Introducing the Gerald Charles Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition

There are tribute watches, and then there are thoughtful revivals. The new Gerald Charles Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition leans toward the latter. Unveiled today at Watches & Wonders 2025, this limited edition brings back a somewhat obscure yet distinctive design from the brand’s early days, originally penned by Gérald Genta himself. Instead of simply reissuing the 2005 GC39, Gerald Charles has reworked it for today’s collectors, pairing technical ambition with a clear respect for the original. It’s restrained in production, bold in design, and thankfully doesn’t feel like just another anniversary cash-in.

The Basics

Case: Grade 5 Titanium, 42 x 42mm, polished finish
Crystal: Sapphire with multi-layer anti-reflective coating (inside and out)
Movement: Swiss Manufacture 4.0 Calibre Jumping Hours, automatic, in-house
Water Resistance: 100 meters / 10 ATM
Strap Options: Royal blue vulcanized rubber with Clous de Paris pattern, titanium deployant clasp
Price: CHF 58,000
Availability: Limited to 100 pieces, only 40 delivered at launch

The Juice

Let’s start with the case. If you’ve seen any Gerald Charles piece in the wild before, you’ll recognize the Maestro DNA immediately. That funky, flowing, asymmetric case shape is still here, still inspired by Borromini’s baroque architecture in Rome, and still kind of awesome in a totally nontraditional way. This new version is 42 millimeters square, so it has real wrist presence. But since it’s made of titanium, it wears surprisingly light. At under 100 grams, it doesn’t feel top-heavy or tiring on the wrist, which makes it way more wearable than the specs suggest.

The real conversation piece is the dial. If you’re not familiar with jumping hours, here’s the short version: instead of a standard hour hand, there’s a little window at 12 o’clock that displays the hour on a rotating disc. That disc “jumps” to the next hour every 60 minutes. It’s not a complication you see every day, mostly because it’s kind of a pain to engineer, but that’s also what makes it cool. And in this case, Gerald Charles didn’t just recycle an old movement. They built an entirely new one from the ground up.

They call it the Swiss Manufacture 4.0 Calibre Jumping Hours, and while the name is a mouthful, it’s a genuinely interesting piece of mechanical work. The hour disc is apparently 25 times heavier than a normal hour hand, and it takes a whole lot of torque to move it instantly. The fact that they packed this into a 6.15mm-thick movement is pretty impressive. The power reserve is a respectable 50 hours, and the finishing is very much on-point — Geneva stripes, perlage, rhodium-plated wheels, and a gold rotor with a honeycomb pattern that’s actually been designed by Octavio Garcia.

But back to the front. The dial has this wild engraving effect they’re calling “meta-guillochage,” which is a new method they developed in-house. It sounds complicated because it is, but the result is kind of mesmerizing. There’s a subtle starburst pattern that appears and disappears depending on how the light hits it. At the center of it all is a slab of lapis lazuli, shaped to echo the contours of the case. It’s one of those details that feels like it matters, even if most people won’t notice it at first glance. Genta loved lapis lazuli, and this feels like a personal nod to him.

The strap is vulcanized rubber, which keeps things practical, and it’s got a textured Clous de Paris pattern on top that plays nicely with the case finish. It fastens with a titanium butterfly clasp, and the whole package has a casual-luxury vibe that makes it work equally well with jeans or a suit — which, frankly, is how most people actually wear watches now.

Final Thoughts

Let’s be honest. At CHF 58,000, this isn’t a casual pickup. But this watch is for collectors, people who already know Genta’s name and what it means, and who are looking for something beyond the obvious. There’s a lot of Royal Oak and Nautilus fatigue out there, and this feels like a refreshing detour — something with real story, real design chops, and actual watchmaking under the hood.

I like that this watch doesn’t try to please everyone. It’s a little weird. It’s a little complicated. It makes you stop and look twice. But that’s exactly what makes it feel honest. Genta wasn’t in the business of making safe designs, and the GC39 25th Anniversary Edition doesn’t play it safe either.

Only 100 pieces are being made, and with just 40 shipping at launch, they’re going to disappear fast. If you’re into it, act quickly. If not, that’s fine too. But if you do get your hands on one, you’re not just getting a beautiful, rare watch — you’re holding a reminder that design can still be bold, weird, and interesting. Learn more about the Gerald Charles GC39 25th Anniversary Edition here.