Description
Gerald Charles has taken its most sculptural case — the asymmetric Masterlink, the final design associated with the late Gerald Genta's namesake successor brand — and turned it into a canvas for high jewellery. The new Masterlink Gem-Set Stone Dial is a trio of limited editions, each pairing an untreated natural mineral dial with a fully gem-set white-gold bezel.
It is the most jewellery-forward interpretation of the Masterlink to date, and one of the rarest things the brand has produced: ten pieces per stone, thirty in total. The three dials — Aventurine, Spectrolite and Iron Eye — trade the usual malachite-and-lapis defaults for a more unusual, more collectible set of minerals.
Design
Each watch places a slab of natural stone inside the distinctive angular Masterlink case, framed by a white-gold bezel set with 60 baguette-cut stones — sapphires or tsavorites depending on the variant. Aventurine brings a deep, shimmering surface full of mineral inclusions; Spectrolite, a rare Finnish variety of labradorite, throws vivid flashes of blue, green and gold; Iron Eye, formed from banded tiger's eye, jasper and hematite, delivers dramatic earthy patterns. Because the dials are natural stone, no two examples are identical. The ultra-thin movement is visible through a sapphire caseback.
Specifications
- Reference: Masterlink Gem-Set Stone Dial (Aventurine / Spectrolite / Iron Eye)
- Case: signature asymmetric Masterlink, white gold
- Bezel: white gold set with 60 baguette-cut stones (sapphires or tsavorites, by variant)
- Crystal: sapphire
- Caseback: sapphire (open)
- Dial: natural stone — Aventurine, Spectrolite or Iron Eye
- Movement: calibre GCA5401, automatic, developed exclusively by Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier
- Movement thickness: 2.67mm (ultra-thin)
- Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve: 50 hours
- Functions: hours, minutes
- Limited edition: 10 pieces per stone (30 total)
- Price: CHF 95,000
What's Exciting
Pairing untreated natural-stone dials with a full baguette-set bezel is a genuine high-jewellery move, and the mineral choices show real curatorial taste — Spectrolite and Iron Eye are far less expected than the malachite, lapis and tiger's eye that usually fill this niche. The serious watchmaking anchor is the Vaucher-built GCA5401: at just 2.67mm it keeps the sculptural Masterlink slim and wearable rather than turning it into a jewellery slab. Thirty pieces worldwide makes this one of the most exclusive chapters in the brand's short but distinctive history.
History
Gerald Charles was founded in 2000 by Gerald Genta — the designer behind the Royal Oak, Nautilus and countless other icons — as the brand carrying his given names after he sold the Gerald Genta name. Its watches have always centred on one idea: the asymmetric "Maestro" case, with its higher, curved lower half, a deliberately human and imperfect form. The Masterlink extends that identity onto an integrated bracelet. By dressing it in natural stone and baguette gems, this trio pushes the maison furthest yet toward haute joaillerie while keeping the Genta-lineage silhouette intact.
