Gerald Charles unveils a new watch with Ducati, the Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30°Anniversario 916.
This motorcycle inspired watch celebrates the 30th anniversary of the legendary Ducati 916 motorcycle. It is a limited edition of 250 pieces.
Gerald Charles, the independent timepiece brand based in Gèneva, Switzerland and Ducati, the renowned Italian motorcycle manufacturer, based in Bologna, Italy, have collaborated to introduce the Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916. It was launched during Geneva Watch Days, held from August 29 until September 2, 2024, in Geneva, Switzerland. The Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916 is a motorcycle inspired timepiece, in celebration of the legendary Ducati 916 motorcycle’s 30th anniversary.
The legendary Ducati 916 motorcycle. (Image credit: Ducati website.)
With the Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916, “Gerald Genta revives the iconic jumping hours, a complication Mr. (Gérald) Genta introduced with the Maestro GC39 over 13 years ago.”
Left: Original sketch. Right: Final result, the Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916.
“We are very proud of the result of this collaboration with Gerald Charles. Together, we present an extraordinary watch that pays homage to an authentic icon like the Ducati 916. The joint work of the Design Centers began with a precise idea in mind and did not stop in the face of technical and design complexities. This approach adds further value to a high-quality object that, from the first glance, reflects the values shared by Ducati and Gerald Charles: passion, craftsmanship, and attention to detail.” – Claudio Domenicali, Ducati CEO.
Key Features
Functions
The Gerald Charles Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916 functions include:
– Hours – Anticlockwise instant jump hour.
– Minutes – Concentric central minutes.
“For the first time in over 13 years, Gerald Charles has reintroduced the jumping hours complication, one of the most iconic complications of Mr. Genta’s designs. This piece represents an evolution from the historical Gerald Charles jumping hours Maestro 39, manufactured prior 2011 when the founder was still the Maison’s designer-in-chief.”
Dial
The Gerald Charles Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916 dial features include:
– It has a 3-level dial.
– The inner dial exposes the jump hour complication’s skeleton central disk. The jump hour disk features a golden satin finish, resembling the original Ducati 916 motorcycle’s wheel rim. The 12 Arabic numeral red hour-markers are coated with red Super-LumiNova®. A red window borders the jumping numeral at 12 o’clock, indicating what hour it is.
– The base dial and raised rehaut or inner bezel feature a black matt finish. The rehaut’s minute scale is graduated in increments of 5 minutes each. The minute markers and Gerald Charles logo are white.
– The central baton shaped minute hand is coated with white Super-LumiNova®, blue light at night.
“The jumping hours complication is immediately recognisable by the absence of the hour hand. Hours are displayed through a window or guichet revealing a portion of a larger disc placed underneath the dial. A rotating disc positioned above the movement clicks once every 60 minutes indicating the correct time. In our watch, the red square that displays the hour is printed on the inside of the glass.”
Movement
The Gerald Charles Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916 movement features include:
– It is powered by a manufacture calibre, Ref. GCA 3002JH, developed by Gerald Charles. It is a proprietary automatic winding calibre that drives the anticlockwise jumping hour and concentric central minutes.
– Its thickness is 6.15 mm.
– It comprises of 265 components.
– It has 38 jewels.
– It beats at a frequency of 28,800 vph or 4 Hz.
– It has a power reserve of 50 hours.
– Its unidirectional automatic winding rotor, made from gold, features a sandblasted base, colimaçon and soleil brushed top, and the brand’s “honeycomb” pattern.
– Its movement finishing includes bridges that are decorated with colimaçon, Côtes de Genève and perlage. The module-wheels are rhodium plated.
– It features an Incabloc® anti-shock system. It has 5G shock resistance, evaluated with a 5 axes robotic arm.
“At its core, the timepiece boasts an in-house, proprietary developed new jumping hours calibre, featuring the Gerald Charles movement, Ref. GCA 3002JH. This complication, a result of R&D studies that reach new level of performance, pays homage to the brand’s heritage, inspired from Mr. Genta, and his affinity for this distinctive complication.”
Case and Strap
The Gerald Charles Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916 case and strap features include:
– Its Maestro design case is made of forged carbon, and features a ceramic bezel, matt black finished. It features 35 components.
– Its dimensions are length 41.90 mm * width 39 mm * thickness 11.15 mm.
– The total weight of the timepiece is 73.60 grams.
– On its dial side, it features a sapphire crystal coated with “multi-layer anti-reflection treatment” on both sides.
– Its caseback is made of sandblasted Grade 5 Titanium and is screwed to the main case. It features a central sapphire crystal, with anti-reflective treatment and scratch resistant on both sides.
– “GERALD CHARLES” and “DUCATI”, in both brands’ respective fonts, are engraved on the caseback.
– Its screw-down crown at 3 o’clock is made of sandblasted Grade 5 Titanium. It features a Clous de Paris finish with the brand’s logo embossed on it.
– It is water resistant up to 10 ATM or 100 metres.
– The case is constructed using CNC numeric control machinery. It is an “asymmetric polygon with smooth edges.”
– It comes with a ruby red HNBR vulcanized rubber strap featuring a vanilla scent. On the top side it features a Clous de Paris pattern, and on the back, it features the brand’s logo’s tapisserie pattern. The strap features 1 fixed and 1 free loop. The strap is fitted to a sandblasted Grade 5 Titanium buckle engraved with the brand’s logo.
– It comes in 3 sizes: Small: 175 mm, Medium: 190 mm, and Large: 212 mm. Each has a width of 22-20 mm and thickness of 5-3 mm.
“Devised for both durability and design, the watch features a mat black ceramic bezel on a marbled-black Carbon Forged case body, seamlessly integrated with Grade 5 Titanium crown, case-back and buckle – a testament to Gerald Charles’s unwavering commitment to excellence. These materials, known in the motorcycle world as superlight and resistant, were ideal for this new watch. In addition, the finishings are an ode to racetrack asphalt. Due to the special case construction, high water-resistance to 10 ATM/100 mt and 5G shock-resistance are guaranteed.”
Our Thoughts
The Gerald Charles Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916 is a bold timepiece from an independent haute horology timepiece brand, one that I find refreshing and charming. Recently, I wrote about the Gerald Charles Maestro 9.0 Roman Tourbillon a timepiece quite different from the Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916. Yet both share common aspects. While the former celebrates Roman art and architecture and features a tourbillon, the latter is motorcycle inspired, featuring bold colours and clothed in modern materials such as forged carbon, Grade 5 Titanium and an HNBR vulcanized rubber strap.
While it features the Gerald Charles Maestro case, a haute horology jumping hour movement, and has an abundance of details, it’s a bit “macho” on the outside, given its tribute to the Ducati 916 motorcycle, and considering owners might wear it while riding a bike, either on a mountain pass or track. The Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916 will hugely appeal to timepiece collectors who are motorcycle enthusiasts.
Additional Details
Name: Gerald Charles Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916
Reference: GC4.0-CF-11
Price (Not including VAT): Euro (EUR): 37,200 / Swiss Franc (CHF): 37,000 / Great Britain Pounds (GBP): 33,600 / United States Dollar (USD): 42,400
It is a limited edition of 250 pieces. It is available for pre-order on the Gerald Charles website. Delivery after two months, at the time of authoring this article.
Warranty is 5 years, following ‘Smart Warranty’ system registration.
Ducati clients, who have purchased the Panigale V4 SP2 30° Anniversario 916 motorcycle, may request to have their bike’s serial number engraved on the timepiece’s case-back.
Each of the 250 pieces will come with a lithographic sketch of the timepiece, designed by Mr. Octavio Garcia, Head of Creative Team at Gerald Charles.
Please visit the Gerald Charles website and Instagram page for more information.
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