Big Things, Small Packages: Gerald Charles Shows Off Its Delicate Side with the New Mini Maestro

For years now, there has been a debate over whether watches should be labeled by gender. I, myself, have stood on both sides of said debate. While I do believe watches are for everyone, no matter their size, color, or make, I also feel that if brands were to abandon gender labels altogether, they might pay less attention to the “girlie girl” aesthetic, and smaller, gem-set timepieces could become extinct.
 

My own collection of nearly seventy timepieces is about as diverse as a 1984 Benetton ad, which, in this context, means I have watches that are quartz, automatic, and hand-wound mechanical; some are teeny tiny (in that beautiful 32 to 36mm range), and some are 40mm or over. I have watches with diamond bezels, colored sapphire markers, and gemstone dials; some are on bracelets, some on leather straps, and some on rubber straps.

The point is: They are all mine, and I wear them equally, so does that make all of them women’s watches?

While the debate rages on, it’s clear that the latter of my takes on the matter hasn’t yet come to fruition, and the newest release by Gerald Charles – the Mini Maestro – proves it.
 

To Label, or Not To Label… That Is the Question

The Gerald Charles Maestro collection was named in homage to famed watch designer Gérald Genta, who was often referred to as the “Maestro” of the watchmaking industry.

The asymmetrical case is distinct and immediately recognizable, which is likely why the model has been seen on the wrists of sports personalities such as Michael Strahan, Claudio Marchisio, and Ivan Rakitić, among others.

But what we had not seen much of was a woman – be they athlete, musician, or celebrity – wearing a Gerald Charles Maestro. That fact may now change with the introduction of the Mini Maestro; Gerald Charles’ newest, gem-set timepiece collection.

The Mini Maestro is a 30mm version (technically 29mm x 31mm) of the Maestro model, which, although not technically labeled as a woman’s timepiece, definitely feels (in my humble opinion) like it was created with the horological “girl gang” in mind.
 

So, while the brand was quite clear in its press release that these new watches transcend gender, I will certainly give the brand’s CEO, Federico Ziviani, a little “wink, wink/nudge, nudge” of approval when I see him in Geneva for Watches and Wonders.

The Mini Maestro’s size isn’t the only thing that makes these watches appear softer than their bigger brother. The three editions in this new collection were made in grade 5 titanium, lending the watch a lightness that feels immediately different from most other Maestro collection pieces.
 

Moreover, all three versions – with dials in silver (black strap), pink, and ice blue (with color-matched straps) – are each adorned with 54 round brilliant-cut diamonds (totaling approximately 0.53 carats) in the bezel and at the hour markers. Meanwhile, the dials are decorated with a delicate Clous de Paris mini-tapisserie texture, offering a contrast of light and depth.
 

The three new editions are powered by the GCQ1000 quartz movement, offering the wearer six years of battery life, and the accompanying rubber straps are equipped with an in-house developed easy-release system as well as a Maestro-shaped titanium buckle: a first for the collection. The pieces also have a water resistance of up to 5 ATM.

While Gerald Charles isn’t exactly rocking the industry with this release, that is also not their intention. What matters is that the brand paid attention: it listened to its base, read the comments on its social media, and spoke to collectors and editors alike.
 

Because of those things, they took a leap of faith, and the result was creating something out of their wheelhouse. I, for one, had been in Federico’s ear at his table at the GPHG Awards Dinner, to which his reply was simply, “something’s coming.”

Well, something came on the last day of Women’s History Month to boot, and it came in as most women do: soft on the outside, yet beautiful and powerful throughout.
 

For more information, including pricing and availability, check out the Gerald Charles website.