In this skeleton watch launched towards the end of 2017, Girard-Perregaux reveals the bones and the beating heart of its star product. The Laureato Flying Tourbillon Skeleton is available in rose gold (and also white gold), with an openworked movement set at a rakish angle. Near the top of the dial we see a new departure for the watchmaker – a flying tourbillon. The movement is the focus of attention. Its skeletonisation brings to mind the classic latticework that used to be common before the technical openwork style grew more popular, when severe angles and squared-off bridges replaced curves and arches. The GP09520 calibre is a symphony of curves, accentuated by their eccentric placement.
We are used to seeing tourbillons located on a symmetrical axis, with the regulating organ at 12 or, more commonly, 6 o’clock. The Laureato Flying Tourbillon Skeleton is canted to one side. An axis through the barrel and the tourbillon bisects the movement between 11 to 5 o’clock. The contrasting colours – all the structural components are picked out in black – highlight the unusual arrangement.
But it’s obviously the tourbillon that really captures the attention. Its cage, balance, wheels and bridges are a lustrous silver colour that cuts past the movement and case. Flying tourbillons are extremely rare at Girard-Perregaux. The point of a flying tourbillon is that it has no upper bridge, bringing the focus to the tourbillon cage and its rotation. The calibre GP09520 bears a strong resemblance to the movement that drives the Laureato Skeleton, which has no tourbillon. Because Girard-Perregaux likes nothing better than to play around with the shape of its bridges, they have grafted a rotating regulating organ onto that structure. It’s a far from simple operation, as any surgeon could tell you! The shape of the cage is the watchmaker’s own, a lyre shape with curved arms.
The overall effect conveys everything you need to know about Girard-Perregaux. It’s technical, modern and contemporary, and imbued with the kind of savoir-faire doesn’t come overnight. The colour play is bold, and the omnipresence of rose gold, which is reinforced by the dynamic lines of the Laureato, is muted only by the slender black metal struts visible within the movement. The latest in the range demonstrates a willingness to push the Laureato forward on all fronts, and advertises its ability to accommodate every complication, all materials and countless interpretations.
