The Business of Watches [016] Gerald Charles CEO Federico Ziviani Makes The Case For Another Genta-Linked Brand

What's in a name? More specifically, what is a name worth? Gerald Genta, likely the most famous watch designer in history and responsible for conjuring iconic models from the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur, and the Universal Geneve Polerouter, among others, sold his eponymous watch brand and name to what is now Bulgari and LVMH in the early 2000s. Then he started another brand - using his middle name instead of his family name - and that became Gerald Charles. It was sold to the Ziviani family in Italy in 2003, as Genta remained employed at the company as chief designer until his death in 2011.

The brand continued producing mostly one-off, bespoke pieces on a small scale for wealthy clients until 2019, when Federico Ziviani, then in his early 20s, took over as Chief Executive Officer and pushed the Gerald Charles brand to a new phase. That would see it draw on designs from Genta's era with the company, most specifically the 'Maestro' case, and sell watches to consumers, first online and then through retailers.

Production has climbed from about 200 watches a year to more than 1,500, and prices have climbed as well, to an average of about CHF 27,000, Ziviani tells us in an interview recorded at the company's operations in Geneva, where it has an atelier and a small museum that traces the history of the brand and its production. Ziviani is enthusiastic and passionate about the family-owned company that is now sold in about 100 retail stores globally. And he makes the case for why he thinks Gerald Charles watches deserve their hefty price tag.

But first, we jump into some of the recent business headlines in the watch world. Rolex has consolidated its position as the dominant Swiss brand for watches priced above CHF 3,000 francs with more than 60% market share by sales, according to Swiss bank Vontobel. The bank also ranks the top brands by estimated sales, and we consider the list. And the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, or COSC, is launching a new higher-tier standard to test the accuracy and precision of Swiss watches. We discuss what that might mean for the Swiss industry, brands, and customers.

Show Notes

1:40 Rolex Trimmed Production In 2025 According To Swiss Bank Vontobel

7:06 Gold price (Yahoo)

7:30 Switzerland's COSC Unveils 'Excellence Chronometer' Level Of Certification

14:20 Gerald Charles

15:00 Gerald Genta (Wikipedia)

15:49 Gerald Genta Gefica Safari (Europa Star)

17:11 Audemars Piguet Italia (Bloomberg)

18:20 Giampaolo Ziviani and Gerald Genta (Instagram)

26:20 Gerald Charles website

27:30 Ticino, Switzerland (Wikipedia)

38:30 Gerald Charles Ambassadors

42:15 Swiss Made or Swiss Charade? (ScrewDownCrown)

45:00 Gerald Genta (LVMH)

46:30 Gerald Charles History

48:00 USD x Swiss Franc (Yahoo)