“Give this man an allocation!” said Federico Ziviani, the CEO of Gerald Charles. It was the Gerald Charles Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916, a watch I couldn’t take my eyes off during our meeting.
Review: the beautiful Gerald Charles Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916
The Gerald Charles Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916 retails at USD 42,400. Limited to 250 pieces worldwide.
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Raise of hands! Who’s a fan of the jump hour? I’m sure everyone here at Deployant is! Especially when it comes with the iconic design language of the legendary Gérald Charles Genta. The Gerald Charles Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916 is a timepiece that masterfully blends two legends: the visionary Mr. Genta and the renowned Italian motorcycle maker, Ducati.
This watch is one of the maison’s most technically advanced piece to date. And the technical brilliance isn’t confined to just the jump hour movement—it extends to the case itself.
The Case
“It is the first time Gerald Charles uses technical materials for the Maestro case like forged carbon, titanium and ceramic… They are the same materials that Ducati uses for the bikes and they provided the same materials for us.” said Fredrico
The DNA of the legendary Ducati sports bike is unmistakably reflected in the choice of materials. The bezel, crafted from matte black ceramic, not only adds a sleek aesthetic but also serves a functional purpose—minimizing the appearance of scratches and ensuring the watch remains pristine through the test of time. Meanwhile, the forged carbon fibre case offers exceptional durability, able to withstand daily wear and tear, enduring shocks of up to 5Gs and still operate as per normal.
To complete the piece, Gerald Charles incorporated a Grade 5 titanium crown and case-back. Known for its strength and lightweight qualities, this material is frequently used in motorsport. An added bonus is its hypoallergenic properties, ensuring a comfortable wearing experience. With such advanced materials and a robust case design, this jump hour watch boasts an impressive 100-meter water resistance, making it durable enough for daily wear.
The Dial
The dial of the watch exudes Ducati’s distinctive charm, with the three arm skeletonised wheel right in the middle of the dial. Immediately catching the eye. This was a remarkable technical achievement, and unique in many ways. The primary hurdle is to balance the weight of the jump hour disc. This required the creation of a system featuring a open worked circular black frame which hold the red numerals in place. Although the numerals appear to be directly on the dial, they are, in fact, part of a large rotating disc which moves one click counterclockwise. It does this instantaneously at the top of the hour. The video above shows this. The numerals themselves are in vivid red, filled with red Super-LumiNova®, ensuring they glow brightly in the dark.
While we’ve delved into the complexity of the hour hands, let’s not forget the white minute track that forms part of the inner bezel, which brings to mind the instrument clusters found on superbikes. The minutes are indicated by the central seconds hand, also coated in Super-LumiNova®, which emits a blue glow under low light conditions.
Despite the dial’s skeletonized design and its numerous intricate elements, it never feels cluttered and remains remarkably legible. This is precisely how a watch dial should be designed—beautiful, yet highly functional.
The Movement
Powering the Gerald Charles Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916 is the Gerald Charles Caliber GCA 3002JH. It’s no coincidence that this movement shares the same caliber number as the regular Maestro 2.0 (GCA 3002); both are essentially the same base movement, crafted by Vaucher. However, the GCA 3002JH features a proprietary jump hour module built on top of it, enhancing its functionality.
The movement is only 2.75mm thicker than the standard version, with just 76 additional components required to accommodate the power-hungry jump hour module. What truly impresses us is how Gerald Charles managed to maintain a 50-hour power reserve in the jump hour movement, despite the added complexity. Much of this achievement can likely be attributed to the double barrel system used in the base movement.
The jump hour mechanism in the current date is a far cry from the yester years where it takes 10 minutes to lead up to the “jump hour”. Now, the disc jumps at an instant. When that happens every hour, we could hear the crisp and audible click that the GCA 3002JH produces, it was oddly satisfying and certainly quite facinating to watch.
The Strap
The strap that comes with the Gerald Charles Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916 is made from red vulcanized rubber. The top side features a Clous de Paris finish, while the underside is adorned with the iconic Gerald Charles logo tapisserie. The strap is fastened with a Grade 5 titanium buckle, engraved with the GC logo.
Throughout my time wearing the watch, the strap proved to be both comfortable and well-crafted. However, I do have a small observation. Many watch maisons today offer quick-change strap systems, allowing the watch to become a true “strap monster.” Unfortunately, this particular model doesn’t have that feature. Its strap is somewhat restricted, as it requires the wearer to know how to use a strap-changing tool. While this may be a drawback for some, it is not a dealbreaker for me.
Competitive Landscape
In the current world of watches, jump hour is seemingly a rare commodity. It is now rarely seen and perhaps only a handful of maison are offering them brand new.
One immediate contender that comes to mind is the Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 Sincere Platinum Jubilee Edition. Like the Gerald Charles Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30° Anniversario 916, the Chopard uses a jumping hour and a concentric central minute display. However, what sets this variant apart is its striking red grand feu enamel dial, which lends a sporty flair that’s reminiscent of the Gerald Charles Ducati limited edition.
You might wonder if the A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk or the MB&F HM8 could be considered competitors as well. The answer is both yes and no. While they certainly feature jump hour complications, their design languages are so vastly different that I felt it appropriate to exclude them from direct comparison.
Concluding Thoughts
After wearing it on my wrist for a few hours, I’m completely smitten. The collaboration between these two icons is truly captivating, but what really drew me in was the design of the Maestro case combined with the jump hour complication.
There’s an Easter egg hidden within the design of the Maestro case—one that, after Federico and Franco shared it with me, I couldn’t stop thinking about. If you look closely at the case at the 6 o’clock position, you’ll notice a subtle “smile.” It’s said that Gérald Genta designed this feature based on his own smile. Now, isn’t that a delightful detail?
