Watch Paparazzi

Athlete Manuela Mölgg spotted wearing Gerald Charles

Spotted at an Audi-sponsored event with a guest lanyard around her neck and a broad smile on her face, retired Italian alpine ski racer Manuela Mölgg gave watch enthusiasts a reason to look past the podium and down at her wrist. There, nestled on a black rubber strap, sits one of the rarest and most narratively rich pieces in contemporary independent watchmaking: a Gerald Charles Maestro 20th Anniversary edition in stainless steel.

Gerald Charles was founded by Gérald-Alexis Genta, son of the legendary Gerald Genta — the designer credited with creating, among others, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus. The brand launched in Geneva around 2000, and to mark its 20th anniversary, it released the Maestro 20th Anniversary collection: 252 stainless steel pieces, each featuring a unique month-year engraving on the dial running from January 2000 through December 2020. No two watches in the series share the same dial inscription, which elevates even standard collector desirability into genuine one-of-one territory.

The Maestro case is immediately recognizable — an octagonal form that pays direct homage to the geometric design vocabulary Gerald Genta pioneered in the 1970s. The anthracite grey dial on this version features applied Arabic numerals at 12, 3, and 9, a date aperture at 6 o'clock, and crisp baton indices, all finished with a refined restraint that contrasts the architecturally bold case. The stainless steel case measures a wearable 41mm, with a textured black rubber strap completing the sport-luxe aesthetic. The movement inside is a Swiss-made automatic, beating in keeping with the brand's commitment to in-house finishing standards.

For collectors, the 20th Anniversary Maestro occupies a fascinating niche: it connects directly to the most consequential design legacy in 20th-century horology while representing an independent maison operating largely below mainstream radar. That combination of heritage pedigree and low-volume production makes each of the 252 pieces a strong long-term hold.

Mölgg, who competed at the highest level of alpine skiing for over two decades representing Italy, has an eye for equipment that performs under pressure. The Gerald Charles Maestro — robust, elegant, and deeply rooted in history — is entirely consistent with that sensibility. At a retail of $10,090, it remains one of independent watchmaking's more accessible entry points into genuine rarity.