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They seem to be all the rage nowadays, but who designed the first bronze watch? I’ll give you a hint. The same guy who designed the Polerouter, Omega Constellation, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus.
The first bronze-cased watch was the Gefica Safari, designed by none other than Gerald Genta. The watch was made in 1984 at the request of three safari hunters who wanted a watch made of a material that did not reflect light. Bronze was the chosen material for this specific requirement.
Gerald Genta designed a ton of iconic models, some would say disproportionately more than any other watch designer. Below I’ll be taking a look at some vintage ads from the companies he designed iconic models for.
Universal Geneve Polarouter
Gerald Genta’s first iconic design was the Polarouter for Universal Geneve. The first model came in a compact 34.5mm case, with twisted, almost Omega-like, lugs. It was created to commemorate a historic flight – one from Copenhagen to Los Angeles (via the North Pole). The cabin crew of the Scandinavian Airlines Systems (SAS) were each gifted one of these first watches once they landed at LAX.
The company started to insert micro-rotor movements into this model in 1955. It’s new (at the time) 215 micro-rotor movement was one of the first micro-rotor movements, following closely behind the heels of the first micro-rotor movement introduced by Buren. Because of legal disputes with Buren, Universal Geneve wasn’t actually able to patent this movement until 1958, however.
Universal Geneve continued to produce the model up until around 1969. According to Worn & Wound, the Polerouter was a high-end watch, priced the same as a Rolex Explorer in the late 1950s. This was Gerald Genta’s first iconic design, but of course it was also only the beginning.
Omega Constellation
Gerald Genta didn’t design the first Omega Constellation lines, but he was brought in to revamp it in 1959. This was Omega’s flagship range at the time, and the now iconic “pie-pan” dial Constellations were a creation of Mr. Genta.
It is also widely believed that Genta designed the later Constellations with “C-type” cases. According to The Watch Stand, it was common for freelance designers to not receive any credit for their designs, so maybe that’s why the Genta provenance escapes this model.
It’s definitely a different animal compared to the previous models. There’s no more pie-pan dial or “dog-leg” lugs. An example of a C-case style constellation can be seen in the below Omega ad from around 1969.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
As 1970 brought in the new decade, Audemars Piguet wanted to shake things up with a watch that was completely new and had never been done before. It had to be crafted of stainless steel and had to be waterproof. Georges Golay, the Managing Director of Audemars Piguet, called Gerald Genta, telling him they needed the design by the next morning. Genta didn’t just come through, he designed an archetypal sports watch that’s arguably still carrying AP today.
As popular as ever, the Royal Oak remains the best selling watch in Audemars Piguet’s stable. The watch was designed in 1970, but wasn’t actually industrially produced until 1972.
Patek Philippe Nautilus
By 1976, Patek wanted in on the steel sports watch action. Supposedly sketched out within five minutes on a napkin in a restaurant, its name came from Captain Nemo’s submarine in Jules Verne’s novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
It remained in production for over three decades. As showcased in the above advertisement, it’s also one of the costliest watches ever produced in stainless steel, as well as one of the most coveted.
Other Notable Creations
Add IWC and its Ingenieur model to the list of Gerald Genta designs as well. Introduced in 1976, the original Ingenieur has that signature 1970s Genta style. It also stands on its own as a unique design when stacked against the Royal Oak and Nautilus, though. Intended for engineers, it was also anti-magnetic.
Mr. Genta created many designs for more jewelry-oriented brands such as Bulgari and Cartier as well. He redesigned the Cartier Pasha, for instance. He also went on to create a Disney collection, as well as launch his own brand (using his own namesake – Gerald Genta – of course).
Conclusion
It was dismissed during its time of release in 1984, but the Gefica Safari watch was a pioneer – introducing the world to the first bronze-cased modern wristwatch. The now in-fashion trend of patina and wabi-sabi currently makes bronze one of the most coveted case materials for many collectors and watch enthusiasts.
Genta supposedly chose it for the Safari watch because it doesn’t reflect light. This fit in with the overall vibe of the watch (which included a compass and moon phases). I think it’s safe to say that Gerald Genta was one of, if not the, originator of the modern “bronze age” in watches. Everyone from IWC to Panerai to Oris to Longines (to everyone in between) now offers watches with this case material.
Gerald Genta was much, much more than just the Royal Oak and Nautilus, he actually created numerous designs for numerous brands. He was a prolific innovator; one that was often ahead of his time.