The Gerald Charles Maestro GC Sport Tennis is here to serve (live pics)
Buffy Acacia- The dial of the Gerald Charles Maestro GC Sport Tennis emulates a tennis ball with a matching rubber strap.
- It underwent testing by Andrea Vavassori and Hubert Hurkacz to ensure its comfort and shock resistance.
- It’s a limited edition of 200 pieces, priced at CHF 17,600.
The prevalence of wristwatch promotion throughout the sport of tennis is pretty strange when you think about it, because there’s nothing more annoying than having something loose on your wrist while swinging a racquet. What it’s become is an exercise in comfort and weight control so that you can strap it down tight and almost pretend it’s not there – just ask Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. Gerald Charles has been well up to the task before, and now its new Maestro GC Sport Tennis limited edition revisits the concept with a tribute to the humble tennis ball.
Gerald Charles, notably founded by Gérald Charles Genta, takes a highly sculptural approach to watchmaking. You may think that’s at odds with something as function-focused as a tennis watch, but the Maestro GC Sport is incredibly adaptable. Its unusual shape is inspired by baroque architecture, and it has been rendered here in grade 5 titanium for its low density and high strength attributes. The case is then sandblasted for a roughened matte texture and then given a charcoal PVD coating to enhance its scratch-resistance.
At 39mm wide, 41mm tall and just 9mm thick, the whole watch weighs no more than 64 grams, including the yellow Velcro strap and titanium “darkblast” buckle. Additionally, the case is 100-metres water resistant, so you can easily jump from the court to the pool to rinse off after a hard match.
You could almost be forgiven for thinking that the dial of this watch was just a photo of a tennis ball, or even a slice of one glued in. The grainy texture and that bright yellow bordering slightly on chartreuse perfectly captures the fuzziness, and the fumé edges imply a spherical shape. Worked into the dial is a neat date window at 6 o’clock, applied hour markers filled with Super-LumiNova, and a minute track that tucks in against the bezel. The yellow strap itself is made from vulcanised rubber designed to feel like leather, and it has a flexible iron core to improve its strength.
The other consideration for a tennis watch is its ability to handle shocks. Even worn on a non-dominant hand, your watch is bound to be exposed to plenty of force during the average match. Ensuring that a mechanical movement isn’t affected by such wild movement is hard, but the Vaucher GCA 3002 uses an Incabloc system to achieve a shock resistance of forces up to 5G. That’s been put into practice with testing by Andrea Vavassori and Hubert Hurkacz, who have both spent time at No. 6 in the ATP world rankings.
It’s got a power reserve of 50 hours and a 4Hz beat rate for a smooth seconds sweep, and it winds automatically. You can see its colimaçonnage, côtes de Genève and perlage finishes through the sapphire display caseback along with the golden winding rotor and its honeycomb motif.
Gerald Charles Maestro GC Sport Tennis price and availability
The Gerald Charles Maestro GC Sport Tennis is limited to 200 pieces. Price: CHF 17,600, US$20,700
| Brand | Gerald Charles |
| Model | Maestro GC Sport Tennis |
| Reference | GC2.0-TX-TNSB-24GR-RSVC |
| Case Dimensions | 39mm (W) x 9mm (T) x 41mm (LTL) |
| Case material | Grade 5 titanium |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Yellow fumé |
| Strap | Vulcanised rubber strap with Velcro closure |
| Movement | GCA 3002, Vaucher-made, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 50 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date |
| Availability | Limited to 200 pieces |
| Price | CHF 17,600 US$20,700 |