The Best Feature of This Performance-Driven Sports Watch Is Hiding in Plain Sight

Why can’t every watch have this feature?

Published March 24, 2025

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Not all corporate partnerships make sense. But Formula One racing teams and luxury watch brands? Now there’s a perfect match.

F1 teams and luxury watchmakers have much in common, namely their shared pursuit of performance, their use of high-end materials and the heavy interest both receive from the jet set.

One of the most fruitful of these partnerships in recent years has been the teaming of Swiss watchmaker Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, as it has produced such impressive collabs as the Laureato Absolute Chronograph in carbon and the beautiful Laureato Green Ceramic.

The latest product of the partnership is the Laureato Absolute Aston Martin F1, a performance-driven everyday sports watch with a hidden standout feature.

a closeup of a girard perregaux watch crown — Aston Martin and Girard-Perregaux are at it again with a killer F1 watch collab.

This Strap Slaps

I’ll get to the rest of the watch in a minute, but first I want to talk about the part of this watch that has me most excited, and that’s the rubber strap, which has several things going for it.

First, and most obvious, is the way it looks. Rubber straps with stitching — like on Omega’s Aqua Terra — and bright colors — particularly teal, as seen on models like IWC’s various Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 collabs and Norqain’s flagship Wild One Skeleton — are both very on-trend right now. This strap combines both features courtesy of Aston Martin’s striking “Racing Green” livery, giving it a thoroughly contemporary and cool look.

While the stitches on the rubber strap are actual fabric, the woven pattern running down the strap’s center is not. It’s a “fabric effect” applied to the rubber, an impressive bit of craftsmanship that gives the watch a more dressed-up look without stiffening the rubber or causing the wearer to worry about snagging a thread on the weave.

a girard perregaux watch — That’s not woven fabric in the center of the strap — it’s all FKM rubber.

The rubber used for the strap is exclusively FKM rubber, chosen by both brands due to its heightened flexibility and durability, along with its resistance to fading. It also provides the ideal softness for the fabric effect, with GP noting the feel of the strap has been “optimally designed.”

Last but certainly not least is the clasp. It’s a deployant that employs a loopless design where you tuck the extra length of the strap against the wrist, creating a clean look. It’s a feature I wish were on every strap, frankly. The clasp is also made of Grade 5 titanium, meaning it’s extremely light.

But best of all is the clasp’s, and the watch’s, standout feature. Built into the clasp is a subtle micro-adjustment system activated by pressing a small button on its interior. Pressing the button allows the pin to move several millimeters, allowing the wearer to dial in their fit if they’re between sizes or to accommodate the natural changes in wrist size in a given day.

the caseback of a girard perregaux watch — The only thing keeping the strap from being perfect is the lack of a quick-release system.

Such micro-adjustment systems have become common on bracelet clasps but they’re rarely seen on straps. Off the top of my head, I can only think of a couple of other brands that utilize such a feature — namely Formex and Longines — along with some other GP models. Its inclusion here is very welcome and completes what is an almost perfect strap (it’s just missing a quick-release system).

The Rest of the Watch Is Cool, Too

Yes, I’m very excited about the strap, but the rest of the Laureato Absolute Aston Martin F1 is also pretty great.

The 44mm case is in Grade 5 titanium that’s been sandblasted for a sporty look that also helps to ruggedize the appearance. In addition to being exceptionally light and strong, Grade 5 titanium is highly scratch-resistant, and the sandblasting makes it even more resistant to visual blemishes.

The dial is another standout. It’s matte with a subtle granular texture and echoes the strap with its head-turning Aston Racing Green color, which is accented by the even brighter Lime Green from Aston’s livery, which appears on the dial text and hands — including the entire seconds hand.

a closeup of a girard perregaux dial — The dial mimics the strap’s Racing Green color and adds Lime Green accents.

The hour and minute hands are partially skeletonized and lume-filled and are shaped to evoke the iconic grilles of Aston’s roadgoing sports cars and GTs. The crown screws down and is reinforced with a sporty rubber bumper in Racing Green, which combined with the screw-down caseback, helps ensure a dive-ready 300m of water resistance.

Finally, we have the engine, err, movement. As with every Girard-Perregaux watch, it’s an in-house affair — the Calibre GP03300 automatic. It’s the same movement you’ll find in base Laureato sports watches, and while it’s a fine movement, I would’ve liked to see something a little more special here to match the performance-oriented spirit of the watch.

Pricing and Availability

As seems to be the case with every super-cool watch to come out these days, the Laureato Absolute Aston Martin F1 is exceedingly rare. Girard-Perregaux is producing just 88 examples of the watch, with an SRP of $14,300.

Yes, the watch is expensive and hard to get. But I think the 88 folks who nab one will come away very pleased. This is a watch that’s suitable for everyday wear thanks to its rugged lightweight build, its high level of water resistance and, most of all, its ridiculously comfortable strap, but it has the head-turning looks to function as a flex watch. Not a bad way to spend $14K.