Following the successful release of the Maestro Premier 2021 Editions earlier this spring, Swiss luxury watch brand Gerald Charles presents four new references of the Gérald Genta-designed ultra-thin and chronograph sports watch into its continuous collection.
The new Gerald Charles Maestro GC2.0-A Automatic and Maestro GC3.0-A Chronograph watches have stainless steel cases.
Both timepieces are available with either a black or emerald green palette. While neither will be a limited-edition, they will be limited in annual production in keeping with the company’s watch creation philosophy.
As well as being an ultra-thin, lightweight watch that both men and women can wear elegantly on the wrist across codes and styles, the 39mm Maestro is designed to be a high-performing sports watch.
The GC2.0-A Automatic weighs just 85 grams, and the GC3.0-A Chronograph 110 grams, and yet both are water-resistant to 100 metres and have advanced levels of shock resistance, too.
To test the performance of the new Maestro references, Gerald Charles friend of the brand and record-breaking Italian Olympic swimming champion Luca Dotto took them to Y-40® The Deep Joy, the 42.15-metre deep pool in Italy’s Padua that in 2014 became the world’s deepest indoor pool.
To deliver this seamless balance between performance and wearability, Gerald Charles’ engineers brought forward the advanced geometries of the Maestro Premier Edition 2021 case. The new models share the bespoke gasket design first seen in those references. This gasket seals the irregular-shaped case and sapphire crystal, ensuring the watch can withstand the pressures experienced at depth.
The four new references continue the story of the next-generation Maestro, first signalled by the Premier 2021 Editions, and become Gerald Charles’s continuous collection pieces. But most of all, they continue the story of the greatest watch designer of the 20th century, Monsieur Genta, whose designs combined artistic creativity with the technical mastery of fine Swiss watchmaking. Gerald Charles takes great pride in paying tribute to his genius and unparalleled creative vision, and to the majesty of the Maestro design, created at Monsieur Genta’s hand in 2006.
Compared to previous generations, the GC3.0-A Chronograph has raised flanks that give the watch its squarer, more octagonal appearance, and extended, rounded lugs that deliver improved ergonomics. As before, it integrates irregular-shaped pushers that follow the contours of the case flank, protecting and even enhancing the Maestro’s signature silhouette. The GC2.0-A Automatic shares similar geometry, only with a rounder feel.
Whether in timeless black or sparkling emerald green, the steel GC2.0-A Automatic and GC3.0-A Chronograph watches convey casual charm and sophistication in keeping with the artistic vision set out by Monsieur Genta.
The sunburst-finished dials dance in the light, while the Clous de Paris-motif vulcanised rubber straps cast enigmatic shadows across the wrist.
The two new models are powered by specially enhanced, hand-finished Vaucher movements that have been customised exclusively for Gerald Charles and that were first used in the Maestro Premier 2021 Editions.
Each of the new watches has a sapphire crystal case back showcasing these beautiful mechanical movements.
The GC2.0-A Automatic houses the highly sophisticated Calibre Ref. GCA3002, a 3.7mm thick automatic that delivers time and date functions, elevated levels of accuracy and vibration and shock resistance, and a twin-barrelled 50-hour power reserve. It has a high-grade bi-directional rotating rotor set on a low-friction ceramic ball bearing system.
For the GC3.0-A Chronograph, Gerald Charles returned to the Calibre Ref. GCA3022/12, an automatic chronograph movement based on the GCA3002. It too offers remarkable thinness, measuring just 6.07mm in height, including its bi-directional rotating oscillating weight, and also offers a twin-barrelled 50-hour power reserve.
Technical details
Model: Gerald Charles Maestro GC2.0-A Automatic
Case
Stainless steel, 39mm x 41.7mm, screw-down stainless steel crown with Clous de Paris finish and embossed logo, anti-glare sapphire crystal, brushed stainless steel case back with anti-glare sapphire crystal, water-resistant to 100m
Dial
Sunburst black or emerald green, hands and indexes filled with Super-LumiNova®
Movement
Ultra-thin automatic, 3.7mm, 189 components, 28 rubies, 28,800vph, (4hz), 50-hour power reserve from twin barrels, anti-shock system, Incabloc® stop-second system, bi-directional rotating rotor with ceramic ball bearing, hours, minutes and central seconds, date at 6 o’clock, circular-grained and Côtes de Genève decoration
Strap
Black or emerald green vulcanised rubber, Clous de Paris finish to top side, Gerald Charles logo tapisserie to rear, stainless steel buckle
Model: Gerald Charles Maestro GC3.0-A Chronograph
Case
Stainless steel, 39mm x 41.5mm, screw-down stainless steel crown with Clous de Paris finish and embossed logo, anti-glare sapphire crystal, brushed stainless steel case back with anti-glare sapphire crystal, water-resistant to 100m
Dial
Sunburst black or emerald green, hands and indexes filled with Super-LumiNova®
Movement
Ultra-thin automatic chronograph, 6.07mm thickness, 351 components, 46 rubies, 28,800vph, 50-hour power reserve from twin barrels, anti-shock system, Incabloc® stop-second system, bi-directional rotating rotor with ceramic ball bearing, hours, minutes and central seconds, chronograph with counters at 3, 6 and 9, circular-grained and Côtes de Genève decoration
Strap
Black or emerald green vulcanised rubber, Clous de Paris finish to top side, Gerald Charles logo tapisserie to rear, stainless steel buckle