The 1970s was the golden age for unorthodox sports watch designs. Details such as prominent bezels, slim case profiles made of steel, and an integrated bracelet were all the rage after Gérald Genta’s trailblazing Audemars Piguet Royal Oak debuted in 1972. Other design trendsetters of the era included the Patek Philippe Nautilus and the redesigned IWC Ingenieur SI ? both designed by Genta ? which both popped up in 1976. Only one year later, the Vacheron Constantin 222 and Rolex OysterQuartz showed up to the scene. All of these iconic models still exist in some shape or form today (other than the OysterQuartz, which stopped production in 2002), illustrating just how much the ’70’s watch industry was defined by these watches.
Yet, the second watch released from this budding school of design ? the Girard-Perregaux Laureato ? has been underappreciated by many for too long. Originally released in 1975, this watch was characterized by its gold octagonal bezel, white honeycomb ?Clous de Paris? dial, integrated steel bracelet with gold inserts, and a very 1970s quartz movement. The Laureato has remained in Girard-Perregaux?s collection ever since, taking on a number of changes over the years, including new complications such as chronographs and a tourbillon, to a transition from a quartz movement to a mechanical movement in 1995, even to bringing the case diameter up to 44 mm and adding rubber elements in the early 2000s with a special-edition model, the Laurea...