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Gerald Charles Masterlink Silver 38mm Mens Watch Silver
Ref. ML1.0-A-18
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Stepping up in Gerald Charles's range
Gerald Charles is a small independent house, and the Masterlink is its centrepiece argument: that a sports watch rated to 100 metres can be built at 7.99mm across the case — flat enough to disappear beneath a shirt cuff without ceremony. Most watches built for water have to make compromises with bulk; this one refuses to. The asymmetric cushion case carries a gentle outward curve at six o'clock — the house's signature — while the upper half reads squarer and more architectural. The integrated bracelet picks up both registers, mirroring the curve at the bottom link and the harder geometry above, so the whole piece reads as a single resolved object rather than a case with a bracelet attached. The sunburst silver dial is striated with vertical lines that shift under raking light, and the applied markers are substantial enough to read clearly without fighting the texture beneath them. The movement that makes the slim profile possible comes from Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier, one of the better movement houses in Switzerland, where it was developed exclusively for Gerald Charles. At 2.67mm thick, the GCA 5401 uses a micro-rotor rather than a full-sized oscillating weight — the sensible trade for the case height — and the anthracite bridges finished with Côtes de Genève stripes are visible through the open sapphire caseback.
- Reference
- ML1.0-A-18
- Brand
- Gerald Charles
- Case size
- 38mm
- Case thickness
- 7.99mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Square
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Unidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- GCA 5401
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 50 hours
Learn more about Gerald Charles
Gérald Charles Genta designed the two watches that defined the luxury sports category — the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in 1972 and the Patek Philippe Nautilus in 1976 — along with work for Omega, IWC, Bulgari and others. He was called the Picasso of watches, and he was not especially modest about it.
He founded his first eponymous company in 1969 and sold it to The Hour Glass in 1996. In 2000, at sixty-nine, he started again with Gerald Charles, using his first and middle names.
This was the brand he made for himself rather than for a client, and the Maestro case shows it: deliberately asymmetric, with the right side of the bezel curved differently from the left, so that it sits against the wrist rather than sitting squarely on it. No brief from a manufacture would have survived that decision.
Genta died in 2011. The company remains independent and family-owned, run by the Ziviani family, producing the Maestro in small numbers.
- 1972
- Genta designs the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.
- 1976
- Designs the Patek Philippe Nautilus.
- 1996
- Sells his first eponymous company.
- 2000
- Founds Gerald Charles.
- 2011
- Genta dies; the family-owned company continues.
Also in 4 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (2,814), Automatic Watches (1,546), Silver Dial Watches (622) and Rectangular & Square Watches (381).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- 38mm suits most wrists
- 7.99mm is unusually slim for a 38mm case
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Gerald Charles Masterlink Silver alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | ML1.0-A-18 | PdD s Salmon | pfc914-1020001-100182 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £23,160 | £24,000 | £23,800 |
| Case size | 38mm | 38.5mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 120m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 50 hours | 60 hours | 48 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched |
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 50 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 38mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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