Gérald Genta is officially back

Gerald Genta LVMH revival

“He said, ‘Don’t we own Genta?’ He then said to me: ‘Why don’t you run it?’”

The watch world is agasp at the news that Gérald Genta is being revived by LVMH. To be precise, by 24-year-old son-of-Bernard, Jean Arnault.

Gérald Genta, who died in 2011 has near-mythical status in watch circles. He famously designed the curvilinear Patek Philippe Nautilus watch, as well as the classic Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Bulgari Roma. Not to mention the anti-establishment Disney-licenced watches of the 1980s, collectible grail items even today.

The Gérald Genta brand was acquired by LVMH as part of Bulgari and after a little teasing has finally announced the news that it will be a standalone watch brand run with some input from Genta’s widow and former business partner Evelyne Genta. It won’t, however, be taking the easy route of reviving past 70s and 80s designs. Instead, it will produce new styles that take inspo from archive drawing and unreleased pieces but bring them up to date.

Facilitating this operation will be their secret weapons, watchmaking superstars Enrico Barbasini and Michel Navas, who worked on Genta’s watches back in the day and now run La Fabrique du Temps, LVMH’s watchmaking facility in Geneva. Kismet! Accordingly, Genta watches will be produced in small numbers and priced in the “hundreds of thousands of pounds”. However, I expect the design cues will eventually filter down the food chain to the more affordable watch brands, so we humble civilians may yet enjoy a morsel of Genta magic. Time will tell, but you can ‘join the revival’ here in the meantime.
Gerald Genta portrait

WORDS: Disneyrollergirl / Navaz Batliwalla
IMAGES: Credits to come
NOTE: Most images are digitally enhanced. Some posts use affiliate links and PR samples. Please read my privacy and cookies policy here

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