THE GÉRALD GENTA GENEVA MINUTE REPEATER RETURNS IN GOLDEN OBSIDIAN

The Gérald Genta Geneva Minute Repeater Golden Obsidian places one of the watchmaker’s favoured complications within the sculptural language of the revived Maison. Unveiled for Geneva Watch Days 2026 and following the Geneva Minute Repeater Black Onyx, the new watch pairs a 3N yellow gold case with a naturally patterned golden obsidian dial and the hand-wound GG-002 minute repeater calibre, developed at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton.

Minute repeaters held a particular place in Gérald Genta’s work. He collaborated closely with master watchmaker Pierre-Michel Golay, whose watchmaking expertise and interest in opera informed their work on the acoustic character of the complication. The Geneva Minute Repeater Golden Obsidian continues that focus by treating the case, movement, and materials as parts of the same acoustic system.

The Geneva Collection takes its name from the city where Gérald Genta established his Maison in 1969. Its design draws upon what Genta called “L’Esprit de Genève”, bringing the technical traditions associated with the Cabinotiers de Genève together with the rounded proportions and sculptural forms that characterised his own approach. On the Minute Repeater Golden Obsidian, that relationship is expressed through a cushion-shaped case whose curved profile is framed by the collection’s double gadroons.

The case is made from 3N yellow gold and measures just 40 mm across and 9.60 mm thick. Its dimensions and construction were developed not simply around proportion, but around the requirements of the minute repeater itself. Yellow gold was selected in part for its acoustic properties, while Matthieu Hegi, Artistic Director of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, calibrated the case architecture and thickness to give the chime sufficient space to resonate. Thin case walls form part of that approach.

The engineering extends to details that would ordinarily remain unseen. At its thinnest point, the case measures just 0.6 mm. The bezel and caseback are hollowed internally using circular drilling to reduce unnecessary mass and resistance, while directly screwing the two together halves the number of screws required. The sapphire crystal has also been reduced from the usual 1 mm thickness to 0.8 mm to assist sound propagation.

Brushed and polished surfaces distinguish the different parts of the case without disrupting its compact profile. The double gadroons are polished against satin-brushed surfaces, while the minute repeater trigger follows the curvature of the case. Redeveloped lugs connect the watch to a brown calfskin leather strap, continuing the rounded geometry across the wrist.

The dial introduces a material whose appearance cannot be reproduced from one watch to another. Golden obsidian is formed through the rapid cooling of volcanic lava, producing a dark surface in which golden and brown reflections appear according to the structure of the individual stone. Through this method, each dial carries its own distinctive pattern and variation.

Its warmer colouring distinguishes it from the black obsidian more commonly encountered. Against the 3N yellow gold case, the dial is fitted with curved and rounded yellow gold indexes to match its polished hands. A white printed minute track creates a second layer of geometry: circular towards its centre, while its outer edge follows the cushion form of the case. As the surface catches the light, this contrast between circular and cushion-shaped outlines becomes more apparent.

The stone also extends beyond the dial. A golden obsidian cabochon is set into the yellow gold crown, repeating the material at the edge of the case.

Visible through the open caseback is the GG-002, a manual-winding minute repeater calibre developed entirely in-house at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton by master watchmakers, Enrico Barbasini and Michel Navas. The movement measures 32.4 mm in diameter and 5.46 mm thick, comprises 316 components and 32 jewels, operates at 3 Hz, and provides an 80-hour power reserve.

Its acoustic components are adjusted individually. Each gong is cut separately before being tuned by ear and by hand to achieve the required vibration amplitude. They are paired with black-polished hammers and a traditional single-revolution gong construction, with the complete assembly developed to produce a clear chime with both resonance and volume.

The finishing of the GG-002 is also carried out by hand. Côtes de Genève, hand-bevelled angles, and circular graining are applied across the movement, while polished gold masselottes on the balance wheel allow its inertia to be adjusted precisely. An octagonal inertia wheel references one of Gérald Genta’s recurring geometries, and a bar-click winding system gives the hand-wound calibre a distinct tactile character when energy is returned to the mainspring.

The Geneva Minute Repeater Golden Obsidian brings the acoustic requirements of the complication into the design of the entire watch. Its yellow gold case is pared back internally to improve resonance, its GG-002 calibre is tuned by hand, and its naturally varied obsidian dial gives each example a different surface character.

Those decisions also connect the watch to the broader Geneva Collection. Its cushion-shaped case, double gadroons, octagonal references, and emphasis on the relationship between mechanics and form draw from the design vocabulary associated with Gérald Genta while placing it within the Maison’s current work at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton.