Gérald Genta Brings Golden Obsidian to the Geneva Minute Repeater

Gérald Genta’s Geneva Minute Repeater is getting a warmer, more mineral-driven character for 2026.

After last year’s black onyx edition, the new Golden Obsidian version keeps the same compact acoustic architecture but changes the entire mood of the watch through a naturally textured volcanic glass dial.

It’s still a very serious minute repeater, just with a dial that feels less formal and more elemental.

At a glance

A volcanic glass dial with a different temperament

The major change here is the dial, which moves from the deep polish of black onyx to the more granular shimmer of golden obsidian.

Obsidian is naturally formed volcanic glass, most often seen in black, while golden obsidian owes its tone and optical character to internal irregularities such as micro gas bubbles and particulates.

Those natural inclusions matter on a watch like this because they make every dial subtly different.

Rather than treating the dial as a flat decorative surface, Gérald Genta is using the material to give each example its own mineral fingerprint.

Yellow gold chosen for sound as well as appearance

The 40mm cushion-shaped case remains in 3N yellow gold, a material chosen not just for warmth but for its acoustic qualities.

Minute repeaters live or die by how they sound, and case material plays a meaningful role in how the hammers and gongs project their chime.

At 9.6mm thick, the case is notably slender for a minute repeater, especially one with a display back and a full chiming mechanism inside.

Central lugs connect the case to a brown calfskin leather strap, keeping the profile tidy and letting the cushion form do most of the visual work.

A golden obsidian cabochon set into the crown ties the dial material back into the case without overworking the theme.

The GG-002 movement remains the main event

Inside is the Gérald Genta calibre GG-002, a manufacture manual-winding minute repeater movement with an 80-hour power reserve.

That reserve is especially notable because a minute repeater demands real energy to activate its hammer and gong mechanism.

The movement is visible through the caseback, with the hammers positioned around 2 o’clock when viewed from the rear and the gongs tracing the outer edge of the display.

It’s a layout that gives the owner a clear view of the complication rather than hiding the drama under traditional finishing alone.

Details & Specifications

The Golden Obsidian edition doesn’t try to reinvent the Geneva Minute Repeater, and that’s part of its appeal.

It takes a refined chiming watch with a strong technical base and gives it a dial with more geological texture, more variation and a less predictable presence on the wrist.