Car maker and watch company collaborations can be, er, interesting. The verges of Watchworld (oh yes, all this and bad puns too) are littered with a few collabs that would make Dr Frankenstein blush. Others are just a bit meh, despite all the fanfare. Often it?s a lack of synergy between the two firms with one vying for design supremacy over the other or simply just good, old-fashioned ?make the logo bigger? branding fuss. One sometimes senses a racing or automotive collaboration gets used to add a little missing shine to an otherwise dull watch.
Girard-Perregaux is a watchmaker that is already quite shiny enough, thank you. Look at what they?ve been up to lately – there?s the Bamford Watch Department collaboration with the ceramic Ghost Laureato and the wonderfully nuts LED quartz Casquette recreation for a start. And now there?s this tie-up with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team. Fortunately, they didn?t want the entire name on the dial or it would need a fold-out section.
The Laureato on which the watch is based has been around a while – since the early 1970s.  Originally designed by GP?s own Adolfo Natalini, that distinctive case was originally designed to house a quartz movement, one that GP had helped to develop. Over time, the octagonal bezel has become more pronounced and the case has housed everything from skeleton three-handers to full-on chronographs like the earlier Laureato Aston Martin in stainless steel. But this one is...