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Lot Essay
Gérald Genta is truly one of the greatest watch designers of all time. Without a doubt, his immense talent has left an enduring mark in the history of watchmaking. Genta is the creative genius behind the designs of some of the most legendary watches of the century - the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the IWC Ingenieur, the OMEGA Constellation & Seamaster and of course the Patek Philippe Nautilus. For his own eponymous line, Genta was remembered as the world record holder for consecutive years in the mid-1990s for creating the world's most complicated watch, his masterpiece the " Grande Sonnerie". On a more whimsical note, Genta created a limited edition of Disney wristwatches featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Scrooge and Goofy. Genta's designs transcend time and fashion and remain to this day icons of high horology of the 20th and 21st centuries.
To combine a minute repeater and perpetual calendar within a 34mm case is an astounding accomplishment for horology and here Gérald Genta has been able to do so with complete elegance and sophistication. One is able to see the finely engraved complicated movement through the sapphire crystal case back which also houses a pierced and engraved rotor with the initials GG. Beyond the movement, the case is 18k white gold but instead of the more usual shiny white gold metal that we see on most watches, this one has a brushed finish which gives the watch a more sporty look, allowing the wearer to use it comfortably for more than one occasion. In addition, the dial is superbly arranged so that the four subsidiary dials are readable but also that the striking mother-of-pearl dial shines brightly through. The baguette-cut diamonds to the bezel add an attractive quality making this watch a very well-rounded timepiece that should be admired for its many levels of horological as well as aesthetic achievement. This watch is a triumph of design and technology and, with movement number 13000 and No. 1 engraved on the caseband, is very likely the very first of this important series made by Mr. Genta.
To combine a minute repeater and perpetual calendar within a 34mm case is an astounding accomplishment for horology and here Gérald Genta has been able to do so with complete elegance and sophistication. One is able to see the finely engraved complicated movement through the sapphire crystal case back which also houses a pierced and engraved rotor with the initials GG. Beyond the movement, the case is 18k white gold but instead of the more usual shiny white gold metal that we see on most watches, this one has a brushed finish which gives the watch a more sporty look, allowing the wearer to use it comfortably for more than one occasion. In addition, the dial is superbly arranged so that the four subsidiary dials are readable but also that the striking mother-of-pearl dial shines brightly through. The baguette-cut diamonds to the bezel add an attractive quality making this watch a very well-rounded timepiece that should be admired for its many levels of horological as well as aesthetic achievement. This watch is a triumph of design and technology and, with movement number 13000 and No. 1 engraved on the caseband, is very likely the very first of this important series made by Mr. Genta.