Gérald Genta
Gérald Charles Genta (born May 1, 1931 in Geneva , Switzerland ; † August 17, 2011 ) was a Swiss watch designer.
Life
Genta was born in Geneva in 1931 to an Italian and a Swiss woman. He did an apprenticeship as a jewelry designer, which he completed in 1951 with a federal diploma. Since 1961 he called himself the world's first watch designer and worked for various watch brands.
In 1969 he founded his own brand Gérald Genta . In 1981 Genta designed the "Evolution", an automatic minute repeater in a case just 2.72 mm high. In 1994 he designed the “Grande Sonnerie”, the world's most complicated wristwatch (price around one million dollars).
Since he saw himself as a craftsman, he sold his brand to an Asian company in 1998, which shortly thereafter sold it to the Bulgari Group, and from then on devoted himself to painting. In 2001 he founded the Gérald Charles brand and started producing watches again.
In total, Genta designed over a hundred different watch models in fifty years.
Reference models
- Constellation - Omega (1959)
- King Midas - Rolex (1960s)
- Royal Oak - Audemars Piguet (1972)
- Engineer - International Watch Company (1975)
- Nautilus - Patek Philippe (1976)
- Pasha - Cartier (1985)
- Bulgari-Bulgari - Bulgari
- Riviera - Baume & Mercier
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Genta, Gérald |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Genta, Gérald Charles (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss watch designer |
DATE OF BIRTH | May 1, 1931 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Geneva , Switzerland |
DATE OF DEATH | 17th August 2011 |