600 articles · 41 videos found · page 3 of 22
Bracelet that flows directly from the case without separate end-links. Genta\'s 1972 Royal Oak innovation.
Every Patek Nautilus: 3700/1A Jumbo Genta, 5711/1A, 5712 moonphase, 5980 chrono, 5990 Travel Time, 5811/1G white gold, 5740 perpetual.
Biography and iconic designs of the 20th century's most influential watch designer.
Time+Tide
Boasting a familiar octagonal form housing an innovative in-house movement, it's a bold first attempt from a brand (and country) little known to the world.The post The Duke Clarity Tourbillon is a luxurious Luxembourgish salute to Genta watchmaking appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Trivial to some, cool to see for many, people around the world are constantly tuning in to see what celebrities are wearing. For watch fans, the magnifying glass is being held up to the wrists of celebrities. I think we all have experienced friends and family giving us the side-eye as we constantly pause a … ContinuedThe post The IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 is the the latest Genta watch to become a celeb favourite appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Has history been rewritten? An early Gérald Genta design made for IWC – regrettably never put into production – suggests so. On June 22, 2022 the not-yet-seen sketch was auctioned by Sotheby’s.
SJX Watches
The Gérald Genta brand, which has recently been revived by La Fabrique du Temps (LFT), the watchmaking manufacture of Louis Vuitton, makes its debut with a unique creation for Only Watch 2023. The Gérald Genta Only Watch 2023 retains the brand’s signature octagonal case, a shape historically known as the “Success”, while showcasing the whimsical side of the brand with a champlevé enamel dial featuring Mickey Mouse carrying a birthday cake. And like many past Gérald Genta watches, it tells the time with a retrograde minutes and jumping hours – along with a minute repeater. Initial thoughts The long awaited comeback of Gérald Genta, a given after its sister brand Daniel Roth was resurrected, raised expectations given the brand’s elaborate complications of the 1990s as well as the current technical prowess of LFT. Unsurprisingly, the brand has combined two of the best known themes from its short history, the Fantasy line of Disney-licensed watches and striking complications. The watch is essentially a homage to Gérald Genta’s best hits of the 1990s. The Mickey House dial is a nod to the Fantasy watches, most of which had retrograde displays. And the octagonal case is modelled on the Success, a bestseller for the brand at the time. That said, the new case design has the addition of lugs that feel slightly out of place. The original Success designs either did without lugs entirely or had simple horizontal bar lugs, both of which arguably work better with the o...
Hodinkee
With help from Genta's widow, Evelyne, the focus will be on high complications and limited production.
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Worn & Wound
The Ingenieur pivots back to its Gerald Genta design era this year with the introduction of a new collection that references the Ingenieur SL, reference 1832 from 1976. This is a move we (and likely, many of you) have anticipated since asking IWC CEO Chris Grainger about it back in 2021 on the Worn & Wound podcast (listen to that episode right here). The new Ingenieur collection welcomes three steel references that feature unique textured dials in silver, black, and aqua, and a full titanium reference with a gray dial. Each feature the new integrated bracelet design made famous by Genta in the ‘70s that we last saw in 2013 with the Ingenieur reference 3239. The new Inge takes a slightly softer approach and places an emphasis on ergonomics, and during our time with the watch in London last month, found it to be exactly that. This is the new Ingenieur Automatic 40 and yes, it still has a soft-iron inner case. The Ingenieur has a rather interesting history that reaches back to 1955 with the reference 666, where it embraced a classic round shape and simple dial befitting of the era. It was launched around the same time as the Rolex Milgauss, and filled a similar role, making use of a soft-iron inner case to protect the movement from magnetic influence (up to 80,000 Amperes per meter). The name has roots in Old French and Medieval Latin, according to IWC, evolving from “ingeniator” or “one who makes or uses an engine”. The word Inegnieur evokes a similar vibe, and b...
Quill & Pad
The Bulgari by Gérald Genta Octo Quadri-Retro Chronograph features four retrograde displays and a jumping hour. Even more than its distinctive shape, the Octo Quadri-Retro’s strongest link to its Genta past is the crossfire of snapdragon displays on its sectored face. Tim Mosso dissects the history of this brand using the quirks of this uber-interesting timepiece.
Time+Tide
Gerald Genta Disney watches are über collectable these days. So when Gerald Genta, owned by Bulgari, revived the collection with a new Mickey Mouse “Smiley” watch last year, the 150-piece limited edition sold out in the snap of a finger. Well, for those who may have missed out, Mickey is back ahead of the FIFA … ContinuedThe post This new Gerald Genta watch displays Mickey Mouse playing football ahead of the World Cup appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
“May I have your full attention? This is one of the most important watches ever.” As Sotheby’s auctioneer Benoît Colson opened lot 72 on May 10, 2022, the room seemed to hold its collective breath for a moment. He continued, “The personal Royal Oak of Gérald Genta – you could not dream of a better provenance for a Royal Oak, an Audemars Piguet, or even any wristwatch.” And here's how the world record price for a vintage AP Royal Oak went down from an eyewitness.
Time+Tide
As watch enthusiasts progress in their collecting, each proceeding hunt is typically dictated by the box they want to check off next. Brand, complication, sports, dress etc. But serious horology heads often target creations based on their designers, and one designer who has attracted the hearts, minds and wallets of watch buyers around the world … ContinuedThe post This IWC Ingenieur SL designed by Gerald Genta could be yours on Loupe This appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Hodinkee
The first "Gérald Genta: Icon of Time" auction concluded this morning.
Quill & Pad
Sotheby’s is currently auctioning off a set of Gérald Genta’s original drawings – including the original sketch of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak – and our pals at The Watches TV took the opportunity to get his widow, Evelyne Genta, on camera to discuss the famed designer’s life and legacy. See it here!
Time+Tide
High-fashion, low rent refers to the playful relationship between the rarified objects in life with the more mass-produced and accessible. G-Shock often delivers great examples of this interplay, whether it’s Tom Sachs’ Casio G-Shock, featured in A Man & His Watch, that he customised with a Hermès-esque Cape Cod double-loop strap, or even the full metal … ContinuedThe post COLLECTING STORIES: A G-Shock CasiOak modification that pushes the Genta levels up to 11 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Genta’s original watch designs of Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus and more are paired with NFTs at Sotheby’s 2022 auctions.
SJX Watches
A watch designer whose talent lives on in his work, the late Gérald Genta was exceptionally prolific – he claimed to have penned over 100,000 creations. His family still possesses some 3,400 original sketches covering a bewildering diversity of timepieces. From that, a hundred sketches have been curated to form Gérald Genta: Icon of Time, a series of four thematic auctions staged by Sotheby’s in the first half of the year. The brainchild of Genta’s wife, Evelyne, the auctions will offer original sketches of his best known creations, including the Royal Oak, Nautilus, and Disney Fantasy watches – each accompanied by a non-fungible token (NFT). Three of Genta’s best known designs. Notably, the illustration of the Nautilus includes its case profile, unlike most of his sketches that depict only the front of the watch Essentially digital representations of the sketches, the NFTs “serve as a record of ownership and proof of provenance for each design, ensuring the value of each physical artwork is intrinsically connected to its digital counterpart which cannot be resold without the NFT that attests to the legitimacy of the piece” according to Sotheby’s. And these original works will be affordable, with each sketch and its NFT starting at just US$100, CHF100, or HK$1,000, depending on the sale location. But the highlight of the event is an actual watch – Genta’s own personal Royal Oak. Slated to be sold at the final instalment of the event taking place...
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Quill & Pad
Gérald Genta's claim to eternal horological fame is closely connected to the rise of high-end stainless steel watches: he designed both the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (1972) and the Patek Philippe Nautilus (1976). While those two watches alone are enough to make Genta a legend, he did much, much more than that as Martin Green shares here.
Quill & Pad
Martin Green is no Gérald Genta groupie charmed by everything the designer created, but he appreciates greatness. While some may favor the Genta Gefica or Grande Sonnerie as the master's definitive design, Martin makes a case for the Retro. Find out why here.
Time+Tide
You may be aware that Gérald Genta sold his company to Bulgari in 2000. But relatively little has been made of the hook-up since then. However, there was always one particular option in the Genta catalogue whose cycle back into fashion has been slowly, but steadily happening as each month passes. With an ever-increasing number … ContinuedThe post Bulgari are taking the Mickey, with the return of this Gerald Genta classic appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Having tested the market with a handful of Gerald Genta-branded limited editions, Bulgari has just revealed during Geneva Watch Days 2021 that the Genta name will be revived. And the inaugural model for that venture is the Gerald Genta Arena Retrograde Mickey Mouse, a Disney-themed watch that harks back to the 1990s Fantasy watches of Gerald Genta. Initial thoughts The commercial opportunity with the Gerald Genta name has been obvious for several years, given the enduring popularity of a narrow set of his designs, namely the 1970s sports watches like the Royal Oak and the later Fantasy watches with Disney characters, all of which sell for handsome sums on the secondary market. While all the 1970s sports watch belong to the brands that Genta designed them for, Bulgari does have the Octo, which was created long after Genta himself left the brand. And now Bulgari has resurrected the Arena Retro Mickey Mouse. Like the Octo, the Arena case was created after Genta departed the namesake company when Bulgari acquired it, but the new Mickey Mouse Retro successfully channels the spirit of the 1990s originals in style and complication. And in terms of mechanics, it’s also more sophisticated than the originals, in that it is powered by a variant of the in-house Bulgari BVL 191 “Solotempo” calibre, instead of the ETA movements found in the originals. The Mickey Mouse reissue, however, does come at a steepish price of about US$17,500. That’s slightly more than the most desirab...
Revolution
Bvlgari reprises a version of the beloved Gerald Genta Mickey Mouse watch and announces four new additions to the Octo Roma line for Geneva Watch Days 2021.
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Hodinkee
Gérald Genta's affinity for a certain cartoon mouse (and a few of his friends) is preserved in watches bearing the late designer's name.
Time+Tide
I might not be the most objective person in our team to write this story, given my well-known love affair with the slim, and, to me, sexy as hell 38mm Laureato I aim to get this year. For me this Genta-licious watch in its warm 904L steel is simply one of the best and most … ContinuedThe post The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Ti 230 smashes my preconceptions of a Genta classic appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Gérald Genta’s spirit and legacy live on at Bulgari.
Time+Tide
My dad once told me to never spoil a good story with the facts, and that’s a sentiment that seems to be well-loved within the watch industry. Whether it’s a Rolex reaching the summit of Everest, or the friendly tale of a hiker named Daniel Wellington, every watch is made just that little bit more … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The new Cartier Pasha collection has dropped, is it time you gave Genta’s most divisive design a closer look? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
"I will request you don't write this, but I don't like watches." – Gérald Genta, 2009
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