The Gerald Charles Maestro 3.0 Chronograph Seddiqi Special, With Meteorite Dial

Gerald Charles has pulled off something quite extraordinary in the watch world: all its collections revolve exclusively around one case design. And what a case design that is! Created by legendary designer Gérald Genta in 2006, the flamboyant Maestro case design is the backbone of Gerald Charles. Ranging from time-and-date models to skeletonised versions and from tourbillons to sportier editions, the Maestro appeared with a chronograph in 2021. Produced in steel, titanium and gold, the latest edition designed for retail partner Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons is an off-piste version clad in sandblasted titanium with an on-trend meteorite dial.

Fast becoming a household name for watch lovers, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons is the force behind Dubai Watch Week and a leading luxury watch and jewellery retailer in the United Arab Emirates. Produced in a limited edition of 20 pieces for Seddiqi, the Maestro 3.0 Chronograph is the most rugged-looking and contemporary version of the collection.

The curvaceous Baroque-inspired architecture of the case with its pronounced stepped bezel is revisited in matte grey sandblasted titanium with chronograph pushers matching the asymmetric flow of the case. With a diameter of 39mm, a length of 41mm and a thickness of 11.7mm, the resistant yet lightweight titanium case weighs just 79 grams. Despite its curvaceous contours, the case is designed as a 5G shock-resistant sports case, and the screw-down crown with its raised Clous de Paris grip is fitted with a bespoke gasket, ensuring its 100m water-resistant rating.

Meteorite dials are all the rage in watchmaking today, and the Maestro flaunts an iron-nickel meteorite with a unique Widmanstätten pattern tracing its cosmic journey through space. Like the case, there are no right angles or square shapes on the dial, and the black peripheral minutes/seconds track adapts to the architecture of the case. Treated with white Super-LumiNova that emits a blue glow, the indices are oval, and the tips of the baton hour and minute hands are rounded. The three sub-dials – running seconds at 3 o’clock, 12-hour and 30-minute counters at 6 and 9 o’clock, respectively – are framed with a metallic ring and feature different white markings on the black frames to distinguish them.

The base movement is made by Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier and is customised exclusively for Gerald Charles. Just 6.07mm thick, the thin modular movement relies on twin barrels to deliver a more consistent energy supply to the regulating organ. The new honeycomb rotor design, which runs on ceramic ball bearings, delivers a 50-hour power reserve.

The chronograph is fitted with a white vulcanised rubber strap embossed with a raised Clous de Paris pattern in the centre and a sandblasted titanium buckle.

Availability & Price

The Gerald Charles Maestro 3.0 Chronograph 2023 Seddiqi Special Edition is limited to 20 pieces and retails for CHF 26,900. It will be available exclusively from Ahmed Seddiqi and Sons in the Middle East. For more information, please visit geraldcharles.com and seddiqi.com.