The Bracelet Maker Behind Every Iconic Watch

If you’re a vintage watch collector, you’ve probably heard the name Gay Frères. The famed manufacturer produced bracelets for the likes of Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Rolex, who ultimately acquired Gay Frères in 1998. Even before wristwatches became popular, Gay Frères was renowned as a chainiste: a maker of pocket watch chains.

They were masters of their metalworking domain, creating elaborate pieces of jewelry out of precious metals and steel alike. This background gave them a massive head start on the bracelet-making industry, particularly when steel became the status quo. As a result, Gay Frères was the go-to manufacturer for some of the most iconic watch bracelets in history. Today, we’ll be looking at the big 3, with a few honorable mentions.

The Rolex Oyster Bracelet

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Before the Oyster bracelet, there was the Bonklip bracelet (above, left). This expandable interlocking design was seen across the watch industry in the early 20th century, and Rolex was no exception. The brand utilized one manufacturer for Bonklip bracelets: Gay Frères. This relationship continued into the 1940s when Rolex developed and patented their Oyster bracelet, released in 1948. From rivets to folded links to the solid links of today, Gay Frères stood alongside Rolex during the Oyster bracelet's evolution: what's arguably the most iconic watch bracelet of all time. This partnership is approaching its 100-year anniversary.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Bracelet

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By the 1970s, Gay Frères operated the largest factory in Geneva. They were a powerhouse not only in the domain of watch bracelet manufacturing, but jewelry. Their ability to create both elegant and utilitarian products was (and still is) remarkable. We can’t talk about elegance and utility without mentioning the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, designed by Gerald Gente: a watch referred to by Jean-Claude Biver as “the first true disruption” in the watch industry.

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As an integrated bracelet watch, much of the Royal Oak’s allure lay in its bracelet. As you may have guessed by now, Audemars Piguet turned to Gay Frères when producing the stainless steel Royal Oak bracelet. Materializing Gente’s integrated designs was no easy task: Gay Frères was the perfect candidate, and boy, did they deliver.

At launch, the Royal Oak was limited to just 1,000 pieces. This “A-series” sold out in just over one year: a success at the time that would now be considered a huge flop. Once it was relaunched as a permanent catalog item and iterated upon with smaller sizes, precious metals, and eventually complications, the Royal Oak saw monumental success. 

The Patek Philippe Nautilus Bracelet

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A few years after Audemars Piguet released the Royal Oak, Patek Philippe released the Nautilus (much to the dismay of Audemars Piguet). As you can imagine, their choice of bracelet manufacturer was an obvious one. Gay Frères had already produced a Gente-designed integrated bracelet. However, despite their similarities, these watches and their bracelets have some key differences.

Unlike the decidedly industrial design of the Royal Oak, the Nautilus leans more elegant with its polished center links and rounded edges. As Jean-Claude Biver tells it, Gente imagined the Nautilus as an evolution in time of the Royal Oak: if you leave a Royal Oak on the beach for 10,000 years, it will become a Nautilus. Regardless of what Gente thought or said about his designs, their bracelets were, at the time, incredibly difficult to manufacture in steel. Nevertheless, Gay Frères knocked the Nautilus bracelet out of the park, as they did the Royal Oak.

Final Thoughts and Honorable Mentions

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While the aforementioned bracelets are the most iconic, not just in Gay Frères’ portfolio but the watch industry at large (with some exceptions, obviously *cough* Jubilee *cough*), they are not the extent of Gay Frères creations. The manufacturer also made the beads-of-rice bracelet — yes, the first beads-of-rice bracelet. They also made the very funky and lovable Zenith “ladder” bracelet, which recently made its debut in carbon fiber. Had you heard of Gay Frères before this article? Let us know in the comments below.

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