Gerald Charles

Founded in 2000 by the legendary designer Gérald Charles Genta — born in Geneva in 1931, often referred to simply as 'Maestro' — who created the Royal Oak for Audemars Piguet, the Nautilus for Patek Philippe, and many other iconic timepieces. He gave the Maison his two first names to create a strong bond between himself and his creations.

In 2003, Genta entrusted the brand to the Ziviani family — long-time friends — to focus entirely on his creative work as Chief Designer until 2011, with Giampaolo Ziviani as General Manager. Franco Ziviani, founder of Audemars Piguet Italia SPA with over 40 years in watchmaking, became Chairman in 2023; his son Federico Ziviani has been CEO since 2019. Mr. Genta designed for Gerald Charles for the last 11 years of his life; many designs drawn by hand were put into production, many more remain in the archive like undiscovered treasure. Early creations carry his signature engraved on the caseback as a work of art. Every watch today is based on one of his original drawings. The Maestro (2005) — its case shape lying between a square and an octagon — was inspired by the 17th-century Baroque architecture of Swiss-born Italian architect Francesco Borromini; the subtle 'smile' at 6 o'clock reflects the concavity on Borromini's façades. Three key values define the Maison: Technical Mastery — timepieces are proprietary developments complying with Qualité Fleurier standards, marrying the finest traditions with up-to-date Swiss technologies for superior precision, performance, water resistance, shock resistance, and ergonomics; Versatility — more elegant than a dress watch, better performing than a sports watch, regarded as one of the most comfortable yet ergonomic watches on the wrist, designed to be worn across generations and lifestyles; and Artistic Creativity — every watch based on Mr. Genta's original hand-drawn designs, with many more still hidden in the Maison's archive awaiting discovery.

Current collections: Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin, GC Sport, 3.0 Chronograph, 4.0, 8.0 Squelette, 9.0 Tourbillon; Masterlink (the first with integrated bracelet, based on Genta's last 2007 design); and Mini Maestro. Notable landmark: the world's first in-house asymmetrical automatic perpetual calendar. In 2025, the 25th anniversary was marked with the Maestro GC39 — a remaster of Genta's original Sliding Hours design with proprietary 'meta guilloché' dial finishing. Five-year warranty.