Editorial
The Laureato Chronograph puts a genuine in-house column-wheel movement inside one of the most underrated integrated bracelet designs in the business. At 42mm it wears confidently on the wrist without tipping into the oversized territory that plagues many modern chronographs. Collectors who want Royal Oak Chronograph aesthetics and real movement credentials at a meaningfully lower price should look here first.
The Laureato dates to 1975, when Girard-Perregaux introduced the octagonal bezel and integrated bracelet that put it in direct conversation with the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. The line was dormant for years before GP revived it seriously in 2016, this time with the intention of building it into a full family across complications. The chronograph reference 81020 arrived in 2018 carrying the GP03300-0115, a caliber developed entirely in-house at GP's La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture.
That movement distinction matters: most competitors at this price point source their chronograph ebauches from outside suppliers, while GP engineered and produces theirs. The 81020 cemented the Laureato's credibility as a complication watch rather than just a dress piece with a sporty bracelet.
The integrated bracelet is comfortable but the clasp finishing on early 2018-2019 production has attracted criticism for tolerances that loosen faster than the case warrants. Inspect clasp play carefully on any pre-2020 example. The pushers on the chronograph use a relatively light detent and have been reported to feel mushy on worn pieces; verify crisp actuation on both before buying.
Bracelet end links are proprietary and difficult to source independently, so a stretched or damaged link is a dealer or GP service dependency. Dial condition matters disproportionately here because the silvered or anthracite dials show water intrusion hazing and print wear that is expensive to address properly. Finally, confirm the reference suffix: 81020-11-431-11A is the steel bracelet configuration; strap variants carry different suffixes and trade differently.
