The Maison Gerald Charles was founded in Switzerland in 2000 by legendary watch designer and artist Monsieur Gérald Charles Genta (1931 - 2011). Today, 20 years after its foundation, the prestigious Haute Horlogerie House is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and is doing so with a resolutely exclusive watch, produced in a limited edition of 252 pieces. Each individual watch is engraved with a unique "month-year" combination, from January 2000 to December 2020, for a total of 252 months of the brand's existence. Each piece is therefore unique thanks to the exclusive feature that distinguishes it from other limited edition models, namely the date. "We want to be a niche company that produces a limited number of handcrafted watches.", declared Monsieur Gérald Charles Genta (Gerald Charles Archives, 2000). The Anniversary is an exclusive watch born of the harmonious coexistence of past and future. The iconic Maestro case, an original creation of Monsieur Gérald Charles Genta, whose greatest successes include the Royal Oak and the Nautilus, is an exclusive creation for the Maison Gerald Charles. The original case is enriched in a contemporary key by the combination of new materials and components, reflecting the highest expression of the Maison's watchmaking paradigms. For the first time, the case is now forged in steel, whereas until now all models in the Maestro line were exclusively made of precious materials. And also for the first time, a rubber strap is fitted to the emblematic case (the watch was previously only available with leather straps). The Anniversary stems from the desire to create a watch in a form that is durable and, for the first time, waterproof, being resistant to a depth of 100 metres, but which is at the same time elegant, emblematic and can be worn for any occasion. Like the case, the strap is an original design by Monsieur Gérald Charles Genta, with a "Pharaonic" pattern inspired by the pyramids of Egypt. The result is a watch that stands out with a shape that is both elegant and sporty, two concepts recurring in the great designer's greatest watch creations since his first Royal Oak in the 1970s. Even the choice of the movement, which uses the big date as a complication, was the result of careful study and in-depth research conducted by Gerald Charles' technical department. The Maison once again wished to emphasise the importance of the date as an element of continuity in time, always evolving, and a milestone of significant events that make a particular moment eternal and unforgettable. The choice of the number 252 is intended to make each watch in the series unique and eternal in time to celebrate together each month from 2000, the year of the brand's birth, to the present day. Gerald Charles gives the collector the opportunity to choose, from the 252 months of the last 20 years, the date most significant to him, if available; with the guarantee that - once selected - he will be the only one to own it. The brand, which has always been determined to meet high standards of beauty and technology in its creations, wishes to reinforce its values of uniqueness, artistic balance, exclusivity and attention to detail. The watches will be available directly on the company's website or from authorised dealers. In this regard, it should be noted that the Maison will donate 30% of the proceeds from the sale of each model to charity (not only those belonging to the Anniversary collection, and until the end of September), in support of the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund set up by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS - ANNIVERSARY
MOVEMENT
Automatic calibre GCA131-9391
Diameter: 26.2 mm.
Thickness: 5.1 mm.
Power reserve: 42 hours.
Number of rubies: 27.
Frequency: 4 Hz.
Rhodium-plated bridges
Incabloc anti-shock system
Water resistance: 100 metres.
CASH
Original 'Maestro' case, 39 millimetres, polished stainless steel, sapphire crystals on side
dial and bottom side. Shape of deformed octagonal polygon with rounded corners and "smile" at six o'clock. Original design by Monsieur Genta for the Maison Gerald Charles.
QUADRANT
Matt black dial with auto-containing Super-Luminova indices.
BELT
Black rubber strap.
Original Gerald Charles folding clasp in polished stainless steel.
FUNCTIONS
Hours, minutes, centre seconds, large date at six o'clock.
