Tennis player Hubert Hurkacz spotted wearing a Gerald Charles

Paris provided a fitting backdrop for a rare watch sighting: Hubert Hurkacz, the Polish tennis ace, was photographed near the Trocadéro gardens wearing a Gerald Charles Maestro 8.0 Squelette in stainless steel — one of fewer than 100 pieces produced annually worldwide. The relaxed grey t-shirt and distressed jeans contrast sharply with the watch's architectural seriousness, making the pairing all the more compelling for collectors who understand what sits on his wrist.

The Maestro 8.0 Squelette is built around one of contemporary independent watchmaking's most arresting case designs: the octagonal Maestro shape originally conceived by the legendary Gérald Genta and reinterpreted by Octavio Garcia, who leads the Gerald Charles brand today. The stainless steel case houses a fully skeletonized movement developed in partnership with Vaucher Manufacture — a Fleurier-based movement maker known for supplying Hermès and Parmigiani. The caliber comprises 160 components compressed into a remarkable 2.6mm of thickness, allowing the see-through dial to reveal golden bridges, ruby jewels, and finely finished gears in a layout that is both technically rigorous and visually dramatic. The black rubber strap with pyramid-textured studs adds an edge that prevents the piece from reading as purely classical.

From a collector standpoint, the Maestro 8.0 Squelette occupies a fascinating niche. It is not a limited edition in the numbered sense, but production is naturally constrained to roughly 100 units per year by the sheer complexity of assembling the movement. That scarcity, combined with the Genta heritage and Vaucher pedigree, gives the watch strong long-term desirability without the artificial inflation of a numbered run. Among independent brands it sits alongside names like Akrivia and Laurent Ferrier in terms of movement ambition.

Hurkacz has shown a consistent appreciation for technically sophisticated, lower-profile timepieces — a preference that aligns with his on-court demeanor: methodical, precise, and unfazed by the gallery. Spotted in Paris, likely during the clay season, the sighting underscores the Maestro 8.0 Squelette's crossover appeal beyond the traditional watch collector crowd.

At a retail price of $62,500, the Gerald Charles Maestro 8.0 Squelette in stainless steel is not an impulse purchase, but it is arguably underpriced for what it delivers mechanically. Grey market activity on Gerald Charles references remains limited due to low supply, meaning pieces rarely surface below retail — and when they do, they move quickly.