BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
This year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (the Oscars for watches) took place earlier this year. It’s a ceremony designed to celebrate the finest of watchmaking as chosen by a panel of experts. This year’s panel is quite the lineup, including Felix Baumgartner (Urwerk), George Bamford (Bamford Watch Department), Jean-Claude Biver (many), Denis Flageollet (DeBethune) and many more. They’re joined by Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari, which won the Aiguille d’Or, an honour bestowed to the chief executive of the firm, which won the previous year’s GPHG awards. This year they’ve chosen MB&F’s amazing Legacy Machine Sequential Evo as the grand prize winner, so we can now add MB&F to the list of Aiguille d’Or winners:
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
MB&F – 1
Piaget – 1
Richard Mille – 1
TAG Heuer – 1
The competition categories stay quite consistent with some exceptions, and there are usually “Special Jury Prizes” which don’t have a specific nomination category but are discretionary and recognise achievement.
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: Atelier AKRIVIA Chronomètre Contemporain II
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: Hermès Arceau le Temps Voyageur
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: Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Automatic
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: Hermès Arceau le Temps Voyageur
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: TAG Heuer Monaco X Gulf
Tourbillon
GPHG description: men’s mechanical watches comprising at least one tourbillon. Additional indications and/or complications are admissible.
Winner: H. Moser & Cie Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton
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: Krayon Anywhere
Chronograph
GPHG description: mechanical watches comprising at least one chronograph indication. Additional indications and/or complications are admissible.
Winner: Grönefeld 1941 Grönograaf Tantalum
Diver’s
GPHG description: watches linked to the world of diving, whose functions, materials and design are suited to this activity.
Winner: Tudor Pelagos FXD
Jewellery
GPHG description: watches demonstrating exceptional mastery of the art of jewellery and gemsetting, and also distinguished by the choice of stones.
Winner: Bulgari Serpenti Misteriosi High Jewellery
“Petite Aiguille”
GPHG description: watches with a retail price between CHF 3,500 and CHF 10,000. Smartwatches are admissible in this category.
Winner: Trilobe Nuit Fantastique Dune Edition
Challenge
GPHG description: watches with a retail price equal to or under CHF 3,500. Smartwatches are admissible in this category.
Winner: M.A.D. Editions M.A.D.1 Red
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: Voutilainen Ji-Ku
Mechanical Clock
GPHG description: Mechanical time-measuring instruments, such as longcase clocks or table clocks. Wristwatches are not allowed in this category.
Winner: Van Cleef & Arpels Fontaine Aux Oiseaux automaton
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 featuring another original and/or exceptional horological concept.
Winner: Ferdinand Berthoud FB 2RSM.2-1
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 2022.
Winner: Sylvain Pinaud Origine
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 2022.
Winner: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra 10th Anniversary
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 2022.
Winner: Francois Junod (designer and builder of automata)
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 2022.
Winner: Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Heures Florales Cerisier
Chronometry
GPHG Description: This prize rewards the best competing timepiece that stands out for its remarkable precision timekeeping performance (special escapement or distinctive regulating device) and which is officially certified (ISO 3159 standards) by an inspection authority such as the COSC, TIMELAB, Besançon Observatory, etc. This prize is discretionary, and the Jury will decide whether there are grounds for awarding it in 2022.
Winner: Grand Seiko Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon
“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: MB&F Legacy Machine Sequential Evo
What are your thoughts on the winners? Did you guess the right? Let us know in the comments!
