Born in Geneva in 1931, Genta earned his Swiss Federal Diploma as a jeweler and goldsmith in 1951 at age 20. By 23, Genta was designing watches for the storied watch house Universal Genève. Today, collectors herald his Universal Genève Polerouter of the 1950s and the Golden and White Shadows of the 1960s as classics of the early Mid-Century style, itself a revival of the Bauhaus School’s high-minimalism that the Nazis so bitterly interrupted. Genta’s designs from this time resonate with the refreshed aesthetics and abundant optimism of the post-War era. This is one of my favorites:
Upon the request of Phillippe Patek in 1976, Gerald Genta designed an exceptional piece, still considered today as a benchmark. Similarly, to the Royal Oak, it too was inspired by the nautical world, but this time taken from the portholes of the transatlantic ships. The watch was named Nautilus in tribute to Captain Nemo’s submarine in Jules Verne’s novel “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”. As the story goes, he sketched the watch in five minutes on a paper napkin in a restaurant. This new steel watch, with a soft-angled bezel, is the subtle balance between sport and elegance. It remained in production for 30 years. (source internet) Hey, think about how cool and rare this watch is Tiffany & Co: it is quartz !
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