Hot Take: The Gerald Charles Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin Lapis Lazuli
If you’ve never tried on a Gerald Charles watch, I suggest it. The shape is unconventional, but the fit is truly surprising. Now, to celebrate the brand’s 25th anniversary, the Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin Lapis Lazuli is here with reduced dimensions all around to further improve the wearing experience.
I’ve probably mentioned it before, but the first time I tried on a watch from Gerald Charles, the experience surprised and delighted me. Vintage tank-style watches have become part of my normal rotation, but they’re small and symmetrical. The Maestro 2.0 and the rest of the collection feature a uniquely shaped case originally penned by Gérald Genta. “Different” would be the best way to describe it, but the Maestro 2.0 is elegant and works shockingly well as a sporty dress piece. Now an Ultra-Thin Lapis Lazuli option is available in limited numbers, and if stone dials are of interest to you, this is one to investigate.
The Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin Lapis Lazuli
To celebrate the brand’s first quarter century, Gerald Charles has released the Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin Lapis Lazuli. The stainless steel watch is 39mm wide by 41.7mm long with a thickness of just 9mm, sapphire crystal included. While Gerald Charles doesn’t designate this piece as an outright sports model, the all-weather 22mm royal blue vulcanized rubber strap hints at daily usability. In fact, this slender timepiece has a go(-almost)-anywhere water resistance rating of 100 meters.
Blue is front and center
This version of the Maestro 2.0 marks Gerald Charles’s first use of a hardstone dial. Its use is the result of an intensive process requiring more than 24 hours per dial. The Lapis Lazuli is painstakingly cut, ground, polished, and drilled to achieve the unique dial shape and thickness of just 0.55mm. Apparently, only a third of the dials make it to the final process, and each step threatens to ruin the prior work. This is the nature of a natural material with faults that are not visible when the stone is thicker.
The dial features applied indexes filled with white Super-LumiNova and matching hands. On the outer edge, a printed white minute track corresponds with the new logo, which now proudly shows “Geneve.” A framed date window with a white-on-black date wheel is located at the bottom of the dial.
The Colormix bezel on the Maestro 2.0
There’s more blue, though, as the Maestro 2.0 has a colored bezel. Gerald Charles calls the scratch-resistant chemical and physical surface treatment “Colormix.” It results in a polished cobalt-hued finish. Admittedly, I read about this addition before looking closely at the photos and wasn’t sure of what to expect. It’s a nice addition that adds warmth and separation to the bezel steps. Plus, it’s a different but similar-looking technique to the lacquer used on the Cartier Santos. All told, I like it and hope to see the brand use more of the process in different colors on other models.
The automatic GCA3002
Like other Gerald Charles watches, the Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin Lapis Lazuli uses an automatic movement from Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier. The GCA3002 caliber is 3.7mm thick, has a 28,800vph frequency, and offers 50 hours of power reserve. Interestingly, the specifications share a shock resistance value of 5 g. Regarding the decoration, the movement is highly finished and includes colimaçon (or snailing), Côtes de Genève, and perlage treatments. In this watch, it also has a new rotor marking the brand’s 25th anniversary.
Availability and pricing
The Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin Lapis Lazuli is not a limited edition per se, but availability is bound by dial production. Gerald Charles is now accepting pre-orders for the watch and promises delivery after two months. At €18,600 (excluding VAT), this feels like an intriguing option considering the labor-intensive stone dial and lovely movement. Plus, with a Gerald Charles on the wrist, there’s no mistaking it for anything else.
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