GÉRALD CHARLES: THE LEGACY OF GENTA PERPETUATED

Posted by lifata on July 5th, 2023

Gérald and Charles are none other than the two first names of the much-missed watch designer Genta. The latter founded the Gérald Charles brand in 2000, a great way to end his career with a last personal project concluding his work. It therefore amply deserves that we dwell on its own brand, still enduring today, 12 years after his death, and whose aesthetics fit perfectly into the work of this visionary.

Gérald Genta designed Universal Genève's Polerouter at just 23 years old, then Omega's Constellation at the end of the 1950s, before offering us his greatest classics in the 1960s and 1970s: the Royal Oak by Audemars Piguet, the Golden Ellipse and the Nautilus from Patek Philippe or even the Ingenieur SL from IWC. A CV to turn heads and an unprecedented influence in watch design.

The story is slightly more complicated than that. When the brand was unveiled 23 years ago, Gérald Genta received financial support from the Italian Ziviani family. But the company was put on hold in 2011, after the designer passed away. It took until 2020 to see it reborn, under the leadership of Frederico Zivani. And what better than the Maestro, a true masterpiece and best-seller of the brand to sign its return? Maestro is none other than the nickname that many colleagues had given to Gérald Genta, testifying to their admiration for his work. And so it is also the name of the key piece in Gérald Charles' catalogue. So let's dwell on this sumptuous creation and its variations.

We are dealing here with a singular creation, a city High replica watch with a very assertive design. Recognizable at first glance, it is distinguished by its uniquely shaped case. An astonishing architecture by its asymmetry, and inspired by the work of the Italian Baroque architect Francesco Borromini. What strikes us directly in this design of this case are its generous curves, its revisited octagonal shape and its very rounded and wavy double bezel.

It is all the more relevant as it displays reassuring technical characteristics. The brand has made the wise choice to display water resistance to 100 meters thanks to a crown screwed to the case, which we would not have guessed by looking at the general aesthetics of the piece. But Gérald Genta was the father of sport-chic, therefore with a strong penchant for sporty tocantes.

On the mechanical side, you suspected that you had to live up to the design, the level of finish and especially the founder of the brand. This is why Gérald Charles fake offers movements co-designed with the high-end Swiss engine manufacturer Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier. An exceptional partner producing ultra-efficient and thin calibres, thus allowing the Maestro to display very pleasant proportions that can adapt to the majority of wrists.

Gérald Charles' catalog includes many iterations of this icon. Ranging from the simple 3-hand date in a steel, titanium or 18-carat gold case, to the flying tourbillon whose bezel can be set with diamonds or sapphires. In 2021, the chronograph version also saw the light of day through the 3.0, also offered in 3 different materials. What to find your happiness, with a nice financial effort. Indeed, the creations of Gérald Charles Perfect Fake Watches display prices ranging from €16,200 for the simple model with a steel case, up to €94,000 for the gem-set tourbillons. The chronograph has a price of €22,200 in steel and €41,200 in gold. Substantial sums are sometimes justified by an incredible level of finish and mechanics, but also and above all by a unique design signed by one of the most talented men to have set foot in the watchmaking sphere.