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Photo: Gerald Genta
Thanks to LVMH, Gerald Genta’s revered independent brand was revived last year under the umbrella of La Fabrique Du Temps Louis Vuitton. One of the most important figures in 20th-century horology’s legacy already lives on (alive and kicking, in fact) with some of the most esteemed and collectable designs in history.
Gerald and Evelyne Genta at an exhibition at the Raffles Hotel Singapore in 1993. (Photo: The Hour Glass)
Following his incredible achievements collaborating with the big guns of horology between the 50s and 70s, Gerald Genta (1931 – 2011) would, in the 80s and 90s, begin to create new watch aesthetics that snub the traditional for his eponymous brand. Instead of pure forms and staid conventions, he dove headlong into the unexpected.
He created a never-before bronze case for his 1984 Gefica Safari to evoke the savannah, worked with the Walt Disney Company to produce highly covetable watches featuring cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse, and rendered his Octogonal and Grand Sonnerie masterpieces in elaborate yellow gold cases and bracelets.
Highly technical and complex watchmaking aside, his genius also lay in an unabashedly imaginative kind of artistry. In fact, he was so prolific in creating that there were thousands of sketches and concepts in his portfolio, some of which never saw the light of day. Industry insiders would describe his watches as “jewellery for the wrist”.
The Oursin is a sparkling example of Gerald Genta the artist.
A drawing of the 1994 Oursin. (Photo: Gerald Genta)
Wild as the sea
Marking the debut of the Gentissima design lab, the new Oursin can be traced back to a sketch Genta made after a family vacation in Corsica. The sea urchin’s spiny, globular form was imagined as a round watch case with deeply convex sides studded with beads.
After seeing the first prototypes in 1994, Evelyne Genta fell in love with the Oursin and received a special version a year later. This intimate, highly personal creation remains her favourite timepiece to this day.
The new Oursin comes in three distinct models that reinterpret the maestro’s vision at its most extravagant for a contemporary audience. Even Evelyne herself is transfixed: “The Oursin was among Gérald’s few creations that he was the proudest of; he would have loved these new versions! They are perfect evolutions of Gérald’s original design, retaining yet furthering the Oursin’s inimitable style.”
The 2024 Gerald Genta Gentissima Oursin with pink mother-of-pearl dial and beads in rose gold and diamonds. (Photo: Gerald Genta)
At a case size of 36.5mm, it draws on the 90s aesthetic of fusing structured androgyny and voluptuous allure. Its convex titanium case, designed and crafted at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, is studded with 223 beads set in a radially expanding series of halos.
Each of the decorative beads is individually threaded and screwed down and comes in a contrasting material to the underlying titanium.
The octagon, strongly associated with Genta’s designs, appears in the dial’s centre via a reflection from the faceted domed crystal. The inner edge of the case bezel also bears the same shape but features gently curved sides, echoing Genta’s gravitation towards more biophilic forms in the later part of his career. The rounded baton hands are another signature feature.
The most versatile of the three models is this one with an anthracite guilloche dial encircled with polished white gold beads. (Photo: Gerald Genta)
Terrific trio
The first model, with an anthracite dial, flaunts a tone-on-tone colour palette, a finely etched guilloche dial, and polished white gold beads. The second showcases an opalescent guilloché dial in pink mother-of-pearl and scintillating beads in rose gold and diamonds.
The third brandishes the punk aesthetic of yellow gold spikes projecting from a matte black DLC-coated titanium case, contrasting stylishly against a black dial.
The Gerald Genta Gentissima Oursin, available at The Hour Glass, is equipped with the automatic-winding GG-005 based on the Zenith Elite, a high-performance movement from the fabled Le Locle manufacture de la haute horlogerie.
This iteration of the Elite has been customised for this watch, with the rotor reshaped into an octagon and bas-relief beads sculpted along the periphery of the mass.
Like all subsequent Gentissima collections, the Oursin is a limited release, allowing the design lab to explore different sides of Genta the artist. Those keen must now choose between the elegant chameleon, the glamour girl, or the urban sophisticate.
All three watches also have a bund strap option to impart a sporty ruggedness. Whichever takes your fancy or however you’d like to wear it, you know you’re a wild one.
