GP Laureato.

Hi all, I've had a hankering for an integrated bracelet watch and the rather obvious Royal Oak and the Laureato were both on my radar. 

I'm not a fan of the Nautilus, yes I know sacrilege! 

Now that the Royal Oak prices have gone bananas and are therefore prohibitive, I'm looking at the GP. 

Wanted to get people's real world experience of the watch both positive and negative. Ideally opinions if you have experienced both the AP and the GP. 

I know it's deeply personal but those who have had the GP have they wished they waited and went for the Royal Oak. 

Lastly any other alternatives that I should consider, other than the Piaget polo and the Chopard alpine eagle 

Thanks in advance for the hive mind WISdom

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Can you tell us what part of the integrated bracelet you like? Is it the first link being the center link or just the look that it is all one piece? I ask this becaue here are some examples where the bracelet is not actually integrated, but it achieves the same look: 

 

Octo Finissimo Watch 103431 | BVLGARI
Cartier Santos De Cartier Watch Large Model, Automatic Movement, Steel,  Interchangeable Metal And Leather Bracelets WSSA0018/WSSA0009 | Mayors
A.Lange & Söhne 'Odysseus' นาฬิกา Sport Elegant Steel  จากสุดยอดแบรนด์เยอรมัน - WATCHESSIAM
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Jeremy

Can you tell us what part of the integrated bracelet you like? Is it the first link being the center link or just the look that it is all one piece? I ask this becaue here are some examples where the bracelet is not actually integrated, but it achieves the same look: 

 

Octo Finissimo Watch 103431 | BVLGARI
Cartier Santos De Cartier Watch Large Model, Automatic Movement, Steel,  Interchangeable Metal And Leather Bracelets WSSA0018/WSSA0009 | Mayors
A.Lange & Söhne 'Odysseus' นาฬิกา Sport Elegant Steel  จากสุดยอดแบรนด์เยอรมัน - WATCHESSIAM

It's primarily that it has an all in one appearance. This adds a more industrial feel the the watch. Something that I personally don't get from other "tool" watches, primarily divers. I also like the graduated taper on these bracelet not seen on the Santos. The Octo Finissimo is more the aesthetic I'm drawn to rather than the Odysseus. However when I tried the Bvugari on it didn't sit right on my wrist. Not sure why. I had a Bell &Ross br03 for a long time and it wore well on me, ( In my opinion) could be because the Octo case is so thin? 

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Mikeeb1

It's primarily that it has an all in one appearance. This adds a more industrial feel the the watch. Something that I personally don't get from other "tool" watches, primarily divers. I also like the graduated taper on these bracelet not seen on the Santos. The Octo Finissimo is more the aesthetic I'm drawn to rather than the Odysseus. However when I tried the Bvugari on it didn't sit right on my wrist. Not sure why. I had a Bell &Ross br03 for a long time and it wore well on me, ( In my opinion) could be because the Octo case is so thin? 

For the Octo, they make thicker ones :). Mine is kind of a monster, and if you don't like the weight, might not like it. It is super comfortable, however:
 

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Here is an example of it in black, without the tachometer track around the bezel

Bvlgari Introduces An Octo Chronograph Watch | aBlogtoWatch

Oh, and that GP is becoming a hyped watch as well.. have you tried finding one for sale?

Oh, and of course, the one from the other holy trinity you didn't mention (that is also hard to find)... The Overseas

 

Vacheron Constantin Overseas - 2300V/100A-B170
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Jeremy

Here is an example of it in black, without the tachometer track around the bezel

Bvlgari Introduces An Octo Chronograph Watch | aBlogtoWatch

Oh, and that GP is becoming a hyped watch as well.. have you tried finding one for sale?

Oh, and of course, the one from the other holy trinity you didn't mention (that is also hard to find)... The Overseas

 

Vacheron Constantin Overseas - 2300V/100A-B170

I feel that all watches are hyped at moment. Seems like the wrong time to be wanting to try stuff.😂😭

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Sorry, no ownership experience, but I will say that even if money were no object, I would choose the Laureato over the Royal Oak 8 days a week. 
 

If you got the itch, I would say definitely get the GP. It’s gorgeous, it’s got fantastic heritage, and it’s something different. 

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Owned both and I'll say if your heart wants the RO, save and hustle for the funds for it. They level of finishing on the case, bracelet, movement and the wrist presence is instantly noticeable. 

You can get GP can youll love it, its a nice time piece, but eventually trade up to a RO which you really want.

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Some great guidance here, I’d agree that if you want the RO, the rest will not satisfy you over time. I am not a fan of the GP, but that’s me and my limited time trying one. Ditto for the Bvlgari, absolutely beautiful, but tough fit for smaller wrists. My first thought is the new Zenith Defy Skyline. Like most their models, give it a few months and. I’m sure you can get a decent discount.

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I know many do not like it, but as Mike said above, the B&R 05 (in this case) is surprisingly nice in the metal and relatively affordable compared to others in the category (can be had used under $3500 if you look hard enough).

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watcheskick

Owned both and I'll say if your heart wants the RO, save and hustle for the funds for it. They level of finishing on the case, bracelet, movement and the wrist presence is instantly noticeable. 

You can get GP can youll love it, its a nice time piece, but eventually trade up to a RO which you really want.

Thanks for the advice. It's interesting to hear that the level of finishing is that much better on the RO. 

The prices are so ludicrous now that I feel there are other watches I'd rather try at that price point, and spending that much to scratch " the itch", which may or may not be for me doesn't seem worth it. I guess if the bubble doesn't burst during ownership Id be unlikely to lose anything.

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There is one at an affordable price of around $500. A microbrand from Singapore, Spectre Time's Phantom 2. It is 39mm and runs on the Swiss STP1-11 movement. 

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AllTheWatches

Some great guidance here, I’d agree that if you want the RO, the rest will not satisfy you over time. I am not a fan of the GP, but that’s me and my limited time trying one. Ditto for the Bvlgari, absolutely beautiful, but tough fit for smaller wrists. My first thought is the new Zenith Defy Skyline. Like most their models, give it a few months and. I’m sure you can get a decent discount.

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I know many do not like it, but as Mike said above, the B&R 05 (in this case) is surprisingly nice in the metal and relatively affordable compared to others in the category (can be had used under $3500 if you look hard enough).

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Some good points. Had completely disregarded Zenith. Will need to get to an AD to try one. The B&R is nice. Having had one before wanted to try something different. 

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Jivajive

There is one at an affordable price of around $500. A microbrand from Singapore, Spectre Time's Phantom 2. It is 39mm and runs on the Swiss STP1-11 movement. 

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Thanks for the suggestion. I've not heard of this brand before. How is the fit and finish? The case looks pretty chunky. 

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Mikeeb1

Thanks for the suggestion. I've not heard of this brand before. How is the fit and finish? The case looks pretty chunky. 

The height is around 11mm. It has a screw down crown, 100m wr & sapphire crystal. Overall specs/fit/finish is decent for the price and could be worth a punt. On my 6 3/4 wrist... :) 

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Mikeeb1

Thanks for the advice. It's interesting to hear that the level of finishing is that much better on the RO. 

The prices are so ludicrous now that I feel there are other watches I'd rather try at that price point, and spending that much to scratch " the itch", which may or may not be for me doesn't seem worth it. I guess if the bubble doesn't burst during ownership Id be unlikely to lose anything.

the bubble has been expected to burst for years...i think its more like a revolution

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Jivajive

The height is around 11mm. It has a screw down crown, 100m wr & sapphire crystal. Overall specs/fit/finish is decent for the price and could be worth a punt. On my 6 3/4 wrist... :) 

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Thanks for the pics. We have similar sized wrists so your fit experience is probably comparable. 

Looked in their website. Many of thier phantom 2 models are sold out. They have a sale on some of the remaining ones. 

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Mikeeb1

Thanks for the pics. We have similar sized wrists so your fit experience is probably comparable. 

Looked in their website. Many of thier phantom 2 models are sold out. They have a sale on some of the remaining ones. 

Welcome anytime.

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The Tissot PRX is the best looking, most coherent design in this category, to me.  It’s cheap enough that I’ve been thinking about picking up one just for fun.  

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I don't tend to like Genta-esque integrated designs, but if you're going to get one, I'd think that you could do worse than getting one from one of the oldest watchmakers in existence today.