W&W 2025: Gerald Charles Celebrates Jubilee With Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition
As Gerald Charles commemorates its 25th anniversary, the maison is launching a special tribute to its legendary founder, Mr. Gérald Charles Genta, with the Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition. This release not only celebrates the brand’s heritage but also pays homage to the extraordinary creativity and technical prowess of Mr. Genta, who is renowned as one of the most influential watch designers of the past two centuries. The design and function of this particular model are based on the original GC39 model from 2005, which was inspired by the ‘window watch’ style with a sliding-hour complication and was developed together with Antoine Preziuso.
The anniversary edition coincides with the opening of Gerald Charles’ archives to the public, offering a glimpse into the rich history and creative genius of its founder. With a contemporary twist on the original GC39 model, this limited-edition timepiece is set to captivate collectors and enthusiasts with its distinctive design and technical sophistication. Limited to just 100 pieces, the Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition features a striking design characterized by its unique case inspired by Baroque architecture and advanced mechanical movement. Let’s take a closer look.
Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition case
The Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition is a testament to Gerald Charles’ innovative design ethos, featuring a case that captures the essence of Mr. Genta’s original vision. Crafted from polished Grade 5 titanium, the case offers a lightweight yet robust structure, measuring 42 mm squared. This size makes it the largest in the Maestro collection, expanding 3 mm beyond the Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin’s case size. The design is rooted in Baroque style, inspired by Francesco Borromini’s architectural masterpiece in Rome. This becomes evident through the watch’s asymmetric profile, cascading bezel, and the unmistakable convex ‘smile’ at 6 o’clock.
Despite the case’s intricate design and the presence of a jumping hours complication, the watch maintains a slim profile at just 11 mm thick. The use of titanium, a challenging material to work with, reflects the maison’s commitment to innovation and quality, ensuring both durability and comfort. Additionally, the watch is equipped with a screw-down crown, enhancing its water resistance, rated at 100 meters, making it suitable for various environments while retaining its elegant design.
Dial
At the heart of the Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition dial lies a piece of lapis lazuli. Its shape mimics the Maestro’s distinctive silhouette and is a nod to Genta’s fondness for this semi-precious stone. Surrounding it is a dial crafted using a new precision micro-chemical engraving technique known as meta-guillochage, which creates a captivating Baroque-style multi-ray star motif. This innovative process involves layered engraving that plays with light to produce a mesmerizing effect, highlighting the intricate beauty of the design.
At 12 o’clock, the watch features a jumping hours complication, an homage to the classic ‘montre à guichet’ style. The time is elegantly displayed via a blued central hour hand, which is skeletonised to allow light to pass through and interact with the dial’s engraved surface. Polished Colormix blue cabochon indexes and a black minute track round off the dial’s aesthetic, providing a harmonious contrast to the vibrant blue frame and adding depth to the overall aesthetic. A special 25th-anniversary logo adorns the dial, marking this edition as a collector’s piece.
Movement
At the core of the Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition is the patented Swiss Manufacture 4.0 Calibre Jumping Hours, a marvel of horological engineering developed in-house by Gerald Charles. This automatic movement features a jumping hours complication, a sophisticated function rarely seen in modern watchmaking. The movement comprises 265 components and operates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz), offering a robust 50-hour power reserve.
The jumping hours mechanism, which requires substantial energy to function, is a testament to the maison’s technical prowess and aligns with Mr. Genta’s admiration for this complication. The movement’s bridges are adorned with Côtes de Genève stripes and perlage finishes, showcasing the meticulous hand-finishing techniques perfected by Gerald Charles’ artisans. The rhodium-plated module wheels enhance the aesthetic, while the golden oscillating weight, visible through the sapphire case back, features a honeycomb motif designed by Octavio Garcia. This intricate design is complemented by the 25th-anniversary logo, underscoring the watch’s celebratory nature and the brand’s commitment to excellence.
Strap
The Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition is equipped with a Royal Blue vulcanised rubber strap, which embodies both luxury and functionality. This strap features a Clou de Paris pattern on the top side and a Gerald Charles logo tapisserie on the rear.
The choice of a rubber strap is in line with the maison’s philosophy of creating versatile watches that seamlessly transition from day to night and casual to formal settings. The strap is secured with a butterfly deployant buckle made from polished Grade 5 titanium, matching the case’s finish and ensuring a cohesive aesthetic. This combination of materials and design elements not only provides exceptional comfort and durability but also offers a sporty yet sophisticated look.
Price & Availability of the Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition
The Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition is a limited-edition release, with only 100 pieces available worldwide. Priced at 36,000 euros, the watch reflects the brand’s prestige and the exceptional craftsmanship involved in its creation. Given its limited production, the watch is expected to attract significant interest from the watch community. The first 40 pieces will be delivered at launch, with the remainder to follow, offering collectors a rare opportunity to acquire a unique timepiece that celebrates the legacy of Mr. Gérald Charles Genta and the maison’s 25-year haute horlogerie journey.
Rolex is presenting its new releases for this year at Watches & Wonders 2025. Highlights include a left-handed GMT-Master II with a green dial, revised Oyster Perpetual models, and several new dials. This year's star of the show, however, is a completely new model: the Land-Dweller, housing several innovations in the movement. Land-Dweller: new model,…
Zenith is relaunching its legendary A386 as the Chronomaster Original, giving it a permanent place in the collection. The original Zenith A386 was one of the first stainless-steel watches to be equipped with the El Primero calibre. This was the first automatic chronograph movement to use a high frequency of 5 Hz. Zenith already presented…
The Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Complete Calendar Openface combines the classic case of the Dress Watch collection with a bold openworked dial. The watch appears in white gold or red gold and offers a full calendar with moon phases. The movement can be seen through the exposed dial, which emphasises the technical feel of the watch.…
The RM S14 Talisman Origine looks like something from a bygone era, with only the characteristic tonneau case hinting that this is indeed a Richard Mille timepiece. The piece is a tribute to the ‘Talisman Origine’; a talisman which, according to Richard Mille, was discovered in the heart of the Swiss Jura, and said to…
Zenith is introducing the Chronomaster Revival A385, a reissue of the original A385 from 1969. The new model is an exact reproduction of the historical prototype which, together with two other variants, formed the first generation of the El Primero chronograph. As the first automatic high-frequency chronograph, the El Primero quickly achieved great fame. However,…
The excitement is back! From July 3-6, the Le Mans Classic event returns, and with it comes another extraordinary Richard Mille limited edition, celebrating the golden age of endurance racing. The RM 30-01 Le Mans Classic marks the Swiss brand’s 12th timepiece dedicated to this biennial celebration since their inaugural partnership in 2002. Scheduled to…
French watchmaker Trilobe is set to unveil three new editions of its Une Folle Journée (“A Crazy Day”) collection, showcasing the brand’s innovative approach to horology. These timepieces feature floating rings to indicate time, offering a fresh perspective on timekeeping. The new models distinguish themselves with grey rhodium-plated bridges, a departure from the previous black…
Back in January at the LMVH Watch Week in Dubai, watchmaker Zenith, which was founded back in 1865, introduced several exciting novelties into its DEFY collection. One special new piece of this collection is likely to have particularly excited fans of electro and techno music: the DEFY 21 Carl Cox Edition. It was created in…
On the watch fair SIHH 2019 the Swiss luxury watch brand Vacheron Constantin added a new model to its 'Overseas collection'. This new model is very special due to the fact it is the first one to be operated by a self-winding tourbillon movement. The case of the new model Overseas Tourbillon Ref. 6000V/110A-B544 is made of stainless…
Hublot presents the Big Bang MECA-10 in a more compact 42mm case. The watch features an updated movement with three linear bridges and a power reserve of 10 days. The watch is available in three versions: King Gold, Titanium, and Frosted Carbon. The new case size offers a more ergonomic fit and retains the design…
Earlier this month, to mark the introduction of H. Moser and Cie.'s new online sales platform, the family-run Swiss watch company has presented three new models: the H. Moser and Cie. Vantablack editions. Their colour? Completely black. Unusually, the dials are coated with Vantablack, the blackest black ever produced by artificial means. In fact, Vantablack…
Jaeger-LeCoultre is introducing two new Memovox models to its Master Control collection, one of which is the Master Control Memovox Timer (The other one is the Master Control Memovox). Although contemporary in style, the watch takes its inspiration from the 1950s Memovox models. Additionally, the timepiece's movement incorporates not only an alarm-setting mechanism, but also…
The Hublot Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Cathedral Minute Repeater Ceramic combines a ceramic case with a minute repeater for the first time. Until now, it has not been possible to accommodate the complication in a case made of the extremely hard material. This was because water resistance could not be guaranteed due to the movable…