Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Federico Ziviani spotted wearing Gerald Charles

When a brand's own general manager chooses to wear a piece from his house's collection, it reads as a genuine endorsement rather than marketing theater. Federico Ziviani was recently spotted wearing the Gerald Charles Maestro 8.0 Squelette, reference GC8.0-SQ-A-00 — a watch already sold out at retail — presented on a black rubber strap with the classic clous de Paris hobnail texture that has become something of a Gerald Charles signature.

The Maestro 8.0 Squelette is built around a 39 mm stainless steel case, a diameter that sits confidently between dress-watch restraint and sports-watch presence. At its heart is an in-house skeletonized movement, fully open-worked and visible through the dial, offering 50 hours of power reserve. Water resistance reaches 100 meters, an unusually practical specification for a watch this architecturally ambitious. Gerald Charles, the Geneva-based independent founded by former Rolex designer Gerald Genta's spiritual successors, has long pushed the limits of what micro-rotor skeletonization can achieve in a compact case format.

The GC8.0-SQ-A-00 carries the Maestro lineage forward with considerable collector credibility. Gerald Charles produces the Squelette variant in a run of just 100 pieces annually — a true limited edition rather than a marketing figure — which explains the sold-out status at its $73,700 USD retail price. That scarcity, combined with the brand's independent pedigree and commitment to in-house finishing, has earned it a dedicated following among collectors who want something beyond the usual Swiss establishment names.

Federico Ziviani's role as General Manager of Gerald Charles makes this sighting particularly notable. Executives who wear their own brand's most technically complex and commercially scarce pieces send a clear message about internal confidence in the product. The clous de Paris rubber strap choice also signals a preference for wearability over display — this is a watch being used, not just exhibited.

On the secondary market, the Gerald Charles Maestro 8.0 Squelette commands attention precisely because of its limited annual production. With retail stock exhausted, collectors seeking the GC8.0-SQ-A-00 will need to navigate grey-market channels, where scarcity typically sustains pricing at or above the original list.