It’s no secret that the last few years have seen skyrocketing interest in the works of Gerald Genta, the most influential and prolific watch designer of the last century. His most famous pieces, including Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus are cult items and his touch can be seen in the Octo by Bulgari. His own eponymous brand, which was purchased by Bulgari in 2000, emphasized off-beat and whimsical touches appealing to his ultra-high net worth clients.
But while that brand—and his name—belonged to someone else, Genta was not finished with watches. His last project was the development of the Gerald Charles brand, which utilized his first and middle names. Genta produced a multitude of designs for the marque, the vast majority of which were never realized. At the time of his death in 2011, his legend was known to the most educated watch aficionados, but growth for the fledgling brand was slow.
Over a decade later, the wheel has truly turned and Genta’s widow Evelyne is in possession of a trove of the late master's designs, now worth a potential fortune. The Gerald Charles brand, now in the hands of a consortium of investors led by the Ziviani family, had concentrated on a series of contemporary, slim, and elegant timepieces, appropriately dubbed Maestro.
The latest iteration, released this year, is an integrated bracelet model known as Masterlink. This refined design is the latest in an immensely popular genre of watches Genta virtually created himself. We look forward to exploring the continuing legacy of one of watchmaking’s most important figures.