The Swiss watchmaker Gérald Genta (1931-2011) was a fastidious individual. His tastes ranged from classical to rap. He would rise up “terribly, terribly early”, put on a suit and tie – even when working at home – and listen to music. “He always told me he didn’t know what he was going to design,” recalls Evelyne Genta, his business and life partner. A new watch would appear straightaway as he drew a circle on blue paper, separated it into lines and started painting with tiny brushes.
It is anticipated that three auctions under the banner Gérald Genta: Icon of Time will take place in Geneva, Hong Kong and New York during Spring 2022 to commemorate Genta’s 10-year death anniversary. In addition to his most iconic timepieces, Genta’s personal archives of 3,400 sketches will include some never-before-seen private commissions and a unique selection of innovative watches. They feature 100 original designs from his personal archives.
Gérald Genta was born in Geneva in 1931 and trained as a jeweler and goldsmith before joining Universal Genève in 1953. A young watchmaker, Genta made his mark quickly: at the age of 23, his SAS Polerouter, commemorating the polar flights of its namesake Scandinavian airline, became a major hit. Over a period of more than 50 years, Genta designed some of watchmaking’s most innovative timepieces for Omega, Piaget, Bulgari, and IWC, as well as his own brand.
As former President of LVMH’s Watch division, Jean-Claude Biver says, “Genérald disrupted our art and industry with his constant ability to think outside the box and his obsession with disrupting tradition.” We can still feel his tremendous influence in the watch industry even today. A vintage and modern collection of watches still features two of his designs developed in the 1970s – the Royal Oak for Audemars Piguet and the Nautilus for Patek Philippe.”
The watercolour paintings will be accompanied by digital replicas in the form of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) that will serve as a certificate of authenticity and, for selected designs, will also feature archival materials and multimedia content that has never been seen before. With each artwork’s provenance committed to the blockchain, physical artworks will be permanently tethered to their digital counterparts. With his luxury steel watches and boundary-pushing case designs, Genta revolutionized the watch industry in his time with this radical prospect. Among young, tech-savvy watch collectors, Genta enjoys a cult following. “There have been so many requests from collectors asking questions about my husband,” shares Evelyne. “They were all very young and knowledgeable about his designs.”
There has been a recent emergence of NFT artworks and collectibles on the market. How would the “Picasso of watchmaking” have viewed NFTs? “Gérald was always looking for something new. It’s why I can never answer the question, ‘What was his favourite watch?’”, notes Evelyne. “He would always say: ‘The one that I’m going to do tomorrow.’ He was obsessed with never looking back – the past is gone. I think he especially would have loved the idea that once and for all, when you look up his design, it’s got a certificate of authenticity saying ‘designed by Gérald Genta’.”
Gérald Genta Heritage Association, notably with the launch of its inaugural prize for young talent, will benefit from a portion of the proceeds from the sales. Evelyne says, “We have some wonderful young watchmakers making gorgeous movements,” and she hopes that the award will allow them to hone their technical expertise and continue Genta’s radical watchmaking legacy. The tribute is apt for a man who once remarked that “a masterpiece is simply beauty born of functionality”.
