Every year a big swanky event happens in Geneva, which hands out awards to various wristwatches of the past year. It’s called the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (or the GPHG for short), and you can think of it as the horological Oscars. As ever, we took a crack at guessing some of the winners, and we got a few right and others very wrong indeed, a bit like last year. This year was the first time Bulgari won the Aguille d’Or, the grand prize of the show, which adds them to the below list of Aiguille d’Or winners since the GPHG began:
F.P. Journe – 3
Greubel Forsey – 2
Patek Philippe – 2
Vacheron Constantin – 2
A. Lange & Söhne – 1
Audemars Piguet – 1
Bovet – 1
Breguet – 1
Bulgari – 1
Chopard – 1
De Bethune – 1
Ferdinand Berthoud – 1
Girard Perregaux – 1
Piaget – 1
Richard Mille – 1
TAG Heuer – 1
Below is the list of winners, some categories we didn’t guess on as they’re awarded at the jury’s discretion and don’t have to be awarded at all. These won’t have anything after the winner’s name.
Men’s
GPHG description: men’s watches comprising the following indications only – hours, minutes, seconds, simple date (day of the month), power reserve, classic moon phases – and potentially adorned with a maximum 5-carat gemsetting.
Winner: Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours Caliber 9SA5 (called it)
Men’s complication
GPHG description: men’s watches that are remarkable in terms of their mechanical creativity and complexity. These watches may feature all kinds of classic and/or innovative complications and indications (e.g. worldtime, dual-time or other types of model) and do not fit the definition of the Men’s and Mechanical Exception categories.
Winner: MB&F LMX Titanium (called it)
Ladies’
GPHG description: women’s watches comprising the following indications only: hours, minutes, seconds, simple date (day of the month), power reserve, classic moon phases; may be adorned with a maximum 8-carat gemsetting.
Winner: Piaget Limelight Gala Precious Rainbow (missed it)
Ladies’ complication
GPHG description: women’s watches that are remarkable in terms of their mechanical creativity and complexity. These watches may feature all kinds of classic and/or innovative complications and indications (e.g. annual calendar, perpetual calendar, equation of time, complex moon phases, digital or retrograde time display, worldtime, second time zone or other types of model) and do not fit the definition of the Ladies’ and Mechanical Exception categories.
Winner: Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Féerie Watch (missed it)
Iconic
GPHG description: men’s or ladies’ watches from an emblematic collection that has been exercising a lasting influence on watchmaking history and the watch market for more than 25 years.
Winner: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin (missed it)
Tourbillon
GPHG description: men’s mechanical watches comprising at least one tourbillon. Additional indications and/or complications are admissible.
Winner: De Bethune DB Kind of Two Tourbillon (missed it)
Calendar & Astronomy
GPHG description: men’s mechanical watches comprising at least one calendar and/or astronomical complication (e.g. date, annual calendar, perpetual calendar, equation of time, complex moon phases display, etc.). Additional indications and/or complications are admissible.
Winner: Christiaan Van Der Klaauw CVDK Planetarium Eise Eisinga (missed it)
Chronograph
GPHG description: mechanical watches comprising at least one chronograph indication. Additional indications and/or complications are admissible.
Winner: Zenith Chronomaster Sport (missed it)
Diver’s
GPHG description: watches linked to the world of diving, whose functions, materials and design are suited to this activity.
Winner: Louis Vuitton Tambour Street Diver Skyline Blue (missed it)
Jewellery
GPHG description: watches demonstrating exceptional mastery of the art of jewellery and gemsetting, and also distinguished by the choice of stones.
Winner: Chopard Flower Power (called it)
“Petite Aiguille”
GPHG description: watches with a retail price between CHF 3,500 and CHF 10,000. Smartwatches are admissible in this category.
Winner: Tudor Black Bay Ceramic (missed it)
Challenge
GPHG description: watches with a retail price equal to or under CHF 3,500. Smartwatches are admissible in this category.
Winner: CIGA Design Blue Planet (missed it)
Artistic Crafts
GPHG description: watches demonstrating exceptional mastery of one or several artistic techniques such as enamelling, lacquering, engraving, guilloché (engine-turning), skeleton-working, etc.
Winner: MB&F LM SE Eddy Jaquet ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’ (missed it)
Mechanical Exception
GPHG description: watches featuring a special mechanism, such as an innovative or sophisticated display, an automaton, a striking or any other acoustic function, a special escapement, a belt-driven movement or any other original and/or exceptional horological concept.
Winner: Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic (missed it)
Horological Revelation
GPHG description: This prize rewards a competing watch created by a young brand (less than ten years of existence since its first model was commercialised). It may also reward the mechanical creation of a young talent, in the event that none of the competing watches should be considered worthy of receiving this prize. This prize is discretionary, the Jury will decide whether there are grounds for awarding it in 2021.
Winner: Furlan Marri MR. Grey Ref. 1041-A
Audacity
GPHG description: This prize rewards the best competing watch featuring a non-conformist, offbeat approach to watchmaking. It is intended to foster creative audacity. This prize is discretionary, the Jury will decide whether there are grounds for awarding it in 2021.
Winner: Louis Vuitton Tambour Carpe Diem
Special Jury
GPHG description: This prize rewards a personality, institution or initiative that has played a fundamental role in promoting high-quality watchmaking. It cannot be awarded to a watch, nor to a brand as such. This prize is discretionary, the Jury will decide whether there are grounds for awarding it in 2021.
Winner: Dubai Watch Week
Innovation
GPHG description: This prize rewards the best competing watch offering an innovative vision of time measurement (in terms of technique, design, materials, etc.) and opening up new development pathways for the watchmaking art. This prize is discretionary, the Jury will decide whether there are grounds for awarding it in 2021.
Winner: Bernhard Lederer Central Impulse Chronometer
“Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix
GPHG description: This prize rewards the best overall watch among all categories (Best in Show), also deemed the most representative of the watch industry as a whole. It is the most prestigious award.
Winner: Bulgari Octo Finissimo (missed it)
Well, out of 15 categories, I managed to get three right, so I don’t think I’ll be playing the Lottery tonight. Anyway, this concludes our coverage of the GPHG for 2021. What do you think deserved to win? Let us know in the comments section!
