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Working with meteorite, however, is exceptionally complex. The material is highly ferrous, extremely hard, and cannot be cut like stone. Only electro-erosion can shape it into the Maestro form, slicing it into ultra-fine layers. Throughout the process, each fragment must remain fully submerged in a protective liquid to prevent immediate oxidation.
Executing this savoir-faire- shaping meteorite to match the Maestro’ s complex geometry and engraving the explosion rays at 6 o’ clock with near-surgical precision- represents one of the most advanced expressions of Gerald Charles expertise.
A DIAL THAT CAPTURES A MOMENT IN TIME
The project began with a simple brief- a meteorite dial Maestro- but quickly evolved into a far more ambitious vision. CEO Federico Ziviani challenged the design team to push the limits, expressing a moment, not merely a motif.
Designer Octavio Garcia- longtime friend of the Ziviani family and head of GC’ s creative team- worked with Mr. Genta. Having served as Creative Director of Audemars Piguet for many years, he met Mr. Genta during the Royal Oak 40th anniversary and knows the Maestro’ s design language intimately. Mr. Garcia devised a striking dual-layer construction: a thin slab of meteorite above an aluminum baseplate- red for black, silver for white. Radial apertures pierce the dial to expose the charged baseplate beneath, evoking the shockwaves of impact. At 6 o’ clock, a sculptural small-seconds display animates the blast, while the Maestro’ s signature geometry directs the energy upward in a dynamic, rising flow.
Roman numerals and indexes appear shifted, tilted, displaced- as though physically pushed aside by the force of the blast. The proprietary Darkblast finishing conjures the smoke and powder released in the aftermath of the impact, while the sculptural small seconds embodies perpetual motion: the continued expansion of the explosion itself.
“ Honouring Mr. Genta also means honouring his pioneering use of steel and the creative spirit it unleashed. At Gerald Charles, reshaping history is part of our philosophy of uniqueness- and the Maestro 2.0 Meteorite embodies this vision. These watches are not simply made with meteorite; they tell the story of its journey. By sculpting a billion-year-old meteorite into the iconic Maestro form, we bring cosmic history into the present, turning a fragment of the universe into wearable art.”- Federico Ziviani, CEO, Gerald Charles.
ISSUE 75 2026 THE ART OF LUXURY