Gerald Genta is one of the most exotic makers of wristwtaches in the world today – and yet he is also one of the most respected fro his craftsmanship and technical skill. This combination is rare indeed, and, because his output is only about 5,000 watches a year, they are highly collectable, as their occasional successful appearance in the saleroom demonstrates.

Genta’s original designs sillustrate perfectly the traditional link between the twin arts of the jeweler anf the watchmaker, which remain right through to the retailing stage. It is also surprise to learn that he initially trained in Geneva (from the age of 15) for four years as a jeweler. After that he might well have remained out of view as one more person now competent in his craft. However, he then worked irst in advertising and, almost unbelievable, in the haute couture business; this must have taught the young Gerald Genta something of the unusual demands of personal vanity, in the waspish and demanding world of fashion. Gradually his attention was drawn to the one luxury fashion accessory that moves all by itself.

During the following 20 years Gerald Genta designed wristwatches for most of the leading manufacturers; he was responsible for models such as the Bulgari, the Royal Oak (Audemars Piguet), the Nautilus (Patek Philippe) and the Titiane (Omega). By 1972 the time had come for him to strike out on his own account – to see his own name on dials of watches which he had desighed. He bought factories in Geneva (for cases, dials and clasps) and in Le Brassus (for the movements), pained them pick, and started to assemble teams of outstatnding craftsmem. A master Cabinotier Genevois was commencing work, and soon masterpieces began to appear. Some of them will never appeal to purist wristwatch buffs, but as brilliant fusions of those twin arts they have timeless appeal for many others.

Genta wristwatches may have quartz, mechanical or automatic movements, chosen precisely and with economics in mind: thus his perpetural calendars with moonphases offer choices of each, and come with varying dials and cases. A distinctive feature of some of his ranges is his use of the octagonal shape for the bezel, but with the line of each side very slightly curved, softtened in a sense: it is (for seasons of good luck) particularly appealing to Asian markets, but also to sensitive eyes everywhere else.Purists should note that Genta has, in his shape, an automatic watch with a gold and steel bezel, a plain white dial, with baton numberals and hands and date indicator (at three o’clock). He has another automatic version in a round shape, made of gold, with black roman numerals, gold baton hands and sweep second hand, and date indicator at six o’clock; a different and gorgeous slightly mottled dial is also available. Collectors of skeletals should know that Gerald Genta has an elegant example (with black baton hands and crocodile strap) in his catalog; years ago he designed a famous skeletal Grande Sonnerie pocket watch of great beauty and dazzling complication, and also minute repeaters; his children’s deparment includes some expensive and delightful watches featuring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.

Gerald Genta is the only importatn watchmaker today who both manages his company and designs all its products. He has tremendous flexibility in his design concepts and established ranges; there is a definite high seriousness in the appearance of each model design which proclaims the distince possibility (if there is no name on the dial) that it might be a Gerald Genta wristwatch. His Gold and Gold, Secret Time, Gefica Safari (with its compass on the clasp) and gentlemen’s dress watches all possess that rare quality called style. And then there aere his jeweled wristwatches. If the Duchess of Windsor was alive and in her collecting heyday, she would certainly be acquiring animal watches froom the Menagerie collection: they are as captivating as as any Cartier model. Genta’s L’Esprit de Geneve range of watches, each with a large semi-precious stone as a dial showing only gold hands and with jewelrd bezels and bracelets, are certainly exotic; they are made in very small numbers indeed.

Collectors should note that all Gerald Genta wristwatches are numbered, starting at number one, with the exception of the minute repeaters, which have their own special series.