Maestro GC Sport Clay

Gerald Charles introduces the GC Sport Clay

Gerald Charles is delighted to announce two new watches, in celebration to the noble sport oftennis and to celebrate some of the tennis players part of the Maison's Friends of the Brand. The Maestro GC Sport Clay and the Maestro GC Sport Grass. The new double act captures the spirit of the upcoming professional clay and grass court tennis seasons, as well as the character of these two very different playing surfaces. They complete a trilogy of watches begun last year by the original Maestro GC Sport, which represents hard court tennis surfaces. Both new models are limited to 200 pieces only.

Gerald Charles has a close relationship with the world of professional tennis and has shock-tested the versatile Maestro GC Sport on the wrists of some of ATP tournament players. The watch has a robust case construction and a highly shock-resistant ultra-thin movement. Despite the extraordinary stresses it experienced during a professional tennis match, it came through testing unaffected. But most importantly its is the ergonomics of Gerald Charles watches and their comfort on wrist which make it possible for professional tennis players to wear GC Sport during the game.

Both models have lightweight polished Grade 5 titanium cases with left-hand crowns, designed to reduce the impact of the crown on the wrist during play. Including their straps and buckles, the watches weigh just 65 grams.

The two watches are identified by the colour and textured finish of their dials. The Maestro GC Sport Clay has a graduated russet-coloured dial to evoke the red powder of clay courts; the Maestro GC Sport Grass a graduated green dial, which lightens as it nears the centre, mirroring the way grass courts fade during a tournament.

This artisanal, textured finish is achieved by taking a specially grained dial base and applying colour and a clear, shiny coating to it. This creates the three-dimensional effect that echoes the irregular playing surface of clay and grass tennis courts. Some sections are left flat for the logo, minute track and Swiss Made indication.

The Maestro GC Sport Clay has a matching chocolate brown vulcanised rubber strap; the Maestro GC Sport Grass the same in green.

Inside both watches is the ultra-thin automatic Ref. GCA 3002, developed by the Swiss Maison in partnership with the specialist Swiss movement creator Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier. The movement is just 3.7mm thick and yet delivers 50 hours of power from a twin-barrel system and incorporates an Incabloc® anti-shock system.

The Maestro case design, created by the Maison’s founder, the great Mr. Gérald Charles Genta, is swiftly gaining instant recognition thanks to its joyfully asymmetrical case. The rippled, cascading bezel and ‘smile’ at 6 o’clock are easily distinguished from distance, a symbol of a truly iconic design. In keeping with the Gerald Charles watchmaking philosophy established by Monsieur Genta, the Maestro GC Sport Clay and Grass watches are crafted and finished to the highest standards of Swiss fine watchmaking. From the hobnail ‘Clous de Paris’ finish on the crown and vulcanised rubber strap, to the Côtes de Genève finish on the movement’s bridges, the Maestro GC Sport is artfully conceived and executed.

This combination of high-end craftsmanship and ultra-wearability is what makes Gerald Charles watches, and particularly the all-day Maestro GC Sport so unique. Monsieur Genta’s vision was ’artistic creativity, technical mastery’, and it continues to inspire every watch the family-owned company produces today.

Technical information

References

• GC2.0-TX-TN-08 (Clay)  
  

Movement

• GCA 3002, manufactured exclusively for Gerald Charles by Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier

Caliber

• Automatic
  

Functions

• Hours, minutes and central seconds, date at 6 o’clock

Watch Head

• Case size of 39x41mm
• Case thickness. 8.35mm
• Asymmetric polygon with smooth edges (“Maestro” original design by Mr. Gerald Charles Genta)
• Grade 5 Titanium case body and bezel
• Grade 5 Titanium crown with embossed logo
• Crystal: Sapphire crystal with colourless internal and external multi-layer anti-reflection treatment
• Left-hand screw-down Grade 5 titanium crown with Clous de Paris finish and embossed logo
• Case back: Brushed Grade 5 titanium with sapphire crystal opening

Dial

• Russet, hand-applied textured finish, numerals, hour and minute hands and indexes filled with Super-LumiNova®

Movement

• Manufacture movement
• Developer: Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier S.A.
• Ultra-thin automatic ref. GCA3002  stop-second system, bi-directional rotating rotor with ceramic ball bearing,  circular-grained and Côtes de Genève decoration.
• Diameter: 23.30 mm
• Thickness: 3.70 mm
• Number of components: 189
• Number of jewels: 28
• Power reserve: 50 hours from twin barrels
• Winding rotor: bi-directional rotating rotor with ceramic ball bearing
  
• Balance: Gyromax®
• Frequency: 28,800 semi-oscillations/hour (4 Hz)
• Anti-shock system, Incabloc®

Finishing

• Circular-grained plate on dial side
  
• Cote de Gèneve decorated bridges
  
• Date bridge and motion-work bridge rhodium-plated and circular-grained, dial side
  
• Bevels, counterbores and apertures diamond-polished
  
• Ceramic ball bearing
  
• Pivots and flanges rolled
  
• Wheels circular-grained on two faces
  
• Flat-head screws, locked

Water resistance

• 100 metres / 10 ATM
  

Strap

• Chocolate brown rubber, Clous de Paris finish to top side, Gerald Charles logo tapisserie to rear
• Grade 5 titanium buckle with Gerald Charles logo

Weight

• Watch head - 46.00 grams
• Total - 65.60 grams

Availability

• Limited edition of 200 pieces
  

Warranty

• Five years (following ‘Smart Warranty’ system registration)
  

About Gerald Charles

Gerald Charles is an independent, family-owned watch company based in Switzerland. It was founded in 2000 by the great Mr. Gérald Charles Genta, the 20th century’s foremost watch designer.

Monsieur Genta, often referred to simply as ‘Maestro’, was a prolific artist and watch designer. After selling the company in 2003, he stayed on as its designer-in-chief until his death in 2011, leaving a treasure trove of watch designs in the company’s care. Every watch created by Gerald Charles is based on one of his original designs and carries his legacy of ‘artistic creativity, technical mastery’ forward into the future.

Gerald Charles watches are at the cutting edge of ergonomics and designed and manufactured to sit comfortably and elegantly on the wrist. Gerald Charles watches are produced without compromise and marry the finest traditions and most up-to-date technologies of Swiss mechanical watchmaking to deliver superior precision and performance, as well as exceptional water and shock resistant. Every piece is an elegant sport watch, the signature of the company's founder and eternal inspiration, Monsieur Genta.

MR. G.C. GENTA

Monsieur Gerald Charles Genta (1931-2011), born in Geneva, is deemed the most acclaimed watch designer in the world. In the early 2000s Monsieur Gerald Charles Genta – at the height of his success and willing to continue his creative production – founded the most modern of his brands: Gerald Charles.

He designed some of the most modern of his watches for the Maison Gerald Charles: amongst them the Maestro is one of his highest achievements. Its asymmetric watch case, one of its kind, has never been seen before and represents an exclusive innovation.

Timeline

2000 
Foundation of the Maison
Mr. Gérald Charles Genta founded Gerald Charles, giving the Maison his first two names. 

2001
Gerald Charles Renaissance
Renaissance is the first Gerald Charles collection, whose name perfectly describes Mr. Genta’s artistic revival. The collection is a bolder expression of the soft line which Mr. Genta was always particularly fond of. 

2003
Mr. Genta as Designer in Chief
Mr. Gérald Charles Genta sold the company to a group of investors, led by the Ziviani family, and remained Designer in Chief until 2011, with Mr. Giampaolo Ziviani as General Manager. Nowadays, Mr. Genta’s legacy lives on through his many watch designs and the Maison Gerald Charles. Every watch created by Maison Gerald Charles today is based on one of his original designs. 

2005
Gerald Charles Maestro
Mr. Gérald Charles Genta introduced the Maestro case, an iconic case made to last for future generations, whose shape lies between a square and an octagon. He took inspiration from the 17th century baroque architecture, realised by the Swiss-born Italian architect Francesco Borromini. The ‘smile’ at 6 o’clock is a subtle reflection of the concavity on the monuments’ façades. 

2011
Production of bespoke timepieces
Between 2011 and 2018, the Maison produced bespoke timepieces for a niche of collectors. Some of Mr. Genta's early creations had the designer's signature engraved on the case back, as an artwork of an artist. 

2019
Federico Ziviani as CEO
A new management took part in the Maison with a Board of Director and Federico Ziviani as CEO. The common mission has been opening up the story of Gerald Charles to a wider audience of collectors, increasing the production from a few dedicated pieces to 1.500 pieces a year. 

2021
The Maestro Anniversary and the Maestro premier 2021
In 2020, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the company, Gerald Charles released the Maestro Anniversary: a limited edition of 252 pieces marking the number of months since the company was founded. A year later, the Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin and Maestro 3.0 Chronograph Premier 2021 were launched. 

2024
Retail’s expansion
In 2022, the company was immediately appreciated among watch collectors worldwide. The brand supported by the best retailers in Europe, in particular Italy and the Middle East. In 2023, Gerald Charles continued its distribution in North Europe and the USA. In 2024. Gerald Charles officially began distribution on the Japanese market and inaugurated a new hub in Geneva, the Atelier.