It had already made a name for itself thanks to its bold cases, designed in homage to iconic references from Gerald Genta: the young Swiss brand Genius Watches is launching two new multi-colored collections this summer in a mixed diameter of 36 mm, on steel bracelets or silicone attachments.
At first glance, a Genius Watch appears to meet classic watchmaking standards. But this impression is deceptive. Both original and disruptive, the design of the Genius Watches models is a somewhat daring creation, paying homage to two iconic references from the 1970s signed by Gerald Genta: the Nautilus watch, which he designed for Patek Philippe, and the Royal Oak, created for Audemars Piguet. According to a concept that Genius Watches has dubbed "50/50," the case and bracelet of the watch are inspired by the upper half of the Nautilus, while the lower half is inspired by the Royal Oak. The result: a look that is both original, particularly with its crown hidden under the caseband, and at the same time familiar, since it incorporates two watchmaking classics.
The idea of designing a collection as a nod to Gerald Genta was born in the mind of a collector, who had also had the chance to meet the famous watch designer. With two partners, he founded Genius Watches in 2020 in Lugano (Switzerland). Gerald Genta drew près of 100 sketches in 000 years of careerère, which makes an average of five creations per day, explains the co-founder of Genius Watches. Besides the modsèimagined them for his own brand, he signed the modsèthe most mythical and desirable of the'watchmaking'AprèPolerouter s-war for Universal Genève à the Pasha de Cartier, passing by the Constellation for Omega, the'Engineer for IWC, among many others'others. And of course, the Royal Oak for Audemars Piguet in 1972 and the Nautilus for Patek Philippe in 1976. Legend has it that Gerald Genta sketched the entire Royal Oak in a single night, and it'is all à probable fact. »
In conclusion, he adds : " VSHe was an artist and visionary who put his genius for form and design at the service of'a permanent redefinition of'watchmaking art. Gerald Genta has always had a lot of'audacity. This vision of freedom to create watches is a true inspirationès strong for Genius Watches ».
Since its launch, the young brand has expanded its catalog with the Hommage 39, Smart 39, and Génie collections. The latest women's models, the Idiofyia 36 and Génie 36, are also available for men looking for a more measured diameter than the 39mm models. These two 36mm lines feature numerous color and material combinations, from 316L steel to silicone for the straps, and steel and yellow or rose gold PVD steel for the case. The latter has been refined to 7,5mm thick and houses a precision Swiss quartz movement with a ten-year battery life. These timepieces are all water-resistant to 100m, including the configurations that feature 42 synthetic diamonds on the bezel, for a total weight of 1,26 carats.
Featuring hypoallergenic silicone straps, the Idiofyia 36 line—which means "genius" in Greek—combines silky texture and sensuality. It invites you to dare to indulge in all your desires with its six colors: chocolate, subtle praline, timeless faded denim blue or night, Juicy orange, lagoon turquoise, candy pink, and steel gray. Each model is named after an iconic city: Barcelona, Osaka, Los Angeles, Bruges, or Qatar. An invitation to a stylish urban escape.
Same references to chic getaways, with the Génie 36 range and its legendary destinations: London, Saint-Moritz, Monaco, New York, Fifth Avenue… Equipped with steel or PVD steel bracelets, the watches are available in six couture dial shades, from turquoise blue to powder pink, including snow white, midnight blue, champagne or flannel gray.
Designed to remain affordable, the prices of these two new collections range from €840 to €1340 for the Idiofyia 36 models and from €1140 to €1640 for the Génie 36 range, depending on whether or not they are enhanced with synthetic diamonds.
Finally, all Genius Watches models can benefit from a free eight-year extension of the international warranty, after simply registering the watch on the Genius Watches website. www.geniuswatches.ch. A significant detail…
Carine Loeillet
