【F】 Gay Frèr — The Most Impactful Parts Supplier Of All?

Contents:

• A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAY FRèR
• GAY FRèR – THE BRACELET BROTHERS
• HISTORIL PERSPECTIV GAY FRèR, MUCH MORE THAN A SIMPLE MANUFACTURER OF WATCH BRACELETS
• GAY FRèR A VERY RARE YELLOW GOLD ROLEX PRINT BRACELET MA BY GAY FRER, CRI 1968
• GAY FRèR — THE MOST IMPACTFUL PARTS SUPPLIER OF ALL?
• THE SUCCS STORY OF THE MANUFACTURER GAY FRèR
• GAY FRER
• GAY FRER BRACELET

A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAY FRèR

There were other pani that manufactured metal bracelets for wristwatch; however the novative signs of Gay Frèr, along wh the pany’s nsistently strong build, qualy and craftsmanship, earned them the dtry’s top spot. Stals steel is signifintly harr and more difficult to shape than gold, and nsequently requir a level of expertise craftsmanship that only a few pani at the time (other than Gay Frèr) would have been able to supply, let alone manufacture on a large sle.

GAY FRèR – THE BRACELET BROTHERS

Due to their unrivaled expertise and experience manufacturg watch bracelets om stals steel, Aumars Piguet approached Gay Frèr for the tegrated bracelet on their now-inic Royal Oak. Four years later, Patek Philippe also reached out to Gay Frèr; however this time was for help wh the bracelet on their newly-signed petor to Aumars Piguet’s Royal Oak: the Ntil. While was Gay Frèr that manufactured the very firsts metal bracelets for Rolex durg the 1930s, thgs would ultimately e full circle for the legendary bracelet maker 1998, when Rolex purchased the historic pany as part of an ongog effort to acquire past suppliers and vertilly tegrate all aspects of their productn procs.

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

Possibly the most imprsive feature about Gay Frèr was the pany’s abily to produce a seemgly endls variety of wonrful and distct bracelet signs that would perfectly pliment an impossibly diverse range of wristwatch. Throughout their long and illtr history, Gay Frèr manufactured bracelets for everythg om nservatively signed drs watch of the 1950s, to chunky and overtly sporty chronographs om the 1970s. 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 Oyster-like fold lks.

GAY FRèR A VERY RARE YELLOW GOLD ROLEX PRINT BRACELET MA BY GAY FRER, CRI 1968

They weren’t brothers but the bs remaed a strong fay ncern throughout s lifetime and was fact beg n by scendants of Jean-Pierre, brothers Jacqu-Hubert and Jean-Franis Gay durg the 1970s.

Whilst the horology-foced aspects are what make Gay Frèr (GF) as famo as they are, the artisan jewellery that they ma the 1960s and 70s is some of the most sought after by llectors. 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.

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.

GAY FRèR — THE MOST IMPACTFUL PARTS SUPPLIER OF ALL?

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. Still fay-owned, 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. 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).

THE SUCCS STORY OF THE MANUFACTURER GAY FRèR

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.

GAY FRER

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).

GAY FRER BRACELET

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.

Gay Frèr ma Rolex’s first oyster bracelets, however, the bracelets were ially not offered as a standard optn Rolex’s own talogs, partly bee they were, at the time a stly addn to the watch which most people didn’t prrize. Wh nickel-fished lever movement, 15 jewels, the silvered enge-turned dial wh Arabic numerals, blued steel open square hands, subsidary sends, octagonal se wh led bezel, screw back and screw down crown, together wh an 18k gold Gay Frèr mh bracelet, se, dial and movement signed. Startg: $9, 000Gay FrèrA VERY RARE YELLOW GOLD ROLEX PRESIDENT BRACELET MADE BY GAY FRERES, CIRCA 1968Material: 18k yellow goldClosure: foldg claspSize: approximately 165 mmSigned: bracelet signed Rolex and stamped Gay FrerAccsori: none18k yellow gold Rolex Print bracelet wh foldg claspArguably the world’s most important watch bracelet manufacturer, Gay Frèr was found by Jean-Pierre Gay and Gaspard Tissot 1835.