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Gérald Genta is one of the most respected names in luxury watchmaking. Over the course of his illustrious career, he designed some of the most desirable watches in the world. After working for several years as a freelance designer, he established his eponymous brand in 1969. There, he continued to push the boundaries of horological design, creating exceptional watches that combined new shapes and materials with major watchmaking complexities. Inspired by innovative designers and painters like Picasso, the company soon attracted the attention and business of the world’s most important watch clients and collectors. The company was acquired by Bulgari in 2000.

Born in Geneva in 1931, Genta developed an interest in watchmaking at an early age. After studying at the Geneva School of Watchmaking, he took up a position at the renowned watchmaking manufacturer Universal Geneve. It was there, aged 23, that he designed the SAS Polerouter. The watch would go on to become one of the brand’s most successful models.

In 1959, Genta refreshed Omega’s Constellation collection, earning himself a reputation as a star designer. By the 1970s, he was hailed as one of the greatest watchmakers of all time. Gérald Genta-designed watches include Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus. Inspired by the portholes in transatlantic ships, the stainless steel Nautilus is now highly sought-after by watch collectors at auction. The IWC Gérald Genta Ingenieur, which was first debuted in 1955, was reimagined by Genta in 1976.

Genta also collaborated with jewellery brands like Van Cleef & Arpels, Chaumet and Cartier. A reinterpretation of the original piece made by Louis Cartier for the Pasha of Marrakech, the Cartier Pasha Gérald Genta watch was elegant and luxurious but with a new sporty edge. Another huge success was the Bulgari-Bulgari Gérald Genta watch inspired by an ancient Roman coin. The Bulgari Octo Gérald Genta watch was released in 2012.

Genta is equally revered for his Disney watches. In the 1980s, he obtained a license from Disney to design limited-edition watches decorated with the most famous Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse. In 2023, a unique Gérald Genta Micky Mouse watch with white gold octagonal case, minute repeater and signature Gérald Genta jumping hour complication was revealed at the 10th edition of Only Watch. It was created in honour of the 100th anniversary of Disney and the 50th anniversary of the first watch under the Gerald Genta name. In recent years, Christie’s has sold Gérald Genta Donald Duck watches, Gérald Genta Mickey Mouse watches and Gérald Genta Minnie Mouse watches.

When the Gérald Genta Grand Sonnerie was introduced in 1994, it was the most complicated wristwatch in the world. It is thought that only 24 Grand Sonnerie wristwatches were made during the 1990s, making them highly sought-after by collectors at auction. In 2021, a Gérald Genta Grand Sonnerie watch fetched $500,000 in an online Christie’s sale — more than eight times the high estimate.

For watch connoisseurs, Gérald Genta watches are the ultimate status symbol. This means competition at auctions for the finest examples is usually intense. Recent pieces sold at Christie’s span an array of designs and price points. A Gérald Genta diamond watch with a heart-shaped ruby dial sold for HKD 700,000, while a Gérald Genta chronograph sold for a more accessible CHF 15,120.