A Brief History of Gay Frèr: Bracelet Kg | Bob's Watch Rolex Blog

Contents:

• HISTORIL PERSPECTIV GAY FRèR, MUCH MORE THAN A SIMPLE MANUFACTURER OF WATCH BRACELETS
• A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAY FRèR
• GAY FRèR – THE BRACELET BROTHERS
• GAY FRèR — THE MOST IMPACTFUL PARTS SUPPLIER OF ALL?
• THE SUCCS STORY OF THE MANUFACTURER GAY FRèR
• GAY FRER
• GAY FRER 18K GOLD BRICK BRACELET, 1960S
• GAY FRèR : L’ART & LA MANIèRE NCEVOIR S BRACELETS ACIER

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

Today, we vtigate what is undoubtedly the most famo bracelet maker, Gay Frèr, only to disver that the story go far beyond 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.

But the brilliance of Gay Frèr was unrstandg the very fe nuanc that distguish a bracelet that pairs well wh a drs watch om one that pairs well wh a sports watch. 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.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAY FRèR

This date shows that Gay Frèr was not a wristwatch bracelet manufacturer om the start, given that wristwatch were non-existent the first part of the 19th century. In fact, Gay Frèr never really fed self solely as a maker of bracelets, nor do today, now that belongs to Rolex (which acquired 1998). 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.

The 1967 llectn om Gay Frèr is very Gilbert Albert spir, another signer who ma the nnectn between jewelry and wristwatch for Patek Philippe and Omega. 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. Found 1835 by Jean-Pierre Gay and Gaspard Tissot, Gay Frèr origally specialized the productn of handma, gold chas for e wh pocket watch and other var jewelry-related applitns. Throughout much of the 20th century, Gay Frèr played a major role wh the wristwatch dtry as one of s largt and most highly regard bracelet manufacturers.

GAY FRèR — THE MOST IMPACTFUL PARTS SUPPLIER OF ALL?

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.

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.

THE SUCCS STORY OF THE MANUFACTURER GAY FRèR

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.

The story of Gay Frèr begs 1835 when, arguably, the world’s most important watch bracelet manufacturer was found by Jean-Pierre Gay and Gaspard Tissot.

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. But watch bracelets weren’t always the brand’s most important output; jewellery has always been an important tramark of Gay Frèr and pecially very plex piec prec metals.

GAY FRER

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.

Gay Frèr’ technil aptu, which had honed through s high-end jewellery manufacturg, posned as the go-to manufacturer for plex bracelets. Like Forstner's Rivet bracelet, the Ladr bracelet was origally ma ( several different nfiguratns) by distguished bracelet manufacturer Gay Frèr the mid-to-late twentieth century.

GAY FRER 18K GOLD BRICK BRACELET, 1960S

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.

Gay Frer produced numero versns of the bracelet, cludg more supple versns for plited or drs watch and distctly sportier versns for racg and pilot’s watch om the lik of Her.

GAY FRèR : L’ART & LA MANIèRE NCEVOIR S BRACELETS ACIER

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). 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. In dog so, Gay Frèr veloped great know-how and artistry advanced crafts and techniqu (prec) metals, beg equal parts mass producer and artisanal specialist.

Zenh, eager to highlight the revolutnary new El Primero movement wh a distctive look, hired teemed third party bracelet manufacturer Gay Frèr to create a one of a kd new style for the watch and the famo “ladr bracelet” was born. While the 50th anniversary may be over, wh the troductn of this Gay Frèr bracelet, Zenh shows no signs of stoppg support for the A384 2020. This bs partnership proved to be ccial for the manufacturer, as many other watchmakers quickly regnized the unique nature of Gay Frèr‘ bracelets.

From the 1940’s onward, Gay Frèr supplied virtually all the major watch brands, cludg Vacheron Constant, Patek Philippe, Aumars Piguet and Zenh.