SpotlightFirst Look: Gerald Charles Collection At Watches And Wonders 2025
As Gerald Charles celebrates 25 years, three distinctive Maestro models remind us why Genta's design language remains timeless
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Twenty-five years after Gérald Genta established his eponymous brand, Gerald Charles arrived at Watches and Wonders 2025 with a trio of releases that showcase the master’s enduring design language. The unmistakable Maestro case—with its distinctive curves and that signature smile at six o’clock—appears across three decidedly different timepieces.
The anniversary collection includes a remastered chronograph in two variants, a jumping hours commemorative limited edition, and a vibrant tennis-inspired sports watch. Each interpretation maintains the core Genta aesthetic whilst exploring new technical and visual territory—from meta-guilloche dials to lightweight titanium constructions treated with the brand’s proprietary Darkblast finishing.
The Gerald Charles Maestro 3.0 Chronograph
The Maestro 3.0 Chronograph revives a design first sketched by Genta in 2008, drawing inspiration from the original GC33 model. Available in two variants, the chronograph offers distinct personalities through its case materials and colour schemes.
The grade-5 titanium version pairs a grey dial with a white rubber strap, enhanced by Gerald Charles’ Darkblast sand-blasting technique—a process that both enriches the case’s anthracite hue and improves scratch resistance. Its stainless steel counterpart takes a more refined approach with ice blue accents that catch the light rather elegantly against the polished case.
Both share the distinctive 39m by 41mm Maestro case and Genta’s original pyramidal chronograph pushers. Contemporary upgrades include a sunburst dial finish and Clous de Paris motif, while the rubber strap features a mini tapisserie pattern that echoes Genta’s attention to detail. Inside beats a Swiss Manufacture 3.0 movement delivering 50 hours of power reserve, with water resistance rated to 100m.
The Gerald Charles Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition
The Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition was the centre piece of Gerald Charles’s Watches and Wonders presentation. This commemorative timepiece revisits Genta’s original GC39 design from 2005, reimagining its ‘window watch’ concept with modern execution.
Where the original featured a sliding-hour complication, this anniversary model employs a jumping-hour mechanism powered by Gerald Charles’s new Swiss Manufacture 4.0 calibre. Developed and patented in-house, this movement requires an additional 80 components whilst maintaining a 50-hour power reserve. The skeletonised central minute hand comes finished in blue, allowing light to pass through and reflect off its surface.
The dial employs Gerald Charles’s proprietary meta-guilloche process—a complex method involving multiple engravings and protective coatings that reveals a hidden star motif when catching the light. A silver outer edge frames a section of blue lapis lazuli, nodding to Genta’s fondness for the stone. Despite housing its jumping-hour complication, the 42mm titanium case remains a svelte 11mm thick. Production is limited to 100 pieces, with 40 available for immediate delivery.
The Gerald Charles Maestro GC Sport Tennis Limited Edition
The Maestro GC Sport Tennis makes the boldest statement of the collection with its vibrant yellow dial and purpose-built design. Limited to 200 pieces, it continues a sporting lineage that previously included the Clay and Grass models.
This iteration revives elements from Genta’s original 2005 sketches, which featured tennis and golf balls on the dial. The bright yellow face sits within a Darkblast-treated titanium case, paired with a matching velcro strap. The dial’s texture begins with a hand-hammered base before receiving colour and clear coating treatments that create remarkable depth.
Practicality underpins the design decisions—the grade-5 titanium construction brings the total weight to just 64 grams, while the crown has been positioned on the left side to prevent irritation during play. According to Gerald Charles, the watch has undergone rigorous testing by tennis players. Powered by the brand’s Manufacture 2.0 calibre with its 50-hour power reserve, the rotor features a specially engraved 25th anniversary logo. With 100 metres of water resistance, it’s ready for the court and beyond.
Final Thoughts
As Gerald Charles celebrate their quarter century, these Watches and Wonders releases reflect both respect for heritage as well as the brand’s forward momentum. Each piece carries the distinctive Maestro case silhouette while the diversity across the three models demonstrates versatility without sacrificing identity—from the adaptable chronograph to the celebratory jumping hours and the court-ready sports watch.
