Fan Said: Master of Design
Some time ago, Sotheby's held an auction in Hong Kong with the theme of "Epoch-making Watch Master: The Collection of Jerro Zunda", which was a hundred design manuscripts drawn by Master Zunda before his death, and each work was also accompanied by an NFT certification.
One of the most high-profile lots was a prototype design of the Patek Philippe Nautilus drawn by Zunda, which finally sold for a high price of 5.67 million Hong Kong dollars.
At the end of February this year, Sotheby's also auctioned Zunda's "Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Watch Prototype Watercolor Manuscript" in Geneva for 564,500 Swiss francs (about 3.85 million yuan).
Speaking of Zunda, I believe that fan friends who know watches should have heard of his name. His 1970s design of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus are the hottest luxury sports watches of the moment.
In particular, the Patek Philippe Nautilus, with the discontinuation of the classic model 5711, has suddenly become a rare resource. The "PPT" unveiled at the Phis New York auction last year, with a commission price of up to $6.5 million (about 41.39 million yuan), made the Nautilus "add fuel to the fire" again.
The watch was photographed by collector Zach Lu
A former senior Patek Philippe employee known to Fan said. "The current price of the Nautilus is basically in the sky, there is still a long queue in the store, and the prices in the secondary market are at least 150% premium, and about half a year ago it was only about 100% premium."
LVMH boss Arnault wears the "President's Special" 5740
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak, and to celebrate this important moment, Audemars Piguet has recently brought a series of blockbuster new products.
Like the new "Jumbo" ultra-thin watch is quite impressive, 18K gold with "Petite Tapisserie" small checked smoked gold dial, 18K rose gold with smoked brown dial, invincible and attractive~
In fact, Master Zunda not only designed two popular steel watches, but many classics are also his original or redesigned, such as the engineer of the world, Cartier Pasha, Bulgari's BVLGARI-BVLGARI and so on.
Even some luxury sports steel watches that are not designed by Master Zunda himself, but have a strong "Zunda style", have become "rising stars" today.
Vacheron Constantin's "222", for example, is currently in a queue; from the end of last year to this year, Girard-Perregaux's steel laurels (designed by Adolfo Natalini) were also unexpectedly on fire.
Jean-Claude Biver, a bezel boss who was president of LVMH's watch department, said of Zunda: "He was not only a designer, but also an incredible inventor, a master of watchmaking and jewelry. Simply put, he was a visionary."
Fan Lord once told you the story of Master Zunda before, and today I will use this auction to take you to know this legendary figure known as "Picasso in watchmaking". In addition, we also made a video to help you quickly understand the master, you can poke the video number below for a sneak peek.
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From jewelry apprentice to star designer
Gerald Genta was born in Geneva in 1931 to a Swiss mother and an Italian father. He began his apprenticeship in the jewellery industry at the age of 15 and received his Swiss Federal Diploma at the age of 20.
Zunda once said that when he was young, he liked to draw and was full of passion for jewelry design. However, after the war, the economy was sluggish, and the Swiss jewelry industry was not very developed, so in the early days he received work was always related to watches, that is, helping watchmakers design cases, dials, bracelets, etc., so he got closer and closer to the watchmaking industry.
In his early years, many of his designs were sold for 15 Swiss francs, but they could not stand up to a large amount. Zunda said in a 2009 interview that he had "managed to make a lot of money" and had customers all over the world. In the early days, he worked with brands such as Benrus and Hamilton, and later got the opportunity to sign a contract with a Swiss brand, which also opened his legendary design road.
His first official employer was Universal Genève, one of the most well-known chronograph manufacturers at the time.
Zunda designed the SAS Polerouter for them, a watch commemorating the Polar Flight of Scandinavian Airlines, which later became one of the brand's most recognizable collections. He was only 23 years old.
In addition, in 1959 Zunda also participated in the renewal of the Omega constellation, which led many people to believe that the constellation series was also designed by him.
Zunda himself explained that his direct customers are not Omega, but Omega suppliers. He himself has been involved in the creation of hippocampus or constellations, and may have designed a case for one and a dial or bracelet for the other.
According to the Zunda Heritage Society, his initial involvement in the design was the Constellation Series 14900, the iconic <span data-raw-text="" "="" data-textnode-index-1651654573777="49" data-index-1651654573777="1576" > "Beads Of Rice" <span data-raw-text="" "="" data-textnode-index-1651654573777="49" data-index-1651654573777="1590" > "straps, black onyx embedded time markers and other elements, later collectors believe that it is a self-esteem master.
After the bezel has a certain degree of popularity, many well-known brands also look for Zunda.
For example, The King Midas, introduced by Rolex in 1964, is named after King Midas in ancient Greek mythology, which has a bit of a stone-to-gold ability, and this watch was also the heaviest gold watch on the market at that time, weighing between 150 grams and 200 grams.
Zunda's design is inspired by the Parthenon in Greece, and the bulge at the crown resembles the roof of the temple. The global limit of one thousand at that time was still the favorite of rock superstar Elvis Presley and actor John Wayne.
In 1968, Patek Philippe commissioned Zunda to design Golden Ellipse, although it was not so popular, but the oval case and the equilibrium ratio of the golden section were also a major breakthrough in the traditional phenotype at that time.
But the real peak of Zunda was in the 1970s.
A legacy
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus
Zunda's watch design is a vast sea, according to his own estimates, in the 60 years of career, the design of watches is about 100,000 pieces, and the most famous of them is undoubtedly the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus that have been on fire for more than a decade.
☞ Designed with royal oaks and nautilus
The Royal Oak was designed in the early 1970s, when the Swiss watch industry was facing a "quartz crisis", and many brands were looking for innovation, as was Audemars Piguet.
Zunda had a very good relationship with Audemars Piguet. The first designs were sold to Audemars Piguet as early as 1953, and the partnership lasted for 20 years, and in the early years he designed watches for Audemars Piguet in a delicate way combined with geometric shapes.
Zunda designed the model for Audemars Piguet in his early years
Because of their shared tastes and values, zunda and Audemars Piguet became increasingly close in the 1960s. In an interview the year he died, he said: "The things I acquired at Audemars Piguet prompted me to develop a law of aesthetics and architecture."
Zunda and Audemars Piguet general manager Georges Golay are also very good friends, and even once said: "We are completely symbiotic, if he agrees with one thing and I do not agree, we choose not to do it." The birth of the Royal Oak tree originated from a phone call between the two old friends.
According to Audemars Piguet's Historical Documents: A History of the Royal Oak Series, the phone call was made at 4 p.m. the day before the basel watch exhibition opened in April 1970. The content of the call is also short:
"Mr. Zunda, a dealer asked us to provide us with an unprecedented stainless steel movement watch. I wish it was brand new and waterproof... I want to see the design sketch tomorrow morning. “
Hearing Party A explain such a difficult and urgent task, Zunda was not under little pressure, and he later recalled, "It was crazy, I don't know what magic can create such a thing in one night."
However, it took him only one night to sketch the design of this new watch, the octagonal bezel, the eight exposed hexagonal screws, and the integrated bracelet with the dial, all of which were quite unique and unique at the time.
Zunda said that when he designed the watch, he remembered what he saw as a child on a mechanical bridge in Geneva — a diver wearing a helmet with eight bolts and rubber seals. So he wanted to imitate the diving helmet to design the case, like a helmet to protect the diver, to protect the movement.
Interestingly, this sotheby's auction also showed a more original design drawing, the bezel is 6 screws, the bezel is also hexagonal, rather than the later octagonal bezel, but it is still very similar to the later design. It is clear that Zunda had a clear understanding of his creations from the beginning.
Later Zunda also oversaw the production of this new watch, and the name "Royal Oak" was proposed by the agent Carlo de Marchi, which also has an allusion:
King Charles II of England was saved by hiding under an oak tree in a war, and since then the oak tree has been given the concept of protection and sturdiness by the royal family, so it is often named battleship. Naming this watch by this name is also quite appropriate.
A few years after designing the Royal Oak, Patek Philippe also approached Zunda, hoping that he would design an exclusive sports watch for the brand. This watch is the Nautilus, and the design process is also quite dramatic.
According to Zunda's recollection, he was also attending the Basel Fair, and when he went to the restaurant to eat, he happened to see a group of Patek Philippe employees, so he said to the restaurant foreman, "Give me a piece of paper and a pencil, I want to design something", and then while observing the Patek Philippe employees' dinner, he drew a sketch of the Nautilus, which took only 5 minutes.
The Design of the Nautilus was inspired by the cruise ship portholes, with a rounded octagonal bezel, a porthole structure case and the "ears" on both sides of the case are exquisite and unique, and the original sports watch can also have an elegant style.
The name of this watch comes from the Nautilus submarine in Jules Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea", although it is not a professional diving watch, but due to the special structure designed by Zunda, it can still guarantee a waterproof depth of 120 meters.
☞ From the cold bench to a table is hard to find
Don't look at the current Royal Oak and Nautilus fire to no, even a table is difficult to find, in fact, when it was first released in the 70s, there was also a period of "snubbed".
At that time, people's preferences for luxury watches were mostly precious metals first, or they favored complex technology and wanted to make their watches valuable, so in the era of pursuing thin precious metal watches, Zunda design was considered "destructive".
Taking Imperial Oak as an example, this watch can be said to be incompatible with the aesthetics of that era. The first is that the size was considered too large for the initial ref. The 5402 meter diameter of 39 mm is already known as Jumbo (Big Mac).
Secondly, the octagonal bezel and exposed screws are very strange in the era when round watches are the mainstream of the market. Kevin Ross, CEO of watch portal Hodinkee, said: "When I first saw the Royal Oak, I thought it was too ugly, too square, too clumsy looking".
What's more, although the original Royal Oak was a steel watch, it was priced even more than many precious metal watches. According to records, the price of Imperial Oak at that time was 3300 Swiss francs, which was more expensive than Patek Philippe's gold watch and more than ten times that of a Rolex submariner.
The advanced aesthetic + high-priced steel watch made Imperial Oak suffer a lot of "bad reviews" in the early days of its birth. For Audemars Piguet, the production of Imperial Oak was also a commercial adventure, and in the early 1970s, his family produced about 5,000 watches a year, and the first Imperial Oaks produced 1,000.
Martin Wehrli, director of the Audemars Piguet Museum, once recalled that when he attended the exhibition that year, he heard a veteran in the industry say, "I hope that the radical design of Imperial Oak will bankrupt Audemars Piguet, so that you can buy them"...
When the Nautilus was first released in 1976, it was priced at $3,100, which was also high in the era. According to some sources, at that time, a Rolex Daytona was sold for just under $1,000, and a Patek Philippe gold watch was sold for only $4,000.
Patek Philippe also advertised the slogan that "one of the most expensive watches in the world is made of steel", a marketing strategy that is also quite risky. Patek Philippe's current president, Terry Stern, recalled: "When my father (former president Philip Stern) started this piece, everyone told him he was crazy, why do you put such a beautiful movement in a steel case"
However, even if they were not optimistic at the beginning, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe still insisted on producing these two watches designed by Zunda, and continued to iterate, and finally ushered in the day of "true fragrance".
When enough time has been used to settle, the octagonal border of the imperial oak, the exposed screw bezel, the one-piece strap, the futuristic style... All make this watch look different.
People have also gradually discovered that the Nautilus is both versatile and stylish, whether it is commuting to work, vacation sports, or pairing with dinner dresses. At that time, there was also an advertising slogan saying that it could be worn with both a wetsuit and a tuxedo, which was highly recognizable.
Terry Stern said: "Some designs are always good – like the Aston Martin DB5 in a car – and it's always beautiful. I think the same goes for the Nautilus. But it's not because we pushed it, but because customers really like this watch." The credit goes to Zunda.
The list of celebrities who love The Royal Oak and the Nautilus is endless. Like Zunda's good friend, juan carlos I, the old king of Spain, he wore a black imperial oak specially customized for him.
Nowadays, the difficulty of these two watches is also notorious. Kevin O'Leary, a $400 million Canadian billion billion man, once lined up for 8 years to buy a piece of Nautilus 5711/1A, and couldn't help but cry when he got the watch.
Now Patek Philippe simply stopped production of 5711, the reason is because it is too hot.
In an interview in 2019, Patek Philippe President Terry Stern said that Patek Philippe did not want to be seen as a brand that produced sports steel watches, "strictly controlled the production of steel watches, do not want them to dominate the entire series." ”
Before I wanted to buy Boy A of 5712A, I later retreated to buy another 5726, and I waited for half a year to get it, and now he can't buy this piece...
From not being optimistic to being difficult to find, there is a pioneering design of Zunda, and it is inseparable from the persistence and follow-up of the brand. It can be said that the success of Royal Oak and Nautilus is also the mutual achievement of the brand and Zunda.
Self-reliant portal
Aesthetically unique, the creation of the eponymous brand
In Zunda's watchmaking career, in addition to the Royal Oak and Nautilus, he also designed classic works for many brands, many of which are still popular styles. However, even if it is a "design ghost", there is no guarantee that the style will explode, and he has twice created a brand, which is also tepid.
☞ Other classic designs
Zunda's aesthetic is very recognizable, with a one-piece case, a very geometric bezel, a rugged exposed screw... All let people see the "kinship" between different watches at a glance.
Zunda's four masterpieces in the 1970s:
Royal Oak, Nautilus, Engineers of all nations and Seiko Credor
The 1976 IwC Engineer INGENIEUR SL 1832 is also considered a masterpiece of Zunda, and there is even a saying that it is called the "Zunda Trilogy" together with the Royal Oak Nautilus.
The Engineer Series was born in 1955, and by the 1970s, Wanguo had followed the situation and asked Zunda to redesign it. Large gauge diameter, 5 exposed screws, masculine, a look to know the hand of self-esteem.
Zunda later said in an interview, "Exposing the screw, which was previously hidden, marks an innovation, just like today's underwear is very bold."
However, the engineer series that is still on sale has become more retro and rounded, and models such as IW323904, which inherit the screw exposed wind, have been discontinued.
Bulgari's Bvlgari-Bvlgari collection also came into his own hands, and he was inspired by the appearance of ancient Roman coins with inscriptions surrounding statues of emperors.
He later continued the design on the bezel, repeating the brand name twice. At first many people thought the design was crude, but it turned out that this style was recognized in the market.
Now Bvlgari-Bvlgari is also one of bulgari's many classic styles, and in the process of development, the details are constantly changing.
Cartha Pasha de Cartier, which has been in the limelight recently, has also historically been involved in Zunda.
This watch was first designed by Louis Cartier for The Pasha of Marrakech in the 1930s. Later, Cartier commissioned Zunda to redesign the watch, which was launched in 1985, laying the foundation for the modern model.
The outer circle and inner square design, both atmospheric and just the right harmonious beauty, he also retained the brand's key features, notably vendome lugs and blue sapphires.
☞ Start your own brand
Zunda has twice transformed from designer to boss, and in 1969 founded his own eponymous brand Gérald Genta, no longer having to accommodate the needs of Party A, to achieve "design freedom".
Many works were also subversive designs in those days, such as this Grande Sonnerie, which was once the most complex watch in the world.
After 5 years of research and development, it contains more than 1,000 parts, combining Westminster four hammers, perpetual calendar, dual power reserve display and other functions, and there is also a tourbillon device, which is said to be priced at about $2 million at that time.
After creating the brand, Zunda also opened its own private customization business. Clients include the King of Morocco, the Sultan of Oman, the Sultan of Brunei, the King of Spain, the King of Saudi Arabia, the Queen Of England and other members of the royal family and celebrities.
In the design of this auction, there is a custom piece from a collector in Hong Kong, China, with a dragon theme, with jump time and reverse jump minute functions.
With his imagination in full swing, he also got the authorization of Disney to print Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck on the dial, and when the 60 minutes came, the minute hand reversal action was like swinging the club, which was quite interesting.
Zunda's Mickey Mouse series is very popular in Hong Kong, China, and when Hong Kong returned to The Motherland in 1997, Zunda also customized a commemorative series for customers, and the Mickey Mouse waved the national flag and the district flag on the dial, which was very cute. On the day of their return, he and his wife witnessed this historic moment in their hotel in Kowloon.
There is also an anecdote about Zunda and Disney, once a CEO of a large Swiss watchmaking company said to him, "Mr. Zunda, you don't want to do this, it is not very decent for the Swiss watch industry", and Zunda was very unhappy and hit back: "How dare you criticize Walt Disney".
In fact, the Gérald Genta brand watches are remarkable from the perspective of craftsmanship and creativity, and they are also very collectible at auction, but they are still relatively niche, and they have not reached the popularity of nautilus and royal oak.
In 1998, Zunda sold Gérald Genta, which was taken over by Singapore-based watch shop The Hour Glass, but financial difficulties led the company to sell the brand and design to Bulgari two years later.
Like bulgari's Octo series now, it is particularly "Zunda", which is very recognizable in design.
Later, Zunda launched a new brand, Gérald Charles, but the higher pricing caused a lot of controversy in the market and was still very niche. The brand suspended activities after Zunda's death in 2011 and did not resume production until 2020.
Taste life
An artistic life beyond the watch
Although Zunda has designed quite a few watches, he has always said that he is an artist, and he only designs watches because Geneva, where he lives, happens to be a city of watches, and if he were in Paris, he would have designed fashion.
He usually does not like to wear watches, once said in an interview: "Watches are the opposite of freedom, I am an artist, a painter, I hate to be bound by time, it makes me feel bored." ”
But Zunda was not a hermit, but rather willing to work for wealthy patrons, from Japanese entrepreneurs to Sultans of Southeast Asia to Arab princes.
But Zunda was also very personable, and his partner recalled that once he received a call from a sultan who said directly, "I'm sorry, I can't talk to you right now, because I'm working on a painting, please call me again in the evening, Your Majesty."
The success of the watch design not only allowed Zunda to be associated with high society, but also brought him wealth.
Jean-Claude Biver, the former president of LVMH's watch department, whom Fan had previously written, remembers, "Zunda was always dressed very elegantly, in a classical Italian style. He drove a Ferrari in 1980, and not many people in the watch industry dared to do that."
Zunda's dream car is Ferrari Daytona, who once said that if he had one, he would never drive out, but would just put it there and watch it. Because he believes that the car is a work of art that should not be driven, but only appreciated. He even designed a clock with Ferrari as an element, which was very interesting.
Zunda in life is also very exquisite. He would always carry a pair of small scissors with him to trim his distinctive beard. He always had his beard tilted upwards to look like he was smiling.
Outside of the watchmaking world, Zunda has designed hundreds of exquisite objects. From belt buckles to cutlery, from gold scales to music boxes, it is very interesting to live. Even the glasses he wears are of his own design.
In his later years, Zunda devoted a lot of time to painting, not only watches, but also self-portraits, the painting style was also very abstract, always with a lot of colors, leaving 4200 paintings after his death.
Artists like Miró, Picasso, Paul Cézanne, and Anish Kapoor were all artists whom Zunda admired and gave him a lot of inspiration. Great creations sometimes come from contradictions, but in fact, art has also inspired Zunda to create many watches to some extent.
Finally, let's talk about Zunda's love life.
His wife Evelyn Zunda, a Native of Monaco, met at a dinner party in Monte Carlo, when Zunda's first words when she saw her were "The watch you wear is ugly, the ear is not perfectly balanced", so angry that Evelyn took the watch directly into her pocket.
Later, this watch was washed in the laundry room, and after hearing about it, Zunda sent a watch to her, and as a result, Evelyn was not angry and returned directly. One after the other, the two people came together.
Evelyn is also a very strong woman, having worked for the luxury hotel and resort group SBM Monte-Carlo. After her marriage, she was responsible for the commercial promotion of the Gérald Genta brand, managed two factories in Switzerland, and developed new markets in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
What many people don't know is that Mrs. Zunda is also Monaco's ambassador to britain, and frederick, the son of the two, is the country's chief digital officer in Monaco.
After Zunda's death, Evelyn founded the Jerro Zunda Heritage Society, and she said that in her 33 years of marriage to Zunda, the most common words she heard every day were "Evelyn, come and see this new design, what do you think?".
Perhaps it was Zunda's love of creation that made her determined to preserve and pass on his designs.
Well, the story about Master Zunda is here today, what do you think about his design, welcome to discuss it in the comment area~