BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Every year the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) sees a selection of the finest watches from the past year get judged by a panel, the purpose of the competition is, as ever, purely a bit of fun. But, it is an important place for small brands to get their names heard. Names such as Bovet, Ferdinand Berthoud and Greubel Forsey have all won the grand prize, the Aiguille d’Or, and their industry influences expanded. Undeterred by the ongoing pandemic, the GPHG jury has released the complete list of this year’s nominees for each category. One of these watches will be awarded the Aiguille d’Or, but we won’t find out what that is until the awards ceremony on the 4th of November. We’ve selected what we think will win in each category, but we want to hear what you have to say. Let us know in the Disqus comments section!
Men’s
Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours Caliber 9SA5 (our choice)
H. Moser & Cie Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade
Hermès H08
Louis Erard La Semaine Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein (read our review here)
MB&F LM101 Stainless Steel
Piaget Polo Skeleton
Men’s complication
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph
Breitling Premier B15 Duograph 42
Bulgari Octo Roma Worldtimer
Chanel Monsieur. Superleggera Edition
Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25
MB&F LMX Titanium (our choice)
Ladies’
Armin Strom Lady Beat Manufacture Edition White (our choice)
Bovet Miss Audrey Sweet Art
Chanel Mademoiselle J12 Acte II watch
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda Sélène Rose Gold White Mop 33 mm
Piaget Limelight Gala Precious Rainbow
Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra secret pendant watch
Ladies’ complication
Bovet Récital 23
Chopard L.U.C Flying T Twin Ladies (our choice)
Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time Air Vivienne
Montres KF KF-09-01
Piaget Altiplano Tourbillon
Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Féerie watch
Tourbillon
ArtyA Purity Tourbillon
Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph
De Bethune DB Kind of Two Tourbillon
Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges – Aston Martin Edition
IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition “IWC Racing”
Louis Moinet Space Revolution (our choice)
Iconic
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin
Grand Seiko Re-creation of the first Grand Seiko
IWC Big Pilot’s Watch 43
Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925
Vacheron Constantin American 1921 (our choice)
Zenith Chronomaster Revival A386 Manufacture
Calendar & Astronomy
Arnold & Son Luna Magna
Breitling Premier B25 Datora 42 (our choice)
Bulgari Octo Finissimo
Christiaan Van Der Klaauw CVDK Planetarium Eise Eisinga
IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Top Gun Edition “Mojave Desert”
Konstantin Chaykin Minotaur
Chronograph
Angelus U30 Black Tourbillon, Flyback and Split-second Chronograph (our choice, although the Zenith will probably win)
Breitling Premier B09 Chronograph 40
IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Tribute to 3705”
Louis Erard Le Chrono Monopoussoir Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein
Tudor Black Bay Chrono Chronomaster Sport
Zenith Chronomaster Sport
Diver’s
Doxa SUB 300 carbon COSC Aquamarine
Louis Vuitton Tambour Street Diver Skyline Blue
Milus Archimèdes by Milus – Orange Coral (our choice)
Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 41.5 mm
Reservoir Hydrosphere Bronze “The Greg Lecoeur Edition”
Ulysse Nardin Diver X Skeleton
Jewellery
Bulgari Serpenti Barocko
Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Bouton décor Byzantin
Chopard Flower Power (our choice)
Hermès Kelly Joaillerie
Piaget Exquisite Moments watch
Van Cleef & Arpels Ludo secret watch
Artistic Crafts
ANDERSEN Genève Jumping Hours 40th Anniversary in Platinum (our choice)
Bulgari Bvlgari Divas Dream Peacock Collection
Hermès Arceau Toucan de Paradis
Louis Vuitton Tambour Carpe Diem
MB&F LM SE Eddy Jaquet ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’
Voutilainen Duluth Bridge
Mechanical Exception
Bernhard Lederer Central Impulse Chronometer (our choice)
Christophe Claret Napoleon
Jacob & Co. Opera Godfather Minute Repeater
Miki Eleta Svernir
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic
Ulysse Nardin UFO
“Petite Aiguille”
Breitling Top Time Deus Limited Edition
Garrick S4 (our choice)
Louis Erard Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Vianney Halter
Seiko Re-creation of King Seiko KSK
Trilobe Nuit Fantastique, Grained Black
Tudor Black Bay Ceramic
Challenge
anOrdain Model 1 – Payne’s grey fumé (our choice)
CIGA Design Blue Planet
Doxa SUB 200 C-GRAPH Caribbean
Furlan Merri MR. Grey Ref. 1041-A
Massena Lab Uni-Racer
Oris Oris Divers Sixty-Five Cotton Candy
That’s the list, folks. Our choice for the Aiguille d’Or this year is Bernhard Lederer’s Central Impulse Chronometer, which is a fantastic watch that I attempted to explain in an article last year.
To find out more about the GPHG, click here, and to see the rules for the competitors, click here.
