World of watches
Ahead of Time – Gérald Genta and the IWC Ingenieur.
Evelyne and Alexia Genta on the legacy of Gérald Genta.
For 32 years, Evelyne Genta shared a “wonderful, wonderful life” with the most celebrated watch designer of all time, Gérald Genta. Their daughter, Alexia, grew up between what she describes as a “wild artist” on one side and a sharp businesswoman on the other. In 2019, mother and daughter founded the Gérald Genta Heritage Association to inspire future generations.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Ingenieur SL, Ref 1832, one of the so-called “Genta Trinity” icons, Evelyne and Alexia sat down with the IWC Journal to share some of their most memorable moments with the man they knew as husband and father.
“You’ll see, they’ll catch up.”
How was the Ingenieur initially perceived?
Evelyne: The Ingenieur started as a technical watch but it was transformed through the creative eye of an artist.
Alexia: Even when the whole world was telling him, “What you designed is not good, we don't like it,” he would always respond, "You'll see, they'll catch up." It's so satisfying to see the Ingenieur today and know that Dad was right. That’s why today we can call it an icon.
What would Gérald Genta say about the Ingenieur’s evolution?
Evelyne: If Gérald were here today, toasting the 50 years of the Ingenieur, he would be so happy that the Ingenieur has kept its DNA and that the design has been truly respected. He would appreciate that it's been made with maybe better techniques and advanced mechanisms. Life moves on, and Gérald never wanted anything to be static, but he would appreciate that the DNA in this watch is still alive today.
Alexia: Dad was a visionary, meaning he never looked at competitors or cared about what people wanted. He just wanted to create freely because his mind wasn’t polluted by others' desires or market demand.
Picasso as Inspiration
What inspired his watch designs?
Evelyne: My husband’s inspiration was never watches, clocks, or anything horological. It was mostly art. Gérald liked Picasso above anything, partly because Picasso was able to do plates, to do chairs. He liked people who could do many things.
How did his artistic and design work evolve?
Alexia: If you look at the evolution of his painting style, as he designed in the morning and painted in the afternoon, you can really see a correlation between [the evolution of] his designs and paintings. His designs started as more restrained, less daring, more refined, in his early years, which were a tough start.
Then he met mom. You can see [this change as] he starts putting in more color. He moves to the south of France, discovering the blue sky, he becomes more daring with shapes, and over time he became increasingly free and flamboyant. And I see that in his designs and in his paintings, which became increasingly abstract and vibrant.
So this is clearly the evolution not dictated by market demand or what competitors were doing, but rather by an artist influenced by his environment.
Dad was so observant. He had this incredible capacity to stop at a single detail in a building or in a park and just start noticing things that we mere humans often miss.
Can you describe his design process?
Alexia: His design process was very simple. First thing in the morning, in his suit and tie, he would sit down at his desk, get his paper, draw two lines, take his compass, and then start designing. It wouldn't take more than two hours, and a watch would be born.
Creativity Overload
What role did material choice play for Genta?
Evelyne: For him, steel was, of course, much more coherent with the Ingenieur. This was a time when steel wasn’t accepted as a luxury material, yet he wanted the watch to be a luxury item and felt that steel, particularly for the Ingenieur, was the right choice. But it took time to be recognized, and look where we are today.
Alexia: So when you have a beautiful watch, it speaks for itself. You don't need to add any fluff around it. In fact, all that marketing talk will feel inauthentic. If the watch does all the talking, that's all you really need.
What did his design approach reveal about Gérald Genta’s character?
Alexia: He was completely instinctive when it came to design, which was the nightmare of this lady over here (pointing to Evelyne), because when you're running a business, you also need to structure collections and perhaps not design new prototypes all the time. So the challenge wasn’t the lack of creativity; it was almost an overload of it. But that did mean he was always able to challenge the industry and come up with pioneering ideas.
Evelyne: In fact, I have to say, my husband never learned to speak English. And I used to say, “You really should learn English because most of our clients were English-speaking.” And he said, “No, I don't need to. My watch speaks for itself.”
Life Lesson
Tell us about Gérald Genta’s background.
Alexia: My father's life and story are much more complex than expected. He came back [from Italy] to Switzerland to dominate the Swiss watch industry and became the world's most famous watch designer.
Evelyne: He was born in such difficult circumstances. His mom was blind. They had no money at all. He was born with a great feeling of injustice. He always told me, "Why couldn't I go to school long enough? Why couldn't I go to university? Why, why, why, why?"
How did this experience affect his life as a watch designer?
Alexia: Dad was the ultimate underdog. He came from a very difficult background. Nobody in his family was a watchmaker or watch designer.
Evelyne: His life was really tough. At 14, he was working after school, running errands to bring a bit of money home to his mother and father. I don't think you can learn design. It's more of a life lesson. Maybe you need that anger, that rage. You can still do it, no matter the times you live in.
He lived during the quartz crisis. Panic was on board, factories were closing, the Swiss industry thought it would collapse. Gérald’s historical importance, in a way, was being part of saving the Swiss watch industry.
Learn more about the history of Gérald Genta’s Ingenieur here
Beauty is in The Details
Alexia: We're currently speaking to archivists of each brand. And we are going through the archives, looking at the designs that they have, the designs that we have, and identifying whether some of their watches were indeed designed by Dad. So there are already suspicions.
We already have some that we're thinking, it's definitely his. Or perhaps sometimes it's not, but it was heavily inspired. So this is detective work.
Then there are fantastic archives available that we can look into. My general rule is if I can confirm via three credible sources that Dad designed a specific model and the brand agrees, we can attribute it. And with IWC, we know that there is more [to uncover] because Dad and IWC had a great collaboration.
What qualities did he pass on to you?
Alexia: One of my earliest memories with Dad is walking through the Jardin des Roses. It's in Monaco, a beautiful, very small rose garden with thousands of roses.
And Dad would take me there, stopping in front of each rose, and we would look at the petals, the thorns, the layout, everything. This would take a very long time. And I must admit that sometimes I didn’t have the patience, but he basically taught me to look for beauty by looking at something and being truly present as I observed it. It's true that now if I look at my taste in watches or in art, I've inherited his because he taught me how to observe.
FAQ
What makes the Gérald Genta-designed IWC Ingenieur SL 1832 so significant?
Its significance stems from Gérald Genta’s groundbreaking design, which introduced the luxury steel sports watch archetype to IWC with its integrated bracelet, five functional screws, and structured grid dial. This iconic reference 1832 defined the Ingenieur collection for decades and remains remarkably modern and influential today.
What is the history of the IWC Ingenieur?
Originating in 1955 as an anti-magnetic watch for engineers and scientists, the IWC Ingenieur line’s history was profoundly reshaped in 1976 by Gérald Genta’s Ingenieur SL 1832 design, which, alongside his other iconic creations, established the luxury steel sports watch as a major category, influencing designs across many luxury watch brands.
Is the vintage IWC Ingenieur SL 1832 a good collectible today?
Yes, the vintage IWC Ingenieur SL 1832 is highly collectible today, driven by its iconic Gérald Genta design, historical importance, and distinctive “grid” dial. Programs like IWC. Curated. – an initiative allowing collectors and enthusiasts to purchase vintage and pre-owned IWC timepieces directly from the brand – further enhance its appeal and authenticity, solidifying its status as a sought-after piece for collectors.
What is the “Genta Trinity” and its significance?
The “Genta Trinity” refers to Gérald Genta’s three most iconic luxury watch designs: the Royal Oak, the Nautilus, and the IWC Ingenieur – which collectively underscore his unparalleled influence and enduring design legacy in modern watchmaking.