THIS IS NOT A BORING GENTA ARTICLE GUYS !!!
I promise you.
I had to write that in full caps because this very persistent intrusive thought lingering in the back of my head, has been VERY present for the entirety of the 2 weeks I have dedicated to researching and thinking about today’s topic. I know most of you guys won’t get it, but I do have a certain feeling of duty regarding what I put out here for you to read and learn. And I believe that I have to discuss worthy and relevant subjects that’ll push each one of you further in your individual Horological journeys.
So why the impostor syndrome ? Well, to put it short, Mr Gérald Genta’s name is as mainstream as it gets in the watch world. It’s like being in a Music Nerds’ Roundtable and mentioning Michael Jackson. You get it right ? Am I being too snobby ? Anyways… let me get into it.
Just like with Michael Jackson, you have “Smooth Criminal”, but you also have a very deep quality underrated cut like “Invincible”. Both are very well known beautiful songs, but Invincible is not what pops up in your head when a street interviewer says “Name 5 MJ songs NOW !”
And it’s only right to compare MJ to Genta, since he is our star and the person most synonymous with watch design. I’m not going to get into Mr Gerald’s life and biography, so click here to read all about it. But what I will deeply and obsessively be getting into today, is a specific era of the legend’s design identity: Mr Gérald Genta’s Neo-Art Deco design language.
There is a lot to uncover here, so buckle up guys.
What I mean by all this fancy talk, is that throughout his career, Mr Genta has had a signature way of designing the cases of his watches. By that I’m referring to his tendency to make the shapes of said cases very geometrical. But not any shape, an octagonal one.
For those of you who don’t know, Gérald Genta designed both the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus. Very iconic, significant, timeless and famous watches that have never failed to mesmerize both connoisseurs and noobies. These watches are SO well designed and proportioned to the point that they have become synonymous with respective brands. Especially Audemars Piguet, since the brand has not been able to graduate from nor make anything more relevant than its Royal Oak. A watch released in 1972…
Although these pieces do respect the geometrical laws mentioned above, they are very far from what I will be introducing you to today: The Gérald Genta brand’s octagonal watches.
2 words: Magnum Opus.
That’s it. I could stop writing here and I would have said it all. But let me expand.
As I said before, I think it would be fair to say that this 90s design identity Mr Genta solidified could be categorized as Neo-Art Deco. Now why is that ?
Let’s decompose what I just said. “Neo” stands for “New”. “Art Deco” stands for “Arts Décoratifs”, a design and architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s and one characterized by bold geometric shapes, rich colors, and lavish ornamentation. It combines modernist elements with luxurious materials and craftsmanship, often featuring symmetry, streamlined forms, and decorative motifs inspired by industrial progress, ancient cultures, and nature. So yes, the Lavish-New York-1920s-Great Gatsby-Jazzy era of design, but make it modern; as in the 90s.
Now take this last paragraph and look at this picture:
Right ?! I know, I’m good at explaining things LOL.
Mr Gérald Genta’s octagonal design language is one of the most distinctive and influential in modern watchmaking. Period. He is often credited with revolutionizing the luxury sports watch category, and his octagonal designs remain iconic in both technical craftsmanship and aesthetic boldness, since he was deeply influenced by classical architecture.
The octagon, a geometric shape that bridges the circle and the square, represents a combination of fluidity and structure. Fluidity. Key word. Something that you guys can appreciate in the pictures to come.
Genta’s eponymous brand is often viewed as the playground where he truly unleashed his creativity, not constrained by the codes or traditions of the more established watchmaking houses. He launched his own brand in 1969, which allowed him to delve into more avant-garde designs and to explore complex watchmaking in ways that were bold, experimental, and often highly architectural.
This article is about the pieces from the Gérald Genta brand that deserve MUCH MUCH more appreciation and buzz. So let me blow your minds.
While Genta’s brand produced a wide variety of watches, it’s the octagonal models that reflect his most radical approach to watch design. These models took the octagonal theme he had popularized and pushed it further, incorporating unique shapes, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, complex complications. Why am I emphasizing on this ? Well because this guy made sure to tell every snob critic that he could in fact make the most experimental and strange looking watch ever, and at the same time, put the CRAZIEST complication in it.
You know what, let me just show you guys.
The Gérald Genta Octagonal Perpetual Calendar.
Boom. A beast of watch. But a very pretty one nonetheless.
Are you seeing that semi-skeletonized dial ? That moonphase at 12 o’clock ? That case ?… I could stay here forever.
The perpetual calendar display is laid out symmetrically, with subdials for the day, date, month, and moon phase. Some models also feature a leap year indicator. The case sizes were typically larger than those of traditional perpetual calendars, adding to their bold, architectural presence on the wrist.
As for the heart that powers them, these watches contain in-house calibers ensuring that the watch would display the correct date and leap year cycle without needing manual adjustment.
The GG Octagonal Perpetual Calendar comes in steel, yellow and more rarely white gold configurations. But believe me when I tell you that you could find Jack Sparrow’s treasure before you find one of these in the market.
(Click here for more information about the white gold piece.)
Gérald Genta Grande Sonnerie.
This is how you properly flex. This is the ultimate mic drop guys.
Let me explain why. The Grande Sonnerie is one of the most complex and prestigious watch complications in horology. It’s like having a mini orchestra on your wrist. This complication automatically strikes the time in hours and quarters as it passes, kind of like a grandfather clock, but way cooler and smaller. It also gives you the option to strike on demand, meaning you can hear the time whenever you want without looking. It usually comes with a Petite Sonnerie, which only strikes the hours. But the Grande Sonnerie does it all—hours and quarters—automatically, every hour. The level of craftsmanship needed to build this is out of this world as it requires hundreds of parts, all working together perfectly. It’s, as I said, the ultimate flex in watchmaking.
His – I’ll say it again – Magnum Opus.
BUT ARE YOU LOOKING AT THAT CASE THO !!! god…
The octagonal case is often massive, allowing the space required for the intricate chiming mechanism. These watches were often made of precious metals like gold or platinum, enhancing the luxuriousness of the complex movement inside.
More here.
Gérald Genta Octagonal Retro Fantasy Collection
You know what they say, “ Always finish with a sweet”. And this is as sweet as it gets for Gérald.
One of the most playful and whimsical interpretations of the octagonal form came with the Gérald Genta Fantasy Collection, which often incorporated retrograde functions, jumping hours… on cartoon character dials. Very quirky right ?
Well the dials frequently featured characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck… with their hands serving as the indicators for the retrograde minutes or jumping hours. But don’t be fooled, despite the playful designs, the watches were powered by high-end mechanical movements and featured advanced complications.
And hey, it really worked. The Fantasy Collection demonstrated Genta’s ability to blend high horology with playful and artistic designs. It appealed to collectors looking for something unique and unconventional, showcasing Genta’s diversity in design.
Huge fun fact about this collection: Back in 1984, the brand was infamously expelled from the Montres et Bijoux fair for using Disney designs, but Genta’s daring move to challenge and push the limits of this traditional industry sparked a shift that would reshape and redefine an entire sector of watchmaking. He made it okay to be playful, and the old snobs hated him for it; at first.
Another thing that I learned while roaming the undiscovered territory of Mr Genta’s art, was that he was designing for an elite clientele of sultans and royals from the Middle East and Asia, who sought unique, ornate pieces adorned with gemstones and intricate details. Most of these pieces were “ Table clocks” or clocks in general that do fall into his Neo-Octagonal-Art Deco ’ish style.
This custom-focused approach allowed Genta to move beyond the more traditional designs he created for major Swiss brands, transitioning into highly eccentric and often extravagant works of art.
I know that this was long and boring to some of you. But hey, we warned you about how horology can be. But let me tell you, I had an absolute blast writing this story and inspecting the beautiful creations of Mr. Gérald Genta.
Let me know on Instagram DMs what you thought about this and let me tell you, we are making a fantastic comeback ! If you’re Moroccan, please check the Time-Telling Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and I’m very happy and proud to announce a very interesting mini-series on The T-T youtube channel. So yea, enjoy 🙂
*Images courtesy of: Gérald Genta heritage – Hodinkee.com – Christie’s – Phillips Auction – Revolution Watch (Among other sources)*
SUBSCRIBE NOW AND NEVER MISS A THING !
