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The Maison’s first meteorite timepiece to feature a small-seconds indicator
“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. This moment finds its artistic expression in two models: the Black model embodies the instant of impact, with dark meteorite revealing flashes of red from the anodized baseplate and a running small-seconds indicator at 6 o’clock featuring a fiery gradient, all enclosed in a Darkblast steel case. The Silver model represents stillness after the explosion, where matter cools and crystallizes, pairing a silver meteorite dial with gold accents and a polished steel case. A material that reshapes millennia of history The meteorite used for the Maestro 2.0 originates from the Muonionalusta meteorite, estimated to be over 4.5 billion years old, making it one of the oldest materials available on Earth. Having fallen in northern Sweden, the quantity of meteorite on Earth is extraordinarily rare - far more limited than gold or diamonds. Its scarcity enhances the significance of every piece produced. Working with meteorite, however, is a delicate challenge. 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 - long-time 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. |
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February 2026
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