Girard Perregaux

The “best” Laureato IMHO and the original gangster for generation 5. I don’t use the term “best” often.

The limited edition anniversary 225.

41 mm
10.1 mm (same as the 38 mm) (it wears flat and hugs the wrist).

Lug-to-lug 47.1 mm
Ref: 81000

Presented at SIHH in 2016 for the GP 225th anniversary.

Designed by Stefano Macaluso, it is the middle ground between the 38 mm and the 42 mm. It’s the most versatile size and holds tremendous heritage. Try to search for the 42 mm and you will see tons. Try to search for the 38 mm and you will mostly see the copper dial.

If you plan to only get/have one laureato in your collection, get this one.

The Silver dial is just as beautiful. ❤️

Two screen shots from chrono24 attached. In Singapore dollars so search yourself in your own currency.

Blue dials getting scarce. Silver dials will get there too.

Folks ask me for advice often … well, get this one. Simple. ☺️ No brainer. Seriously.

PS

Use the Search 🔍 for “81000”. I have written extensively about it and what the differences are from the 42 mm.

If you have further questions, just ask me here.

...Well, technically... : )

Or the 42 mm really 42 mm?

Go measure and see …

🤝

1) Case diameter means very little to how a watch wears. But yes, 1 mm does make a difference.
2) Far more importantly is Lug-to-Lug and thickness.
41 mm
Thickness - 10.1 mm
Lug to lug - 47.1 mm
42 mm (Blue date wheel)
Thickness - 11 mm
Lug to lug - 49.1 mm
Here you see the larger absolute differences.
3) Not that you brought this up, but I'll add.... in all hobbies of collecting, rarity and provenance is massive. Baseball cards or cars for example.
This is even more so with watch collecting (though brands will often want you to forget that so that they can sell more new watches). And yet (brands will come up with re-issues ) so they are stuck to remind you or not about originals.
Perhaps think about the Royal Oak 5402. Very few made and the series A are so highly prized by collectors.
So for the Laureato generation 5 which has been around since 2017 .... they ALL stem from this 41 mm ref 81000 of which only 225 were made in Blue dial and 225 made in silver dial.
Hope I answered your question.

It's a real shame, but I just can't get over this white date window. For me it's a foreign object on this beautiful blue dial. Why, why?

First it all thank you for the compliment 🤝

The white date window is the same as the polished bezel. It’s a nod of respect to the original laureato.

Hypothetically, if you had the option to buy the royal oak 5402 (39 mm) or a current production (and common” AP 15500 41 mm) both at the same price.

Which would your choice be?

But here I would DEFINITELY choose the RO because of the - for me  - far better date window solution.

I can't buy anything based on „historical reasons“. I see the watch on my wrist every day and can't keep saying to myself: I don't like it, but the design has historical reasons. 😎

1) 5402 - white date wheel
Rare etc. the first royal oak etc etc

2) 15500 - blue date wheel and current production and “common”.

Both same price etc.

So intro note your choice.

I’ll clarify somethings and then we can leave it or also carry on discussing in an open manner to try to understand each others POV. I’m fine with either. 🤝

1) Resale was never mentioned by me. You brought it up and seem to conflate collectibility with resale. I see them as potentially connected but not directly. A sketch of some cows by my niece when she was 5 is framed on my wall. It’s worthless from a monetary POV, but it means a lot to me. More so than any expert 3D rendering of cows I could buy. Why? Because quite simply, my niece drew it. So it’s not always about money. It’s about provenance.

2) My uncle used to collect stamps. The more rare the stamps the better. More exciting. The hunt. The thrill. Etc.

My buddy collects baseball cards. Same with him.

My wife collects books. The more rare (first edition and such) the more prized it is. To know possibly that the author himself held the book in his hands.

All three have never sold anything. The rarity for many a collector is half the challenge and fun. For these three as well and I suspect for many others.

3) I subscribe to the same school of thought as you … Watches are for wearing. I do however treat them well. I don’t play golf in them for example. I treat them like art. Not babied but not abused as well. Treated with respect.

Next …

I do not treat any watch as an “investment”. Having said that, with over 50 watches in my collection, I do not just plough money into watches blindly. I have often sold a watch to make space for another I wanted more. Either to free up cash or just to sell because I want a new car. It happens. And I sure as heck like it if I can sell it for more than I bought it. At least I know that the indulgence can perhaps sometimes not be a total extravagance.

So I do take the potential resale value into some account when deciding on a watch. It largely hinges on how much I buy it at. If I buy a watch at a crazy cheap price, I am usually confident that even if not a forever watch, I’ll be able to wear it for a year or so and then sell it and get back close to what I paid for it.

So for me, it would be the royal oak 5402 in a heartbeat. Designed by Gerald Genta himself and the first batch of royal oaks ever made in 1972.

Nothing about the size nor the blue date wheel impresses me about the 15500. And the rarity is negligible at best.

So yeah, I treat watches like art. The artist and the period in his life. The medium used and quantity made in the series are all factors I consider. I know watches can tell the time, but so can my phone. I would rather have an original Picasso on my wall then a print that can be downloaded from the Internet that is mass made. The print might be more vivid in color but to me, that’s not what my interpretation of collecting art is about.

Appreciate you sharing your thoughts. Different strokes for different folks.

🤝

I'm currently a bit busy with work, but I'll try to answer as best as I can.

I share your opinion about feelings and provenance completely!

And yes, the rarity might be half the challenge and fun.
This is of course a nice „asset“. Also the „objective“ value of a watch.

But for me it can never trump the most important maxim for the selection of a certain watch: my heart and my passion.

For me, watches are "life cast in a case".
Something very personal that I wear very close to my body. Therefore everything has to appeal to me in a positive and “perfect” way.

I don't make any compromises. And I can't convince myself to wear something that I personally don't like 100% just because other people think it's great. Or because it's rare and other people can't have it. Or because it has a certain history. That doesn't give me any satisfaction.

The watch has to stand for itself.

Of course, it is wise and smart not to lose sight of the resale value. But this point becomes crucial for me when I have to choose between two watches that I like equally.

For me, too, a watch is an art object. And much more. It represents the history of humanity, its constant striving for improvement, physics, chemistry, mathematics, philosophy etc.

Finally (to stick with your example of Picasso): if Picasso's art doesn't appeal to me emotionally, I wouldn't buy a painting by him (even if I could afford it financially) just because it's valuable or rare. There are certainly alternatives. For example, a David Hockney. Or the fascinating painting by a young, completely unknown painter that costs just 200 euros and touches me deeply.

All the best
Thomas

“life cast in a case" I like that term.

Watches that to me are not just what is “pretty”. Baltic is pretty. I don’t have any Baltics.

I look beyond the surface and this causes me to go behind “like” if a watch. It’s passion.

And this means to know the history and heritage and provenance of author, artist or maison and designer.

This is my main point. IMHO Too much is being said about oh “white date wheel” and such. It does not bother me and the provenance of this watch outweighs anything else.

Watches are just objects. It’s what they represent that is far more important to me. And the ones that were deemed special by the designer (Stefano Macaluso in this case who is someone I like and respect). We speak often and he often tells me about the blood sweat and tears that went into the design of the 41 mm laureato anniversary dial. THIS is what makes it special. And this is what makes me like it much more than any other 42 mm because “blue date wheel” laureato. Caring about a blue date wheel to that degree seems shallow IMHO.

When collecting art, Picasso or Hockney … either way, the originals are more special to me. Because I respect thr artists. And I want to have something from their hand. Again, it is shallow to me to get a print from the internet because the “color is nicer” …’ something I would do when I was 18 in my college dorm room. ☺️

As the common saying goes … buy the seller not the watch. It applies here too. Buy the designer and not the watch.

I buy the designer. The provenance and history. The watch represents the designer. It may or may not be exactly 100% of all I want, but it represents the designer and not the whims and commercial goals of a brands to sell to the masses. Stefano Macaluso wanted the date wheel white to respect the past. Same for the polished bezel.
The changes made were to appeases the masses … majority being uninformed hobbyist… that know nothing about the maison nor the designer. All the changes done for the 42 mm were for commercial and mass appeal reasons. Costs reasons too. Bracelet supplier changed to a cheaper option.

I hope my POV is more clear now and they others seriously consider the 41 mm. If they don’t, I don’t really care. It’s their loss.

I too appreciate your comments.

Have a good day ahead 🤝

If others don’t see what I see in the 41 mm, that is totally fine with me. I run a GP Fanclub group with 1,800 members and growing. What do I know right ? 😃

I too appreciate your comments and wish you a pleasant day ahead.

🤝

We may have slightly different approaches.

But this is something very personal and there is no right or wrong. What is 100 percent certain is that we share the same passion. And that is the good thing about it.

Cheers
Thomas

P.S.: And I appreciate your posts very much!

Thank you Thomas

Have you tried on both the 38 mm and 41 mm?

Curious to know why you don’t care about rarity … 🤔

Any weight given to provenance?

So you consider the 41 mm ugly? 🤔

I have to like the watch too. But certainly rarity and provenance play a significant part of my decision process.

Why do you ever regret they are rare ?

Oh, you haven’t said if you have tried on both the 38 mm and the 41 mm ..

But i consider it ugly and poor readability...i will not buy it even at retail. Watch is about "my personality " and comfort, for me.

But it sure as heck ain’t rare. Thousands and thousands made.

On chrono24 alone, there are close 11,000 listed for sale.



In my 23 years of collecting, I’m yet to buy a Rolex.

As for rare watches that I like … laureato being one of them, I certainly love the extra “kick” of rarity and provenance.

Would I rather 225 made of a watch I own or 20,000 ?

I’ll take 225 any day of the week. And yes, I actually like the looks and fit of the 41 mm above the 42.

For the 38 mm, it’s a closer fight from a looks and fit POV. Both the same thickness but I’ll still give it to the 41 mm.

🤝

I never said they were.

☺️

But for me, rarity is a factor in the decision matrix of desirability. Price, provenance, looks, fit, etc etc are also factors.

But make no mistake … rarity is a factor for many a collector. Maybe not you. But for others yes.

☺️

That’s also why brands have limited editions.