Praise of a Genius (Plus Bonus) – Style

Gerald Genta (1931–2011) became famous for his “steel hat-trick”: luxury steel watches on steel bracelets for Audemars Piguet (Royal Oak, 1972), Patek Philippe (Nautilus, 1976) and IWC (Ingenieur, 1976). At the same time, the latter, until recently, were in the shadow of the first two. That changed this spring when IWC dedicated a stand to the designer at the Geneva Watches & Wonders 2023 exhibition. Not by chance, of course, but on the occasion of the introduction of the new generation of Ingenieur, for the first time in more than 40 years, made in the spirit of Genta’s Ingenieur SL model.

Entering the booth of the “main manufactory of German-speaking Switzerland” (this is how IWC, located not far from Zurich, in the town of Schaffhausen, where the border with Germany runs in the middle of the streets, once preferred to introduce itself), I once again gasped, let’s say so. The brand’s exhibition stands have always been distinguished by an impressive design: it adheres to the principle “every year – one updated collection” (and it has six collections, as soon as you update everything, you can start with a new one) and decorates its stand accordingly to the novelty. I also observed the improvised deck of an aircraft carrier (that year they updated the Pilot`s Watch collection), and the stylization of a seaside resort in Liguria (Portofino), and aquariums with the inhabitants of the deep sea (Aquatimer). This year, the Mercedes-Benz C111-III, a sporty concept from 1978, took center stage. Since IWC traditionally partners with the Mercedes-AMG formula team (another trace of Stuttgart was discovered in the history of the watch brand, which will be discussed below), I was not surprised by the presence of a rare Mercedes, but it immediately became clear that we were talking about the heritage of the 1970s.

And IWC has not that rich for that decade. In Switzerland, the “quartz revolution” raged, massively mowed down traditional manufacturers who relied on durability and accuracy. “When a cheap but incredibly accurate quartz watch from the Far East (from Japan.— ”Kommersant Style”) flooded the market, everything we stood up for turned out to be useless. Any quartz watch is more accurate than a mechanical one,” says Hannes Pantli, IWC’s longtime director of sales and marketing. Under these circumstances, the brand’s management decided to radically update one of their bestsellers, Ingenieur (French spelling “engineer”), which was born a decade and a half earlier. Initially, these faceless watches were designed to embody the triumph of scientific and technological progress (experienced readers remember the Soviet abbreviation NTP), having an inner case made of soft iron that prevents magnetic fields from affecting the accuracy of the movement (around the same time, similarly arranged Rolex Milgauss appeared). Soon, IWC’s distinguished technical director Albert Pellaton developed the first in-house movement with a highly efficient, bi-directional self-winding system. The brand had an excellent caliber, but there was no attractive design.

This is how an independent designer of Italian origin Gerald Genta appeared on the scene. He was guided by his own ideas about beauty and did not compromise with customers. Introduced at the Basel 1976 Ingenieur SL, he covered the bezel with five decorative indentations, created a dial with a square checkerboard pattern, an integrated bracelet with H-shaped links and gave the winding crown his favorite octagonal shape. The novelty cost 2,000 Swiss francs – perfect pennies by today’s standards (about 110,000 rubles at the current exchange rate), but was comparable to Swiss classics in cases made of very expensive gold in the 1970s – and became Genta’s next contribution to the painted ( read – created) by him is a subspecies of prestigious sports watches made of steel. The Ingenieur SL was not successful and sold less than 1,000 copies. Now they are the “holy grail” for collectors.

Wise Hannes Pantley says the SL designation goes back to the Mercedes-Benz roadster of the same name, one of the German automaker’s iconic models since the mid-1950s. Mercedes itself stood for SL as super leicht (“super light”), for Italians SL meant super lusso, for the French – super luxe. But you can also interpret this abbreviation as “steel” and “luxury”.

These two words – “steel” and “luxury” – are valued by watch collectors, and more recently among the nouveau riche, who have created an incredible stir around the creations of Genta, “nautiluses” and “royal oaks”. It is even strange that only now IWC decided to revive one of the maestro’s recognizable designs.

The new collection so far consists of three Ingenieur Automatic 40 models in stainless steel (with black, silver or aqua dials) and one in titanium with a gray dial. The case diameter is 40 mm – the “golden mean” proven for decades, suitable for both men with thin wrists and women, its height is 10.8 mm. The water resistance level is 100 m, the back cover is deaf. Inside the outer case is an inner case made of soft iron for anti-magnetic protection of the movement.

The steel watch by Gerald Genta is recognizable by three elements: the bezel, the pattern on the dial and the bracelet. The designer first of all paid attention to them, not unreasonably believing that they form the “face” of the watch. With them, the novelty is all right. If the Ingenieur SL simply screwed on the bezel with five recesses, as a result of which they ended up in different positions on each instance, then in the Ingenieur Automatic 40 the bezel is attached to the case with five polygonal screws. As a consequence, the screws always remain in the same position. The dial is decorated with a “grid” pattern of lines intersecting at right angles. It is stamped into a soft iron blank before being painted. The upper parts of the bracelet feature pinless H-links to highlight the craftsmanship of the bracelet, while the protective ridges on either side of the crown add to the watch’s sporty character.

The Ingenieur Automatic 40 is equipped with an automatic in-house three-hand Caliber 32111 with an outstanding power reserve of 120 hours. Let me remind you that a three-day power reserve of 72-80 hours is considered the “gentleman’s minimum” of modern automatic movements.

The watch with a sea-green dial looks the most spectacular: it is both trendy and in no way similar to the rolexes that introduced the fashion for green, to the shades of which many followers of green dials gravitate. I also liked the titanium ones with a gray dial, emphasizing the characteristic matte gray case.

The main thing that made me write this review is the respect shown by IWC to the memory of Gerald Genta. Alas, the more successful heirs of his designs, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, do not focus on the author of their best-selling books, although the second of these brands has succeeded dramatically for more than 40 years solely on his legacy. If you liked my text, then I hope you will also be interested in the bonus promised in the title: an interview with the designer’s widow, taken by the IWC press service.

Evelyn Genta on the most legendary watch designer of all time

How would you describe his character in three words?

— Creative, first. Secondly, I would note his honesty. I have never seen Gerald do something he didn’t fully believe in. He never changed a design just to sell it. He could change the design only during the production process, if these changes were dictated by technological requirements. I would also describe it as inspirational. He knew every morning what he would do in the afternoon. He said that inspiration comes from above, while his drawings were always very close to the watches that were eventually produced.

What was his drawing technique like?

“The process always started the same way. At first he took a compass to draw a circle in the original clock size. Then I drew two lines – horizontal and vertical. Then he took very thin brushes and painted the drawing with watercolors to the smallest detail. He always walked from a circle with two lines. There were no outlines or intermediate steps in the process.

“So he always drew life-size clocks?”

“They were all in his head before he started painting.

How many watches has your husband designed in his career?

– Can not say. There are about 3100 clock designs and about 400 paintings in my archive, but many of the designs are lost. Early in his career, Gerald traveled around Switzerland and sold his drawings for 15 francs. I have no idea how many hours he developed.

What are the typical features of his style?

Gerald was obsessed with octagonal shapes, even my wedding ring is octagonal.

Did he have a favorite place and time to draw?

— He designed always and everywhere. When we were on holidays, he would find a quiet place in a restaurant after dinner and draw. He didn’t care at all about where he worked. He once said that if he lived in Italy, he would be engaged in automotive design – he loved cars. But since he was born in Switzerland, he was engaged in watch design. Painting was his real love. He was obsessed with Picasso. Picasso was the perfect artist for him, because he painted, sculpted and mastered a wide variety of techniques.

— In 2019, you founded the Gerald Genta Heritage Association. For what?

– The main goal is to preserve the artistic heritage of her husband. I am encouraged by how many watchmakers have supported this initiative. But we are also going to encourage young watch designers. I hope that soon we will be able to announce a competition for them.

Yuri Khnychkin