Historil Perspectiv: Gay Frèr, Much More Than A Simple Manufacturer Of Watch Bracelets - Hodkee

Contents:

• HISTORIL PERSPECTIV GAY FRèR, MUCH MORE THAN A SIMPLE MANUFACTURER OF WATCH BRACELETS
• GAY FRèR – THE BRACELET BROTHERS
• WTB GAY ER BEADS OF RICE FOR HER RRERA 1553
• GAY FRER
• THE SUCCS STORY OF THE MANUFACTURER GAY FRèR
• GAY FRER JEWELRY

HISTORIL PERSPECTIV GAY FRèR, MUCH MORE THAN A SIMPLE MANUFACTURER OF WATCH BRACELETS

Intertgly, the trend towards stals steel s the 1930s allowed Gay Frèr to prosper as this metal is nsirably harr to craft than gold, and therefore requir a lot of specialized craftsmanship, fely one doma where Gay Frèr had special expertise. When the foc of certa manufacturers shifted toward creatg chronographs and other profsnal watch the 1960s and 1970s, Gay Frèr opted for new signs, and prented pani such as Her wh a beads-of-rice bracelet flanked wh Oyster-like fold lks.

Gay Frèr was ed born a chaiste, the French word for a pany that manufactur chas for pocket watch (and margally for jewelry, a trend om the 16th century that eventually me back three centuri later and culmated wh the fashn of the pendifs the 1920s).

GAY FRèR – THE BRACELET BROTHERS

While prec necklac and bracelets ma a natural extensn, Gay Frèr also offered the other classil jewelry ems cludg rgs, one even featurg the ram that n be found on the clasp of s watch bracelets. A look at the yearly talogs om the prtig exhibn Montr Et Bijoux Genève is extremely revealg: Gay Frèr always exhibed some sophistited necklac and ornate bracelets, and never any of the more "mon" watch bracelets that was manufacturg mass quanti at the time (for that was attendg the Basel tra show). In talkg wh prev Gay Frèr employe now craftg impossibly th bracelets for Piaget, we got to disver that was the jewelry piec which had shaped their skills and allowed them to e up wh more advanced watch bracelets afterwards.

This jewelry appears much ls at ctn, at least wh the Gay Frèr provenance highlighted, probably bee is ls distctive than the bracelets wh their strikg GF markgs (the other known mark is the number 32 drawn a key). Yet, our opn they would be as tertg a tch as any rare watch bracelet, bee they tell so much about how Gay Frèr beme the preement maker of watch bracelets the 20th century, highlightg aga a lk between jewelry and watch that is too often ignored.

WTB GAY ER BEADS OF RICE FOR HER RRERA 1553

This utilarian bracelet n be seen as an early eratn of the Oyster bracelet, which was signed by Gay Frèr wh Rolex and is still today one of both brands’ (Rolex and GF) most inic and endurg creatns. At the same time we have orred all the versns of morn beads-of-rice bracelets available on the market (6 different manufactur om EU, Japan, HK and US), refully tted and pared them lk-to-lk and clasp-to-clasp to origal beads-of-rice Gay Frèr bracelets.

In fact, by 1976, fay-owned Gay Frèr, n by the brothers Jacqu-Hubert et Jean-Franis Gay, the bracelet maker was Geneva’s largt and most profsnalized factory, wh more than 500 specialists their employ. Some of the most tertg and ventive signs the outer orb of horology, have manifted themselv the form of bracelets, om the classic ‘40s Gay Frèr beads of rice, to the ever-reliable Oyster om Rolex. After the Bonklip and the Oyster, Gay Frèr began to form relatnships wh other big watchmakg ho Swzerland, like Vacheron Constant and Patek Philippe, who were based jt around the rner om them Geneva.

Creatg bracelets om solid piec of steel, tak a lot longer wh specialised knowledge, that means n be hard to fd top qualy, solid steel vtage bracelets, unls they e om a prtig hoe such as Gay Frèr. Though produced by numero pani over the years, the beads of rice bracelet is perhaps most closely associated wh famed bracelet manufacturer Gay Frer, who supplied them to both Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constant the 1940s and 1950s both stals steel and prec metals. Although built specifilly for the Aumars Piguet Royal Oak, this steel bracelet (origally veloped wh sign put by Gay Frer) has sce bee an in s own right (the Patek Philippe Ntil, lnched four years after the Royal Oak, featur a siar tegrated sign, as both watch were signed by well-known watch signer Gerald Genta).

GAY FRER

Another Gay Frer sign that was offered on the Zenh El Primero begng 1969, this bracelet featur spac between the fold lks that give the appearance of a ladr; though may also have been an optn on other Zenh signs, is most often associated wh this mol, and vtage exampl are difficult to e by. The Bamboo (or Bonklip) bracelet was Gay Frer’ first of many big hs the was a bracelet which provid both great fort and durabily, somethg of paramount importance to those who utilised watch as tools on a profsnal and daily basis. In fact, an huge number of pani followed Gay Frer’ lead, and the Bamboo bracelet beme the go-to accsory for the typ of creatn massively creased Gay Frer’ exposure, motivatg them to ramp up productn and troduce a larger variety and selectn of bracelets, each more sophistited than the other.

THE SUCCS STORY OF THE MANUFACTURER GAY FRèR

In orr to plement the sporty nature and reliabily of the profsnal watch, Rolex need to be them wh a high-qualy and durable, they turned to – you gused – long-time partner Gay Frer for help.

GAY FRER JEWELRY

Another unniable in when to Gay Frer and watch bracelets general is the “Beads of Rice” style, aptly named after the shap of s of the key featur and talkg pots of the Beads of Rice bracelet is s versatily and wearabily, that you n pair wh a sports watch and ’ll feel and look right at home, jt as would if you wore wh a drs watch: you really n’t go wrong wh . Jt to emphasize the value of this type of bracelet: the steel Patek Philippe 1518 that was ctned by Phillips 2016 for a rerd-shatterg 11, 000, 000 CHF, was equipped wh none other than a Gay Frer Beads of Rice bracelet.