The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) is the watch industry’s version of the Oscars – highlighting the most significant timepieces from the past 12 months. The awards are split across 15 categories, celebrating areas such as men’s and women’s watches, time-only models, complications, jewellery designs and the Challenge Award for watches with a retail price under CHF 3,000.
The nominated watches are shortlisted by a panel of nearly 1,000 industry experts, and a jury of 30 Academy members chooses the final winners.
This week, the final 90 shortlisted watches were announced. You can view the finalists on the GHPG website, but I thought I’d run through some of my favourites.
Starting from the beginning, I tend to find the Ladies’ category a little boring, but I’m always excited to see what the industry can come up with regard to a Ladies’ Complication. Not a new complication, but my favourite is the Fabergé Compliquée Butterfly Blooms Sincere Platinum Jubilee Edition. For many years I’ve been a fan of their Peacock automaton pieces which this piece takes inspiration from. The wings of the butterfly expand with each minute and retract again when they reach 60 minutes. The hours can be read from a pretty mother-of-pearl ring on the outside of the dial.
Moving on to the Time Only category, I’ve picked out the Berneron Mirage Sienna as my favourite. More than just an asymmetrical case, the movement is also asymmetrical, yet the watch is balanced in its design. It evokes feelings of fun and elegance and I love the full gold dial.
For me, there are no real stand-out pieces from the Men’s and Men’s Complications categories. They are all equally impressive in their design, and I’m sure if I were able to spend time with each of them, I’d be able to choose some favourites.
That takes us on to the Iconic category. For this, I am a little undecided. I would always say that the Breitling Navitimer is one of the most iconic watches ever. My first job in the watch industry was at Breitling and I wore a Navitimer Montbrillant for many years. However, this particular green-dial Cosmonaute isn’t my favourite version of the Navitimer. So, I would probably choose the Piaget Polo 79 from the shortlist. It’s gold, it’s bold, but there’s no doubt that it is an iconic design, now updated with Piaget’s ultra-thin 1200P1 automatic movement.
Perhaps controversially, I’m not a fan of a tourbillon, so I’d choose the Voutilainen Tourbillon 20th Anniversary. For the ultimate flex, the tourbillon is tucked away on the back of the movement, allowing the wearer to fully appreciate that gorgeous textured dial.
The Calendar and Astronomy and Mechanical Exception categories probably need us to delve a little deeper than we have time for today. The mechanics that go into these pieces are truly mind-blowing and I expect the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar to pick up a prize. However, from a design point of view, I do love the Moser Endeavour Chinese Calendar.
Parmigiani Fleurier have watches in both the Chronograph and Sport categories and I think deserve a shout-out. Having spent time with the Tondagraph GT (available in our shop), I can agree that it truly is a wonderful luxury sports chronograph!
Again, there are some fantastic watches in the Jewellery and Artistic Crafts categories, but from an initial glance, none that I’d pick out over the others.
Lastly, we have the Challenge category which I think is such a great thing to include alongside all of the eye-wateringly expensive pieces. To squeeze great design, quality materials and reliable watchmaking into a CHF 3,000 watch is no easy task and I would happily wear any of the nominated watches. The Christopher Ward C1 Moonphase is a beautiful watch, with its over-sized moon display. But I think my favourite is the Kollokium Projekt 01. Kollokium, describe themselves as a “Project Platform” and the watch as “a work of neubrutalism. Structural, graphic and transhumanist at its core, it opens up new possibilities in watch design while remaining wearable and lowkey from a distance.” The 3D dial is created to look like a pixelated image, set with 468 individually hand-applied cylindrical indexes, and the effect is very cool.
The awards will take place on Thursday 13th November in Geneva. A night of glitz and glamour, and a true celebration of watchmaking. Who do you think will be the final 15 winners?
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