Gerald Charles Unveils Its Most Complex Timepiece, The Masterlink Perpetual Calendar

Gerald Charles, the independent Swiss watchmaking Maison founded by the great Mr. Gérald Charles Genta, unveils its most complicated watch since its reestablishment less than a decade ago. The Masterlink Perpetual Calendar, developed entirely in-house, marks a new chapter for the young and ambitious Maison as it continues to expand its repertoire of poetic complications.

In keeping with Gerald Charles’s “No Compromise” watchmaking philosophy, established by Mr. Genta more than a quarter of a century ago, the Masterlink Perpetual Calendar introduces an in-house, asymmetrical, automatic perpetual calendar calibre with a three-counter display.

Glossary

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Glossary
Flyback Chronograph

Flyback Chronograph

A flyback chronograph is a specific type of chronograph (a watch with a built-in stopwatch function) that has a unique feature. You can reset the stopwatch to zero and immediately restart it with a single push of a button while the chronograph is still running. This is useful in situations where timing must be quickly restarted, like in aviation or motor racing.

The term "flyback" comes from the visual action of the chronograph's second hand "flying back" to zero instantly. This feature requires a more complicated mechanical design, and thus flyback chronographs are often more expensive than standard chronograph watches.

In a regular chronograph, if you want to restart the stopwatch function, you have to stop the chronograph, reset it to zero, and then start it again. This is a three-step process usually requiring three pushes of buttons on the watch: one to stop, one to reset, and one to start again.

Flyback chronographs were originally developed for use in aviation, where pilots needed to make multiple rapid calculations and measurements. The ability to quickly reset and start the timer without the need for multiple pushes was crucial in these high-speed environments.