Gerald Charles is an independent, family-owned watch company based in Switzerland. It was founded in 2000 by the great Mr. Gérald Charles Genta, the 20th century’s foremost watch designer.
Monsieur Genta, often referred to simply as ‘Maestro’, was a hugely productive artist and watch designer. After selling the company in 2003, he stayed on as its designer-in-chief until his death in 2011. Every watch created by Gerald Charles is based on one of his original designs and carries his legacy of ‘Artistic Creativity, Technical Mastery’ forward into the future.
Gerald Charles watches are at the cutting edge of ergonomics and designed and manufactured to sit comfortably and elegantly on the wrist. Gerald Charles watches are produced without compromise and marry the finest traditions and most up-to-date technologies of Swiss mechanical watchmaking to deliver superior precision and performance, as well as exceptional water and shock resistance. Today, the Maison produces an average of 2000 pieces per year. In reference to the company’s founder, Monsieur Genta, every Gerald Charles timepiece is a reflection of the brand’s elegant sports style.
Mr. Gérald Charles Genta (1931-2011), born in Geneva, is deemed the most acclaimed watch designer in the world. In the early 2000s Mr. Gérald Charles Genta – at the height of his success and willing to continue his creative production – founded the most modern of his brands: Gerald Charles.
He designed some of the most modern of his watches for the Maison Gerald Charles: amongst them the Maestro is one of his highest achievements. Its asymmetric watch case, one of its kind, has never been seen before and represents an exclusive innovation.
Mr. Gérald Charles Genta gave his first two names to the Maison to create a unique bond between himself and the production of his own designs. Between 2000 and 2011, Monsieur Genta designed timepieces featuring incredible complications. Many of his watch designs, each drawn by hand, were put into production, many more remain untouched, hidden in the Maison’s archive, like undiscovered treasure. Some of them are now part of the Museum Collection.
Every watch created by Maison Gerald Charles today is based on one of his original designs. In the years to come, Gerald Charles will explore the untold parts of Monsieur Genta’s legacy, taking watch lovers on a journey of discovery.
In 2021, the world-renowned watch designer Octavio Garcia, who worked with Mr. Gérald Charles Genta previously on different projects, designed the first automatic skeleton watch of the Maestro Collection. Our Creative Director Octavio Garcia perfectly embraces the spirit of the Maison with his creative approach to watch design, respecting the Maison’s legacy and design.