Watch Paparazzi

Athlete Luca Dotto spotted wearing Gerald Charles

Luca Dotto, Italy's decorated Olympic freestyle swimmer, was recently spotted wearing the Gerald Charles Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin in emerald green, reference GC2.0-A-02 — a watch whose engineering priorities align neatly with those of a competitive athlete: minimum weight, maximum performance, zero compromise on finish.

The Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin measures 40mm in diameter and sits only 8mm tall on the wrist, figures that place it in genuine contention among the thinnest sport-capable watches in its price category. The case is crafted in polished and brushed stainless steel, and the crown jewel is the sunburst-finished emerald green dial, which shifts tone under changing light in a way that photographs cannot fully capture. Total weight comes in at 85 grams — a number that tells you everything about how the watch wears through a long day or a travel schedule.

Gerald Charles is a Geneva-based independent that traces its roots directly to Gerald Genta, one of the most consequential watch designers of the 20th century — the man behind the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus. The Maestro line carries that aesthetic DNA forward: integrated bracelet logic, strong geometric case architecture, and the confidence to use colour without apology. The GC2.0-A-02 references that legacy while staking its own ground among a new generation of independent collectors who value provenance without nostalgia.

For a professional swimmer, the 100-metre water resistance on the GC2.0-A-02 is not decorative fine print — it is a baseline expectation. Dotto's choice signals that the Maestro 2.0 can move between poolside, press conference, and podium without a watch change. The emerald green dial reads as a deliberate aesthetic statement rather than a default, suggesting someone who engaged with the model rather than simply accepting a recommendation.

At a retail price of $18,500 USD, the Gerald Charles Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin GC2.0-A-02 occupies the upper tier of the independent sport-dress segment, competing with established names on merit. Grey-market availability remains limited given the brand's controlled distribution, which has kept resale values relatively stable for collectors tracking the Geneva independent scene.