Olivia Palermo and Gerald Charles CEO in conversation

Key Highlights

• Olivia Palermo and GERALD CHARLES CEO Federico Ziviani met at a SoHo event co-hosted by Hodinkee and Watches of Switzerland.
• The event marked the U.S. debut of GERALD CHARLES‘ latest creations following their presentation at Watches and Wonders.
• Palermo wore the GERALD CHARLES Maestro Openwork — noted by Ziviani as a potential first for a female wearer of the piece.
• The Maestro Openwork was a milestone 40th birthday gift chosen by Palermo herself, who cited the colour of the gold as a particular draw.
• Palermo articulated her philosophy on collecting: that daily wear, design appreciation, and craftsmanship are what give a watch lasting personal value.

A Meeting of Style and Horology in SoHo

When two distinct worlds — contemporary style and serious horological culture — converge in the same room, the result tends to be more revealing than either a runway moment or a watch fair press release. That was the spirit of the gathering in SoHo, where Hodinkee and Watches of Switzerland co-hosted an intimate event celebrating the American market debut of GERALD CHARLES’ newest pieces. The setting placed collectors, industry insiders, and tastemakers in the same conversation, and the exchange between fashion entrepreneur Olivia Palermo and GERALD CHARLES CEO Federico Ziviani became its defining moment.

The timing of the event was deliberate. GERALD CHARLES had presented its latest creations at Watches and Wonders earlier in the year, and this SoHo gathering served as the formal introduction of those pieces to the American audience. Choosing partners like Hodinkee — an influential voice in enthusiast watch culture — and Watches of Switzerland signals a considered approach to how the Geneva-based independent reaches collectors beyond Europe. For luxury-watch followers in the GCC who track independent Swiss brands, this U.S. momentum is worth noting as an indicator of the brand’s expanding global footprint.

GERALD CHARLES occupies a distinctive position in independent Swiss watchmaking: a house that pursues technical complexity with a consistently refined aesthetic sensibility. The brand’s presence at major international fairs, combined with targeted retail partnerships in key markets, reflects a deliberate strategy of selective distribution that resonates strongly with discerning collectors. The SoHo event reinforced that positioning — intimate, editorial, and anchored in genuine conversation rather than product spectacle.

The GERALD CHARLES Maestro Openwork

The centrepiece of the evening, at least as far as the conversation between Palermo and Ziviani was concerned, was the GERALD CHARLES Maestro Openwork. Ziviani observed that Palermo may well be the first woman to wear the piece, a distinction she accepted with characteristic ease. The Maestro Openwork’s architecture — with its skeletonised dial offering a view into the movement beneath — represents a technically ambitious direction for the brand, and Palermo’s choice to wear it speaks to how the piece crosses the traditional boundary between instrument and adornment.

Palermo was direct about what drew her to it: the colour of the gold. It is a detail that says something meaningful about how serious collectors actually engage with watches. While technical specifications and complications matter to enthusiasts, the visual and tactile qualities of a piece — its warmth, its weight on the wrist, the interplay of light across an open dial — are often what seal a lasting relationship between wearer and watch. For those exploring the Masterlink Gem-Set Limited Edition and other gem-forward expressions from GERALD CHARLES, Palermo’s instinct toward colour and material is a familiar lens.

On Collecting Watches: Palermo’s Perspective

What made Palermo’s contribution to the evening more than a celebrity endorsement was the clarity of her collecting philosophy. She framed the Maestro Openwork not as an acquisition driven by trend but as a milestone gift — a marker for her 40th birthday and, implicitly, a piece chosen to endure. That framing aligns closely with how the most committed watch collectors in the GCC and beyond approach significant purchases: not as accessories that rotate with seasons, but as objects that accumulate meaning through daily presence.

Her point about falling more and more in love with a watch over time is one that resonates across watch culture. The architecture of a great timepiece — particularly one with an open dial that rewards close attention — reveals itself gradually. Craftsmanship and quality, as she put it, are not marketing phrases but the actual reason a watch earns daily wear. For collectors in Dubai, Riyadh, or Doha who approach fine watchmaking with the same seriousness they bring to fine jewellery, that sentiment captures precisely why independent houses like GERALD CHARLES command loyalty beyond their market size.

Palermo also made a point of noting her preference for doing things with her own touch — a reminder that personal conviction, rather than external validation, is what defines a considered collection. Wearing what may be the first Maestro Openwork on a woman’s wrist is not a performative gesture; it is an extension of a collecting identity that values the unexpected and the deeply personal. Explore the full range of GERALD CHARLES creations on the official GERALD CHARLES website.

Why It Matters

For GCC collectors and luxury-watch enthusiasts who follow independent Swiss watchmaking, the conversation between Palermo and Ziviani offers a rare, unscripted window into how a brand like GERALD CHARLES positions itself at the intersection of horological substance and contemporary cultural relevance. The U.S. debut event, the Maestro Openwork, and Palermo’s articulate collecting philosophy together make a compelling case for why this Geneva house continues to attract a discerning global audience. It is precisely the kind of brand story — built on craftsmanship, quiet confidence, and genuine personal engagement — that resonates with the collector culture across the Gulf region.

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