What do Le Corbusier, Jimi Hendrix, and Giorgetto Giugiaro have in common? It may not be immediately apparent but if you were to ponder what may seem a nonsensical question you might conclude that all these ‘disruptors’ forged a revolutionary new course in their respective design or musical fields, the reverberations of which are still felt today.
Another that would sit comfortably amongst such iconoclastic company is Gerald Genta (1931-2011), the watchmaker and artist whose influence on the Swiss watch industry really is the stuff of legend. Those with even a fleeting interest in horology will have come across a Gerald Genta design either unwittingly or purposefully; he is the man behind the designs of arguably the world’s most covetable watches: the Royal Oak, the Nautilus, and IWC’s Ingenieur, but his prolific and influential stamp on the watch industry doesn’t end there.
Known as ‘the Maestro’, Gerald Genta was active from the 1950s until he died in 2011. Born in Geneva in 1931, he began his watch designing career at Universal Genève where he would get his first break with the SAS Polerouter. At first glance the watch presents as a classic ‘50s gentleman’s watch but upon closer inspection some of the trademark Genta flair is starting to shine through; note the distinctively detailed chapter ring and hour markers, trapezoidal date window, and the twisted bombe lugs.
During this time, Genta would also form an association with Omega, submitting designs and refining their various models. Omega released its first Constellation in 1952, but in 1964 Genta’s breakthrough C-shape case was introduced, and it is this robust tonneau outline that would later inform the Royal Oak and Nautilus casings. Genta’s exploration into what form the strap would take also reminds us that this reference was a precursor to another of his signatures, the integrated bracelet.
By 1970, Audemars Piguet was looking for a lifeline. The maker, along with the entire Swiss watch industry, was facing an existential threat, namely the ‘Quartz Crisis’. The lifesaver would come in the form of the Royal Oak. AP’s brief was for something totally new and waterproof and when hidebound rules required breaking, Gerald Genta was the man for the job. In creating the case, Genta drew inspiration from an old-diving school helmet with exposed screws. This unconventional design would go on to define the sports/luxe watch oeuvre. Previously, luxury watches were slim, small, and crafted from precious metal. The Royal Oak was the antithesis of all that, it was bold and bulky with an industrial aesthetic, constructed from sturdy stainless steel. Yet remarkably, due largely to its superlative construction and hand finished detail, it retained a luxury look and feel.
Another seminal collaboration was to follow when IWC sought a revamp of their antimagnetic watch created for scientific professionals, their 1950s Ingenieur. In his 1974 design submission, the Ingenieur was treated to some quintessential Genta touches: a rounded tonneau case, a five-screw bezel with recessed plots, a patterned dial, and the integrated bracelet. This ref 1832 may not have proven a popular release for IWC at the time, but its impact would be felt in subsequent models, firming up the invaluable ‘Genta cred’ derived in having had the Maestro on their books.
If it wasn’t enough that Gerald Genta had by now secured his place at the pinnacle of watch design, in 1974 he would go on to send the watch world into a spin when he created the Nautilus. The design again drew its inspiration from the nautical world and was named as a tribute to Captain Nemo’s submarine in Jules Verne’s ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’. According to Genta, “I designed the Nautilus while observing the people from Patek eating!… It was a sketch that I completed in five minutes.” The result was a watch that embodied the perfect balance between sport and elegance.
The Royal Oak and Nautilus have rightly earned an untouchable position at the top end of the market – after all, they inspired a revolution that redefined luxury in the modern horological era. But Genta was incredibly prolific and would go on to design for Cartier, Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Seiko, culminating in his own eponymous brand in 1984. So influential, so expansive, and so unconventional was Gerald Genta’s stamp on the watch industry that there really is very little to add, except to wonder whether that ‘holy grail napkin’ containing Genta’s Nautilus blueprint will ever surface.
Patricia Kontos, Senior Jewels & Timepieces Specialist
Top Image: Gerald Genta at work / Gerald Genta Heritage
October 2024