Jul 30, 2026 – 5.00amTwo of the most admired and covetable watches of all time – Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus – were designed in the 1970s by Gérald Genta. A one-man revolution, Genta also designed watches for companies ranging from Bulgari to IWC – and upmarket Japanese brand Credor.However, the Japanese weren’t allowed to reveal its creator. Credor’s parent, Seiko, had flooded the market with quartz watches, bringing the Swiss mechanical watch industry to its knees. That Geneva-born Genta was fraternising with the enemy would have been seen as treasonous.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Matthew DrummondAFR Magazine editorMatthew Drummond edits AFR Magazine, our premium monthly inserted magazine that covers business, politics, fashion, design, food and wine, and is home to the Rich List, Young Rich List and the Power lists.Fetching latest articles