the past, with admittedly limited success in both branding and the watches it produces. Will that continue with Aston Martin? Well, all 188 copies of the Aston Martin Edition are already sold out, if that’s any indication. Now it’s on the shoulders – or actually wrists – of Vettel and Stroll Jr. Can they get enough podiums and enough official shots with a Girard-Perregaux wrapped around their wrists? Um … maybe.
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