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Brand
History
La manufacture Gerald Genta
Gerald Genta is well-known within
the watchmaking world for its ability to combine exceptional
mechanisms with daring and well-conceived designs. For the past
40 years it has been constantly challenging existing horological
conventions.
Nowadays, Haute Horlogerie often
displays a resolutely avant-garde approach. While Gerald Genta
is one of the brands that distinguish themselves in this respect,
it does so in its own inimitable way backed by 40 years of legitimacy.
Boldness and innovation have been part of its genetic make-up
from the very beginning, and maturity now renders these qualities
more relevant and timely than ever.
From the time of founding of his
company in 1969, Gerald Genta devoted himself wholeheartedly
to expressing his personal vision of watchmaking. At the time,
what was known as the quartz watch revolution was in full swing,
creating a major upheaval in the Swiss watch industry. Nonetheless,
by surrounding himself with extraordinarily gifted and qualified
specialists, Gerald Genta set up an Haute Horlogerie 'think tank'
that gave rise to complicated striking mechanisms, sophisticated
calendar devices, tourbillon movements and various other complications.
Associating a high degree of expertise with exceptional design
enabled the brand to almost single-handedly revive the front-stage
role of Haute Horlogerie in the 1970s.
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By way of example, the Grande Sonnerie
model by Gerald Genta proved a real turning point in watchmaking
history. No other manufacturer has yet developed a timepiece
equipped with a combination of such complex mechanisms. In addition
to perpetual calendars and repeater devices, Gerald Genta also
introduced the first ever self-winding tourbillon movement. It
is no coincidence that the brand proudly carries the Poincon
de Geneve quality hallmark, bearing eloquent testimony to the
quality of its creations.
A watch is born
Once the characteristics of the watch and the movement are defined
in Meyrin, the plans are sent on to the Manufacture in Le Sentier,
which is the scene of the development and manufacturing phases,
as well as testing and controls. The components intended for
watch prototypes are manufactured by high-precision triple-axis
CNC (computer numerically controlled) milling machines. This
state-of-the-art equipment enables the company to make around
80% of watch components in-house, including movement blanks,
steel parts, wheels and pinions. The Manufacture plans to further
increase this percentage in order to free itself from the constraints
of subcontracting.
The assembly workshops
The fact that the Gerald Genta collection does not comprise any
simple three-hand watches in stems from the fact that it is one
of the most demanding brands from a technical standpoint. Adjusting
the action of the wheels and pinions is indeed an extremely delicate
task in a perpetual calendar mechanism. The famous Gerald Genta
Octo Grande Sonnerie Retro Tourbillon, for example, is the worldﾕs
most complicated self-winding watch and is patiently assembled
by the dextrous fingers of a master-watchmaker loyal to the brand
since the time the first of these masterpieces were created in
the 1990s.
The constant quest for optimal
quality
Gerald Genta takes the risk of offering exclusively complicated
watches, even for range-entry models, whereas complications represent
the peak of the range for certain other brands. At Gerald Genta,
quality control relates not only to finished watches, but also
to all parts, at each stage of production. First of all, a visual
inspection is performed with a 2.5 times magnifying glass. In
addition to the technical tests conducted on the blanks and the
unfinished movements, the quality control department also verifies
the accuracy of the bevelling on the parts handled by the finishing
department. During this period, the watchmakers themselves also
test and personally validate with their signature each stage
of the production process. Moreover, the finished and cased-up
watches are tested once again before being delivered to the customers
who eagerly await their arrival.
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