Girard-Perregaux Unveils Williams Blue Laureato Editions
Girard-Perregaux is changing lanes again in Formula 1. After its high-profile spell with Aston Martin, the La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture is moving to the Atlassian Williams F1 Team for the 2026 season – and it’s marking the switch not with a logo tweak, but with a full-blooded, Williams-blue take on its flagship Laureato.
Two watches launch the partnership: a 42mm automatic time-and-date and a 42mm chronograph. Same platform, same racing DNA, very different personalities.
From Ferrari to Aston to Williams
This isn’t some sudden flirtation with motorsport. Girard-Perregaux has been circling the paddock for decades. In the 1990s, it produced a string of co-branded models with Ferrari. More recently, it sat on the Aston Martin pit wall from 2021 to 2025.
Now comes the next chapter. A new team, a new colour, and a familiar watch.
The Laureato is one of the original integrated-bracelet sports watches, first launched in 1975, two years before Williams entered Formula 1. Nearly 50 years on, it remains the cornerstone of the brand’s sport-luxury offering, recently refreshed with the Laureato Fifty anniversary pieces and classic steel models in 39mm and 36mm. That celebration also brought a new automatic engine, the calibre GP4800, into the catalogue.
For Williams, though, Girard-Perregaux sticks to tried-and-tested mechanics and lets the design do the talking.
Williams FW48 in Watch Form
Both new references lean heavily on the Williams FW48, the team’s 2026 challenger. The link is not subtle: the dials wear a bold Williams blue, cut with a Clous de Paris pattern that gives the surface a technical, gridded feel, like a machined component straight from the garage.
Red highlights trace the keyline, adding a racing-stripe edge to the otherwise cool palette. Rhodium-plated hands, applied indices and, on the chronograph, sub-dial rings sharpen the contrast and keep legibility high under harsh light.
At 12 o’clock, a discreet Williams “W” replaces any doubt about the inspiration. Flip the watch over and the connection continues, with a metallised Williams emblem on the caseback sealing the collaboration.
Steel cases, integrated bracelets, and 100m water resistance confirm the intent: these are proper sports watches dressed for the paddock, not fragile souvenirs.
Laureato Williams Edition 42mm
The first piece is the purist’s choice: a three-hand automatic with date, in a 42mm steel case that carries all the Laureato hallmarks. The octagonal bezel sits over the tonneau-style mid-case, flowing straight into the integrated steel bracelet. The profile stays sleek at 10.68mm, slipping easily under a cuff despite its presence on the wrist.
Water resistance is rated at 100m, underlining its everyday, go-anywhere brief. The Williams blue dial dominates the view, with the colour extending even to the date disc for a cleaner, more considered look.
Inside, Girard-Perregaux fits the calibre GP1800, a slim automatic movement with a 54-hour power reserve and a 4Hz beat rate. It’s a relatively large calibre, which suits the 42mm case and helps keep the watch thin.
This Laureato Williams Edition 42mm is a special edition, but not a limited one. It will sit in the catalogue at EUR 15,900 or USD 16,200.
- 42mm x 10.68mm stainless steel case, sapphire crystals, 100m water resistance
- Williams blue Clous de Paris dial with date
- Calibre GP1800 automatic, 4Hz, 54-hour power reserve
- Integrated steel bracelet with triple folding clasp
- Reference 81010-11-3680-1GM
Laureato Chronograph Williams Edition
If the time-and-date model hints at speed, the chronograph spells it out.
The Laureato Chronograph Williams Edition also measures 42mm, but steps up the aggression with a 904L steel case, a crown guard, and screwed pushers that visually anchor the right flank of the watch. Thickness rises to 12.16mm, still restrained for a mechanical chronograph with serious water resistance.
Again, it’s rated to 100m. Again, the dial is Williams blue with an embossed Clous de Paris pattern. Here, the rhodium-plated elements dominate: hands, markers, and chronograph rings all catch the light. A single red flash on the central chronograph seconds hand brings the racing pulse.
Under the hood is the calibre GP03300-2451, an automatic modular chronograph with 63 jewels and 419 components. It beats at 4Hz and offers 46 hours of power reserve – a compact, intricate engine consistent with Girard-Perregaux’s fine-watchmaking roots.
Like its sibling, the chronograph is a non-limited special edition, priced at EUR 20,500 or USD 20,900.
- 42mm x 12.16mm 904L steel case, sapphire crystals, 100m water resistance
- Williams blue Clous de Paris chronograph dial
- Calibre GP03300-2451 automatic modular chronograph, 4Hz, 46-hour power reserve
- Integrated 904L steel bracelet with triple folding clasp
- Reference 81020-11-3681-1GM
From Ferrari red to Aston green and now Williams blue, Girard-Perregaux has learned how to translate team identity into metal and lacquer. The question is no longer whether the partnership looks the part. It’s how far these Laureato Williams Editions will travel beyond the paddock and onto the wrists of collectors who care as much about grid position as they do about finishing on time.
