La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland and Gaydon/Silverstone, England, February 8th, 2024 (10 AM CET) – Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin renew an alliance based on “innovation beyond the track”. The two iconic luxury brands celebrate a three-year association, five exclusive limited-edition watches and the beginning of a new cycle of creative collaboration.
Swiss watchmaker Girard-Perregaux and British automotive marque Aston Martin are delighted to announce an extension to their hugely successful collaboration. Aston Martin’s Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll and Girard-Perregaux’s Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pruniaux have signed an agreement that will carry the two companies forward together, delighting fans, owners and collectors of both brands.
The two legacy luxury companies first came together in 2021 as Global Partners and have since co-authored five beautifully crafted limited-edition watches together, celebrating the design, engineering, performance and innovation of both brands.
Throughout, the relationship has been defined by a common understanding that scale is no obstacle to innovation and refinement, but that instead, the same uncompromising values can be expressed in hugely contrasting scales. The physical proportions of an F1® car, a road car and a luxury mechanical wristwatch may bear little comparison, but the craft and finesse that determine the design and delivery of the cars and watches created by Aston Martin and Girard-Perregaux run wheel-to-wheel at every turn. These are powerful, beautiful machines that share the same spirit, albeit not the same scale.
By renewing the alliance, the two visionary brands acknowledge the fruitful symbiosis of the past three years and look forward to future innovative collaborations on the wrist, on track and on the road.
Racing start
The collaboration between Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin started in January 2021. The timing was perfect: Girard-Perregaux was gearing up for a year of celebrations to mark 230 years since the company’s founding, and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team was on the cusp of revealing its new F1® car as it made a long-awaited return to the starting line of the world’s most prestigious motor sport after an absence of more than 60 years. Each year since, the car has proudly born the Girard-Perregaux logo.
At the same time, Girard-Perregaux also became an official partner of Aston Martin Lagonda, becoming the first brand to partner with both the Formula One® team and illustrious road car company. Girard-Perregaux would be alongside the car maker as it unveiled the Valhalla, the Vantage F1® Edition and the world’s first super tourer, DB12.
The synergies went deeper too, beyond the familiar physical and philosophical parallels between a car and a mechanical watch: both parties expert in their disciplines, both with an exclusive and highly knowledgeable client base, and both committed to material and mechanical innovation, high performance and the finest craftsmanship available. Above all, both companies were detail obsessives with a passion for creating the world’s most exquisite watches and cars.
The companies’ leaders greeted the announcement with fresh energy: “It’s been a remarkable three years in partnership with Girard-Perregaux,” said Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin Executive Chairman. “We’ve seen beautiful watches, beautiful moments and a beautiful relationship emerge from the partnership as we’ve met around the concept of innovation for performance. Both parties have taken a huge amount from the collaboration, sharing ideas and working together to elevate everything we do. I’d like to thank Patrick and his team for the ride and for the passion, commitment and creativity they’ve applied to what we do together. Long may it continue.”
“It’s no coincidence that the collaboration with Aston Martin has coincided with a season of renewal at Girard-Perregaux,” said Patrick Pruniaux, Girard-Perregaux Chief Executive Officer. “Together, we’ve built a partnership and a friendship, we’ve built some incredible watches, and we’ve built each other up, elevating perceptions of both brands. It’s been the perfect marriage and we’re extremely excited to continue it. My thanks to Lawrence and the Aston Martin family for going with us on this journey of discovery as we returned to independence, and for the energy they’ve brought to our operation. The future is brighter because of the renewal of our partnership, as we innovate, create and travel forward together.
High five
The Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin collaboration has yielded three incredibly fruitful years, on the track, on the road, and on the wrist, with both companies accelerating their product and activation programmes. The natural connection between the two came into sharp focus through the five limited-edition watches created to express Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin’s shared culture of innovation and pioneering creativity.
In 2021, the Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges Aston Martin Edition was followed by the Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition; in 2022 the carbon fibre Laureato Absolute Chronograph Aston Martin F1 Edition was delivered; and then last year, a pair of Laureato Green Ceramic Aston Martin Edition models were released in the spring, before the year ended with the launch of the Neo Bridges Aston Martin Edition.
Each watch championed the shared innovations and technologies of each company. For example, the case of the Laureato Absolute Chronograph AM F1 Edition featured a composite material created using titanium powder and carbon elements taken from the Aston Martin F1® car used in the 2021 season, while others featured movement parts designed by Aston Martin and colourways matching the F1® cars’ famous green livery. They also subtly integrated the Aston Martin logotype into the designs, and always channelled the superlative standards of craftsmanship and finishing common to both companies.
During the same period, the immense promise in the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team has started to show through. In the 2023 season, rapid improvement brought the team seven podiums and a fifth-placed finish in the Constructors’ World Championship, with the ever-young Fernando Alonso ending the season a creditable fourth in the Drivers’ World Championship and Lance Stroll living up to his promise with a series of impressive drives and top 10 finishes. The team is going from strength to strength and expectations are high of the AMR24 car, due to be unveiled on February 12th ahead of the 2024 F1® season, which begins in Bahrain on 29 February.
New cycle
The renewal of the partnership between Aston Martin and Girard-Perregaux comes with both companies in the ascendancy. Ambition, vision and an appetite for innovation will drive both brands and the collaboration forward.
“Since we regained our independence two years ago, Girard-Perregaux has been working towards writing the next chapter of our 230-year-old history,” said Clémence Dubois, the company’s head of product, marketing and communication and the youngest member of its executive committee. “Throughout that time, it’s been an enormous source of energy and inspiration to continue our collaboration with Aston Martin and to launch these five milestones watches together. As the new AMF1® Team Technology Campus reminds us, while our scales couldn’t really be more different, our attitude to beauty, craftsmanship and performance perfection is entirely aligned. Looking down the line as the next chapter in our alliance takes shape, I am extremely confident we will continue to exceed our clients’ expectations again and again with inventive, memorable watches that capture the unique chemistry generated by Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin.”
Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, said: “It’s a joy to see the creative personalities of Aston Martin and Girard-Perregaux entwined, again, and generating exciting and bespoke collaborations for customers. I’m thrilled to say that our journey of discovery together will be continuing.
“From the start, we shared the same spirit and ambition, and what’s delighted us all over these three years has been our shared design experience. It’s through our trusting exploration into one another’s design languages and materiality pallets – and, of course, through the skills and imaginations of our designers – that allows us to push boundaries further and further ahead and create even more beautiful, often high-concept watches representative of our brands. The results are sure to stand the test of time. Even more excitingly, what’s coming next will only deepen and enhance the story of our creative collaboration.”
About Girard-Perregaux
Since 1791, Girard-Perregaux has been embracing the rhythm of ever-elusive time. Cradled in the Jura mountains in the heart of La Chaux-de-Fonds, it is a pioneer in the world of Haute Horlogerie: an independent Manufacture which has retained this status for over two centuries, successfully keeping all production in-house and passing down exceptional horological skills throughout the generations. The preservation of this savoir-faire, along with a sincere passion for beauty and for the art itself, has remained the key to Girard-Perregaux’s ability to continuously innovate.
Always seeking the perfect balance of beauty and functionality, fans of fine watchmaking will instantly recognise the house signatures, such as the iconic octagonal bezel of the Laureato and the legendary Tourbillon with ‘Three Gold Bridges’. From seeking to create industry references in timepieces to making the invisible visible through the art of precision engineering, Girard-Perregaux never ceases to change the course of time via pieces that are the first of their kind. This place at the vanguard of horological innovation is solidified by over one hundred recorded patents for original designs, like the movement of three arrow-shaped bridges, registered in 1884, as well as prizes like the ’Aiguille d’Or’ in 2013 and distinctions like the Gold Medal at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1889.
Rooted in its heritage, Girard-Perregaux is driven by the instinct to always look ahead, embracing new technologies, utilising state-of-the-art materials, and finding inventive ways to bring joy by reimagining iconic shapes. To this end, Girard-Perregaux has remained a human-sized Manufacture, and in 2022 became part of an independent collective of Haute Horlogerie Manufactures alongside sister Maison Ulysse Nardin.
About Aston Martin Lagonda
Aston Martin’s vision is to be the world’s most desirable, ultra-luxury British brand, creating the most exquisitely addictive performance cars.
Founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, Aston Martin is acknowledged as an iconic global brand synonymous with style, luxury, performance, and exclusivity. Aston Martin fuses the latest technology, time honoured craftsmanship and beautiful styling to produce a range of critically acclaimed luxury models including the Vantage, DB12, DBS, DBX and its first hypercar, the Aston Martin Valkyrie. Aligned with its Racing. Green. sustainability strategy, Aston Martin is also developing alternatives to the internal combustion engine, with an ambition to create the world’s most thrilling and highly desirable electric performance cars, the first of which is targeted for launch in 2025.
Based in Gaydon, England, Aston Martin Lagonda designs, creates, and exports cars which are sold in 56 countries around the world. Its sports cars are manufactured in Gaydon with its luxury DBX SUV range proudly manufactured in St Athan, Wales. The company is on track to deliver net-zero manufacturing facilities by 2030.
Lagonda was founded in 1899 and Aston Martin in 1913. The two brands came together in 1947 when both were purchased by the late Sir David Brown, and the company is now listed on the London Stock Exchange as Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc.
2020 saw Lawrence Stroll become the company’s Executive Chairman, alongside significant new investment, a move that led to Aston Martin’s return to the pinnacle of motorsport with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team and commenced new era for the iconic British marque.
About Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team
Aston Martin returned to Grand Prix racing in 2021 having last competed in the sport more than 60 years ago. With one of the most iconic emblems in the world emblazoned above the garages and a growing team of passionate men and women at its heart, this is a team with both a rich heritage and a fresh perspective. Alongside collaborative and strategic partners, the Silverstone-based team is bringing new energy to the sport with a determination to shake up the order and compete at the sharp end.
A growing family, where like-minded people from all walks of life are encouraged to be a part of our journey and given a platform to thrive, our mission is to use the global platform of motorsport to engage a new wave of fans – showcasing the technology and innovation which live at our core while representing the values that resonate with the changing world in which we live. www.astonmartinf1.com