In April of 1972, at the prestigious Swiss Watch Show, Audemars Piguet unveiled the latest addition to their esteemed portfolio – the Royal Oak. Now celebrated as one of the most iconic pieces of high horology, this wristwatch marked a daring departure from the conventions of watchmaking at the time. This was the first luxury sports timepiece – boasting an angular industrial design and exposed screws, the model became the first in watchmaking history to be crafted entirely of stainless steel. Behind the intricate geometry and meticulously engineered details of the Royal Oak lies the genius of Gerald Genta. Few names echo as strongly as his within the realm of haute horology – the creator of your favorite timepieces and the visionary who saved the luxury watch industry during the onset of the Quartz Crisis. Genta’s story is one of skill, opportunity and creativity, weaving a narrative that not only shaped watchmaking today but also solidified his status as the one true colossus of contemporary watch design.
Born in Geneva in 1931 to a Swiss mother and an Italian father, Genta’s journey into the world of watchmaking began at an early age. He apprenticed with a local Swiss watchmaker where he developed a fond curiosity for artisanship and later graduated as a jeweler and goldsmith. However, with time he began to find the craft uninspiring and famously threw his jewelry tools into the Rhône river. This is when he decided to leverage Geneva’s position as the horology capital of the world and pivot his focus towards establishing himself as the premier designer of timepieces.
Genta’s legacy is perhaps best epitomized by his two most iconic creations: Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus. Each watch represents a pinnacle of design and engineering, reflecting Genta’s unparalleled ingenuity and creative mind. What sets these watches apart is not merely their aesthetic appeal but also the circumstances in which they were conceived – curios backstories underly both of their creations. At 4 pm on the 10th of April 1971, the watchmaker received a phone call from the managing director of Audemars Piguet. It was the evening before the annual Swiss Watch Show (which later became known as the global trade show “Baselworld”) and AP’s executive requested that Genta design a totally unprecedented steel sports watch by the following morning. The design was completed overnight, with Genta drawing inspiration from the helmets of deep-sea divers for the octagonal bezel of the piece and the British Royal Navy fleet for the model’s name. This homage to ocean exploration was expressed once again just five years later with the design of Patek Philippe’s best-selling timepiece – the Nautilus. As the story goes, Genta sketched the design on a paper napkin in just five minutes while observing Patek executives eating at a restaurant during the Basel Trade Fair. Also inspired by the nautical world, the watch was created to mimic the portholes of transatlantic liners and was named after Captain Nemo’s submarine in Jules Verne’s novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”. Thus, Genta’s two most iconic designs transcended their utilitarian function to become symbols of adventure, embodying a distinct narrative and identity.
In an industry as intricate and timeless as high horology, Gerald Genta emerges as a beacon of inspiration and innovation. A daring artist who defied the conventions and standards of his time, Genta captivated enthusiasts with his bold designs that effortlessly blurred the boundaries between sporty and elegant timepieces. In admiring his iconic legacy, we pay homage to a craftsman whose creativity knows no frontiers and whose influence continues to shape the world of watchmaking for generations to come. Through his remarkable creations, we are reminded that true greatness is eternally preserved in the timeless allure of a perfectly crafted timepiece.