[citation needed] At age 20, Genta finished jewellery and goldsmith training in Switzerland, earning his Swiss Federal Diploma.

[citation needed] The Shadows contained a micro-rotor, unisonic and accutron movement, the latter two a result of the quartz crisis starting in the late 1960s.

[citation needed] Genta's work with Universal would be a precursor to future collaborations with other brands in Switzerland and throughout Europe, including Omega's Constellation (1959); Patek Philippe's Golden Ellipse (1968).

In 1976, Patek Philippe introduced the Nautilus collection, designed by Genta, after deciding it was time to produce an exclusive sport watch with finishes of the highest quality.

[10] The Nautilus was released by Patek Philippe during the quartz crisis in the hope that it would help re-attract people's attention to high-end Swiss mechanical watches.

[9] The Nautilus collection played a key role in Patek Philippe's overall marketing strategy as it had to refresh the brand image while perpetuating tradition.

[15] Due to its large size and an impressive case diameter of 40 mm, which was particularly unique for its time, the Ingenieur SL was soon known among watch aficionados as the “Jumbo”.

[16] Gerald Genta created the Ingenieur SL during the quartz crisis,[17] a challenging period for IWC and the entire watch industry.

[19] The watch’s integrated H-link bracelet, structured dial and, above all, the screw-on bezel with five recesses became the Ingenieur SL’s trademark features.

[22] For private requests, Genta hand-designed the movements, dials and cases of his timepieces and employed limited or no external assistance, outsourcing or mechanization during the process; it was not unusual for a single watch to take up to 5 years to complete.

[27] After his eponymous company, trade marks, patents and designs were acquired by Bulgari in 2000, Genta resigned and created a new venture called Gerald Charles.

The association created the yearly Gérald Genta Prize in order to reward "the young talented designers and the high potentials of watchmaking".