Maestro 8.0 Squelette Rubies

The Maestro story continues

Lugano, 31 October 2022 - Maison Gerald Charles is delighted to announce the Maestro 8.0 Squelette GC.8.0 Gem-Set, a series of four limited-edition watches based on the Maison’s first ultra-thin open-worked reference with micro-rotor architecture, released last spring. The new Gem-Set pieces continue the story of Gerald Charles’s highly creative, technically advanced approach to open-worked watches.

Each of the new models is themed around a precious stone, namely diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires, and features 66 baguette-cut stones of the highest purity set by hand into an 18-carat white gold bezel by highly skilled artisans in Geneva.

The case is in medical grade stainless steel, while the vulcanised rubber strap matches the colour of each precious gem.

It takes months of hand craftsmanship to deliver a single piece in this limited-edition series. Only 10 of each will be produced. “This gem-set collection marks an important milestone for the Maison Gerald Charles,” said Gerald Charles General Manager Federico Ziviani. “It demonstrates its ability to apply complex engineering solutions and savoir-faire to high-end watchmaking. It is an extremely complex process to integrate these large baguette-cut gems by hand into the Maestro’s unique case architecture. Because the original case bezel is curved, we had to find technical solutions for a flat surface on this bezel where we could apply the stones”.

Gerald Charles’s watchmakers, designers and engineers work with a few selected and trusted Swiss partners to deliver the Maison’s collection of mechanical watches. The precious stones in these new references were set by hand by specialist gem-setter Salanitro Genève.

Each of the new models is powered by the open-worked GCA8.0 calibre with micro-rotor architecture, an exceptional movement developed by the Maison under the artistic and technical direction of the world-renowned designer Mr. Octavio Garcia. Gerald Charles and the Artistic Director worked on the movement in collaboration with specialist movement manu- facturer Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier. The calibre, which took two years to develop, represents the Maison’s highest technical achievement in terms of movement architecture.

When it came to designing the GCA8.0 calibre, Mr. Octavio Garcia chose the theme of the celestial sky chart. For example, the star-shaped cage that holds the micro-rotor in place is shaped like a shooting star, with rays spreading playfully across it. On the dial side, the GCA8.0 calibre features some satin-finished and rhodium plated open-worked bridges; some others are treated with anthracite NAC. All angles, bevels and apertures are diamond-cut and hand-polished, and the yellowgold wheels are decorated with circular graining, a traditional high-end watchmaking finish.

The design is perfectly balanced, thanks to a number of subtle adaptions. One such example is the Gerald Charles logo, which has been shifted left so that it sits between the 11 and 12 o’clock positions, thereby allowing the micro-rotor cage space to breath.

With an open-worked watch, legibility is important. The rehaut features white painted minute markers and hands filled with highly luminous Super-LumiNova®. It is held in place by a series of nine star-shaped screws designed and developed by the Maison, while the open-working has been acutely considered so that the wearer will always get a glimpse of the 22-carat rose-gold micro-rotor through the dial. The micro-rotor features its sunray-brushed decoration on the dial side, while the view from the reverse is intentionally more subtle, with its sandblasted and brushed finish. All this is visible through the watch’s sapphire case back, as is the balance wheel at 7 o’clock, which is also visible from the dial side through the bridge openings.

The Maestro 8.0 Squelette GC.8.0 Gem-Set Limited Edition series further embellishes this astonishing aesthetic and technical achievement with precious stone settings. The watches are available to order now, subjects on waiting list.

Technical information

Ref. GC8.0-A-WG-RUB

Designer

• Octavio Garcia
  

Reference

• GC8.0-SQ-A-00
  

Movement

• GCA 5482, manufactured exclusively for Gerald Charles by Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier

Caliber

• Automatic
  

Functions

• Hours and minutes

Watch Head

• Case size of 39x41mm
• Case thickness. 8.35mm
• Asymmetric polygon with smooth edges (“Maestro” original design by Mr. Gerald Charles Genta)
• Bezel in 18 K White Gold with 66 rubies
• Gem set 2.73 ct. baguette cutting 
• Stainless steel crown with embossed logo
• Case material: mirror-polished stainless steel (1.4453 medical grade) 
• Crystals: sapphire crystal front and back
• Skeleton bridges and satin-finished and rhodium-plated, hand-finished angles
  
• Crown: screw down type

Movement

• Manufacture movement
• Developer: Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier S.A.
  
• Caliber: Ref. GCA 5482
  
• Diameter: 13" ½ (30.00 mm)
• Thickness: 2.6 mm
• Number of components: 160
• Number of jewels: 29
• Power reserve: 50 hours
• Winding micro-rotor: single direction, in the anti-clockwise sense of the weight, viewing from the dial side
• Micro-rotor: 22-carat gold
• Balance: variable inertia with gold inertia blocks
• Frequency: 21,600 semi-oscillations/hour (3 Hz)

Finishing

• Movement finishing dial side: skeleton bridges and satin-finished and rhodium-plated, hand-finished angles
• Anthracite NAC treatment
• Bevels and apertures diamond-polished
• Ceramic ball-bearing
• Wheels circular-grained on two faces
• Flat-head screws, locked
• Pivots and flanges rolled
• Rehaut: minutes indicators, nine stainless steel screws with star head developed in house
• Micro-rotor cage: star-shaped

Water resistance

• 100 metres / 10 ATM
  

Strap

• Ruby red rubber to Mr Gerald Genta Clous de Paris design
  
• Buckle in stainless steel

Availability

• Production limited by capacity to 100 pieces per year
  

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.