Return of Gérald Genta's Mickey Mouse Watches

A legendary cartoon character is reunited with a legendary watch brand.

In November 2019, a Gérald Genta Fantasy Retro Mickey Mouse from 1995 was sold for USD 8,750 at the Sotheby's auction in Dubai, more than double the lower pre-sale estimate of USD 4,000. A yellow-gold version of the model went under the hammer at the same auction for USD 8,125.

These models were equipped with automatic movements. Gérald Genta's line also included similar quartz wristwatches, such as the Ref. 3622 with the same mother-of-pearl dial and an identical drawing of Mickey Mouse.

Genta introduced his first watch depicting the Disney cartoon character after he was granted a licence from the Animation Studios in 1984. Cartoon characters officially became a part of the line in Genta's own brand after he received a number of private orders.

The creator behind Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus combined his favorite complication — the retrograde minute hand — with cartoon characters Mickey, his girlfriend Minnie, Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck and Goofy.

The minute hands are precisely what make many of the watches released by the watchmaker's own brand stand out, founded by Genta back in 1969. The crème de la crème of today's watch industry are now more likely to turn to science fiction (e.g. Urwerk) or comics (e.g. Audemars Piguet) for their inspiration.

Cartoons are left to more affordable brands. Iconic cartoon characters with special status are an important exception. They include the likes of Snoopy, with his links to NASA and Omega, and Mickey Mouse of course, who marked his 90th birthday in 2018.

From January next year, auction houses will no longer be the only places where you can find Mickey Mouse watches with Genta's recognizable design. The new version of the model is the Gérald Genta Arena Retro Mickey Mouse Disney.

It'll be sold for EUR 16,500 at launch through Bvlgari's online store and boutiques, the luxury company which acquired the Gérald Genta brand in 2000. Genta's ideas have gradually been making a comeback.

In 2019, Bvlgari re-released the Arena Bi-Retro watch in platinum for the brand's 50th anniversary, followed by another titanium model in the Arena collection one year later. It looks like Bvlgari has serious plans for reviving the Gérald Genta brand.

If nothing else, the company's new watch depicting a smiling Mickey Mouse was accompanied by an announcement that a new website was being developed for fans of the Gérald Genta brand.

The new Gérald Genta Arena Retrograde Mickey Mouse Disney revealed during the Geneva Watch Days will be limited to 150 pieces. The model's case measures 41 mm, which is noticeably larger than Genta's historical models.

It's made of polished stainless steel and houses an automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve. The brand has yet to make details of the movement's specifications available. A rhodium-plated dial will be Mickey Mouse's new home.

As always, Mickey will point the minutes on a retrograde scale running in an arc on the upper half of the dial. The jumping digital hour display which had been positioned at 6 o'clock on original models in the past is now located at 5 o'clock.