Thanks for asking the question, as it has been the catalyst for me to pull my much neglected GP out of the box that it has been hiding in for the last few years.
Years ago, before I really knew anything about watches other than I liked the look of them and wanted to get a nice watch, I bought a 1946 Girard Perregaux Sea-Hawk off eBay. I was seduced by the photos, but of course when it arrived I realised I had a made a huge mistake because at 33mm wide it was far too small for my tastes. Nonetheless, that was the first "proper" watch I ever bought, and it set me on a path to becoming a serious watch collector and also forced me to do much more thorough research the next time around. Not all was lost though, as I gave it to my wife who wears it on a daily basis when she is not wearing her comparatively massive TomTom Runner Cardio. Anyway, here is a picture of the watch that started it all for me.
Its probably not fully original, but it is close enough to these advertisements from the early 1940s for my liking.
Fast forward 10 years, and I had amassed a small collection of mostly Breitlings. Around that time I developed a watch collecting philosophy that was suppose to limit me to one watch per manufacturer - but each watch was to have some historical lineage back to watches at least as far back as the 1960s. While the limitation was never going to hold, it did open my collection up to a few more brands, so I thought I might see if I could find a modern Sea-Hawk that was reminiscent of the one I had originally bought years before. Sadly, Sea-Hawks had morphed into hulking beasts by then, and also cost a small fortune, so that was not going to be on the cards. However, the Girard-Perraegaux Monte-Carlo range of commemorative limited edition watches caught my eye as having a nice vintage look, and fortuitously they also were inexpensive by GP standards. The one I fell in love with was the Monte-Carlo 1973, limited to 250 pieces, with a lovely panda-like dial (pandas are not silver in case you're wondering why "panda-like") and powder-blue highlights.
This watch commemorates the 1973 Monte-Carlo Rally win by the Apline-Renault A110 number 18 piloted by Jean-Claude Andruet and his co-driver Michèle "Biche" Espinosi-Petit (or just "Biche" as she is acknowledged on the car). Coincidently, this rally was also the first ever race in the now long-running Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) World Rally Championship (WRC) format.
Sorry OP to rabbit on with such a long post in your thread, but you see there is a lot of love for GPs here - even if I haven't worn mine for at least two years (perhaps longer). Part of the problem for me is that I never liked it on the strap, which squeaks horribly and really doesn't have a premium feel (apart from the deployant clasp). Moreover, I originally saw this watch when HankE on Timezone had just sold his back in 2010, and he had it on a genuine GP bracelet. I cannot get that image out of my mind; however, at AU$1200 + GST, there was always something else to put my money into.
I may still get around to buying the bracelet one day (anyone got one?), but right now I have a hankering for a custom made strap to replace the one I don't like. I think it will still be black, but with powder-blue stitching to match the watch. If there are any strap makers that think they can do the match, feel free to PM me.
Lastly, and as a nice way to bring this post full circle, Renault have recently announced that they are going to resurrect the Alpine name with the production of their Alpine Vision concept car that is a beautiful nod to the awesome A110. I'm so looking forward to seeing that car on the road in the next couple of years.