Key Highlights
- The 24th Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève celebrated the pinnacle of watchmaking, with 57 brands competing for top honors. IWC Schaffhausen secured the coveted “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix for its groundbreaking Portugieser Eternal Calendar. For official announcements and updates about the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, you can visit the event’s official website or follow their verified social media channels, where detailed news about the grand prix, award winners, and highlights are regularly posted.
- IWC Schaffhausen secured the coveted “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix for its groundbreaking Portugieser Eternal Calendar.
- Van Cleef & Arpels dominated several categories, winning the Ladies’, Ladies’ Complication, and Artistic Crafts prizes.
- New awards for Eco-Innovation, Audacity, and Chronometry highlighted the industry’s evolving priorities.
- The Special Jury Prize was awarded to the legendary watch case maker Jean-Pierre Hagmann for his fundamental role in the industry.
- Emerging and independent brands like Otsuka Lotec and Kudoke received major recognition in their respective categories.
Introduction
The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) is the biggest event in the watch industry. People often call it the “Oscars of watchmaking.” Each year, the top watch brands and talented makers come together for this event. They show off their best work to the world.
The grand prix is a night when all in the watch industry celebrate. Watches that do something new or show strong skill in making and design get honored here. The 2024 grand prix brought the best of the grand prix d’horlogerie de Genève together. The top brands and creators in the industry were there to recognize the best watches of this year and to give the prizes to the ones with the most talent and new ideas.
The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève Awards: Overview and Importance
Every year, there is an international group of experts who look closely at many types of watches. They judge each watch to find the best. To win a Grand Prix award is a big deal. It lifts a brand to a top level and shows it stands out from the rest. This is important in a field where many try hard to be the best. Winning means the brand is great at making creative, exact, and beautiful watches.
Next, let’s look at how the Grand Prix began and why it is so well respected in the world of watchmaking.
Origins and History of the GPHG
The GPHG was set up to honor the strong roots and fresh new ideas in the history of Swiss watchmaking. Now in its 24th year, the event is known as a major part of the industry. It helps show why the craft is marked out as a UNESCO intangible heritage. The GPHG President, Raymond Loretan, said it is a “visionary industry and craft, an infinite quest for beauty while staying true to centuries-old tradition.”
From the start, the grand prix d’horlogerie has wanted to build a feeling of good competition and friendship between watchmakers. It lets big companies and smaller, independent watchmakers get global praise. Every year, people who make, collect, or love watches all get together in Geneva for the grand prix. It is a special time that brings everyone closer through their love of great timepieces.
The awards at the grand prix have changed over the years, too. New categories were added to fit with how the business is growing and shifting. Now, prizes like the Eco-Innovation and Audacity awards help show that the grand prix wants to give value to progress in every way, including caring for the environment, and bold new styles of design, along with a deep respect for watchmaking history.
The Prestige of the Awards in the Watchmaking World
In the watchmaking world, getting a GPHG award is not just about the trophy. It is seen as a big sign of prestige. If a timepiece wins, it shows that the watch has reached exceptional mastery, noticed by the top people in the industry. This award is trusted and can make a big difference to collectors, people who sell watches, and all watch fans.
When a watch brand wins a GPHG award, it has a strong effect on its reputation. For established brands, it proves they stay at the top and still lead with new ideas and remarkable precision timekeeping performance. For new brands, it can push them up, bringing them into the spotlight across the globe.
The respect for this award comes from its fairness and the experts who make the choices. A careful judging system and a jury of skilled and diverse members make sure that only the best get picked. Because of this integrity, the GPHG is seen by many as the top judge for artistic and technical private watches. The timepieces they choose aren’t just tools but true pieces of art in the watchmaking world.
How the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève Selects Finalists
The selection committees have a fundamental role at the start. They check each entry closely to see if they meet tough rules. This first check gives a list of top timepieces. These then go to the final jury for one last review. Next, you will get to see what it takes to enter and find out what each jury must do.
Nomination Process and Entry Criteria
The journey to becoming a GPHG winner starts with getting a nomination. In this process, brands put forward their most innovative and well-crafted watches to be looked at. There are entry criteria for each of the 15 categories. These rules make sure the nominated watches are compared with their direct peers. This way, each competing timepiece is placed in the right spot for judging. The rules clearly say what makes a watch right for a certain prize.
For example, the Men’s watch group has some very clear guidelines. A competing timepiece for this spot must have:
- Only hours, minutes, seconds, a simple date (day of the month), a power reserve indication, or classic moon phases.
- It can have a digital or retrograde display.
- A limit of 9-carat gem setting.
These criteria make sure the nominated watches in this lineup do not mix with harder categories. In the same way, the Iconic category is for watches from an emblematic collection that has shaped the watch market for over 20 years. This careful framework means every watch chosen to compete will be a good fit and a real contender.
Roles of the Jury and Selection Committees
The GPHG awards depend a lot on the people in the jury and the selection committee. The selection committee looks at all the watches that are sent in first. They make sure each one meets the rules before they pick the final list of watches for the contest. This group is made up of experts who help choose the best watches of the year. They give the jury a group of top choices to look at.
The last jury has about 30 experts from different countries. These people really know a lot about watches. There are historians, writers, journalists, watch collectors, and heads of companies in this group. Nick Foulkes, the jury president, and Ilaria Resta, the CEO of Audemars Piguet, are some of them. All the points of view in this group and their knowledge help them judge each watch well and fairly.
Along with choosing the main winners, the jury can give out special prizes too. These include the Audacity Prize for new or bold design, and the Horological Revelation Prize, which is for a young brand. The prestigious Special Jury Prize honors someone or a group who plays a fundamental role in helping high-quality watchmaking get noticed.
Main Categories Featured at the GPHG Awards
The categories include watches for women and men. Some categories focus on very technical tricks, such as the special escapement or a chronograph. Some awards are for beautiful work with jewelry and other artistic skills. Let’s take a closer look at the top categories, like classic watches and complicated timepieces, to see what helps a watch become a winner in them.
Classic Timepieces
Classic timepieces stand out because of their timeless look and style. They follow old watchmaking rules and keep things simple. This year, the Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Silver won the Calendar and Astronomy prize. The jury said it showed “classic elements and the soberness of classical pieces.” This means the watch feels the way classic watches should, and the design is very well done.
The watch brings the first lunar feature from laurent ferrier. This shows the brand’s skill for adding new ideas to old styles. The dial is balanced and offers classic moon phases. The look is simple but has a quiet beauty that many people like. When the laurent ferrier classic moon won, it showed that even though there were many other fancy choices, a good, classic look still gets noticed.
It was clear people liked familiar looks this time, even with tough competition. Some watches had new ways to show the calendar, but the Classic Moon Silver mixed old skills with a nice design. That helped it win. It proves that the classic moon phases and careful style from laurent ferrier are still important in the watch world today.
Complicated Watches and Tourbillons
The categories for complex watches and tourbillons are where the craft of watchmaking really stands out. In these, you will find some of the most advanced features in all of watchmaking, like a perpetual calendar, a tourbillon, or world time settings. This year, there was a lot of strong competition because many amazing watches were trying for the top spot.
The Tourbillon Watch Prize went to the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription. This watch was noticed for its fresh take on the first Daniel Roth design. It has:
- A new look for the bridges and a power reserve that lasts longer.
- A beautiful yellow gold dial that is hand-decorated.
- Its case design and lugs shape, which curve a bit downward, make it fit well on the wrist.
The Men’s Complication Prize was given to the De Bethune DB Kind of Grande Complication. This watch shows what De Bethune can do with their seven different complications, including a perpetual calendar, a moonphase made as a sphere, and a fast, 30-second tourbillon. Both of these winners show how the right mix of technical skill and style can make a true masterpiece in horology.
The Coveted “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix Prize
At the top of the GPHG awards is the “Aiguille d’Or,” which means “Golden Hand.” This is the grand prize of the event. It is given to the best competing timepiece of the year. No other award is as high as this one. The winner is chosen as the best in every way, from new ideas in how the watch works to its looks and design.
Taking home the Aiguille d’Or is the biggest honor in the watchmaking industry. It shows you have reached true greatness. This year, the jury gave the grand prize to a watch that pushes the limits of how complex a mechanical watch can be. Now, let’s look at what the Aiguille d’Or means and remember some watches that have taken this top honor.
Meaning and Significance of the Aiguille d’Or
The Aiguille d’Or is more than just a grand prize. It shows the top of watchmaking skill each year. This “Golden Hand” award is given to the watch that not only does well in its group, but also makes a big difference in the art and science of making watches. Winning it means this watch is the most new, special, and well-made one of the year.
The meaning of the Aiguille d’Or is in how it picks one watch as the very best out of hundreds at the grand prix d’horlogerie. The jury at the grand prix chooses a single watch that stands out for its remarkable precision timekeeping performance, strong mechanics, and nice look. Their choice shows what they all think is the highest point in watchmaking.
Getting this grand prize right away puts the watch into a higher place in watchmaking history and gives huge respect to the person or team behind it. It makes the brand one people look up to in the world of aiguille d and watchmaking, and it makes sure the winning watch will be talked about for years for its big part in the field.
Memorable Winners of the Best-in-Show Award
The list of Aiguille d’Or winners is a chronicle of modern watchmaking’s greatest hits. Each recipient is a timepiece that pushed boundaries and captured the imagination of the jury. This year, IWC Schaffhausen took home the grand prize for its Portugieser Eternal Calendar, a watch lauded for its exceptional mastery of complex calendar functions.
Last year, the top honor went to Audemars Piguet, highlighting how the industry’s most respected brands consistently compete for this ultimate recognition. While the retail price of these masterpieces is often secondary to their horological significance, they represent the pinnacle of luxury and craftsmanship. The competition for the Aiguille d’Or is always intense, with each best competing timepiece representing a monumental achievement.
Here is a look at the two most recent winners of this prestigious award:
| Year | Winning Timepiece | Key Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar | A secular perpetual calendar with a 400-year gear and a moon phase accurate to 45 million years. |
| 2023 | Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4 | A highly complex watch featuring 23 complications, including a grande sonnerie and perpetual calendar. |
Winners of the Latest Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève Awards
The night was hosted by actress Carole Bouquet from France. She announced the winners who show where watchmaking is going right now. There was talk about technical changes, beautiful handicraft, and classic looks. IWC Schaffhausen took home the most awards and came out as the big winner of the grand prix. Still, other brands got their time to shine with their own amazing watches. Here is a close look at who got the top honors and which brands made a big splash at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève this year.
Top Honors Across All Categories
While the Aiguille d’Or is the top award at the event, to win any of the big categories at the GPHG is still a big deal. This year, the main prizes went to many brands that did well in their own part of the watchmaking industry. The awards showed off not just classic looks, but also skilled work and creative designs.
Van Cleef & Arpels had a great night. The brand took home three big prizes by showing its talent in both skills for women’s watches and artistic work. Bovet 1822 won for its smart watchmaking ideas. The jury also gave praise to independent watchmakers such as Kari Voutilainen and Sylvain Pinaud, as they work hard to keep up high standards in the watch world.
These wins show that the event’s judges value both big ideas and careful work. Many different names got prizes, from famous brands to small studios. This proves how lively and wide-ranging the watchmaking industry is now. You can find creative work and strong quality throughout, whether it is from big names or small ones.
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Noteworthy Brands and Models Among the Winners
This year’s GPHG showed the best from many watch brands. Some names were called again and again to get their awards. Van Cleef & Arpels led the night, winning in both high jewelry and for its creative watch designs. IWC Schaffhausen also had a big night. It took home the top prize for the Portugieser Eternal Calendar and showed how skilled it is with watchmaking.
Independent brands left their mark at the event as well. Laurent Ferrier did well in the Calendar and Astronomy group by winning with its Classic Moon Silver, showing how much people still love classic looks. H. Moser & Cie. also got noticed. It won the Time Only award with the good-looking Streamliner watch. The show included many luxury watch brands, but some just stood out because they kept winning or had some great new ideas.
Here are some of the regular winners from the night:
- IWC Schaffhausen: Took home the Aiguille d’Or for the Portugieser Eternal Calendar.
- Van Cleef & Arpels: Won in three areas — the Ladies’, Ladies’ Complication, and Artistic Crafts groups.
- Laurent Ferrier: Won the Calendar and Astronomy award for the Classic Moon Silver.
- Christopher Ward: Nominated in the Challenge category, showing the brand can offer quality at a friendly price.
Other brands such as H. Moser & Cie., as well as Van Cleef & Ar
Spotlight on Major Category Winners
Beyond the main prizes, the GPHG also gives awards to the best in many parts of watchmaking. The big groups, like Ladies’, Men’s, Sports, and Challenge, often get the most attention. These have the best watch for things you see and use each day or watches made for special uses. The awards are given to watches that work well and look great too.
This year, the winners came from both famous makers and new names. Each winner had its own special style in what they made. From the creative features in ladies’ watches to strong, useful sports models, these pieces showed what the best watch looks like in each class. Now, let’s check out the top choices in these important groups.
Ladies’ and Ladies’ Complication Watch Prizes
Van Cleef & Arpels showed its strength in making watches for women with two big wins. The brand got the Ladies’ Watch Prize for the Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Jour Nuit. This watch has a diamond-covered moon and a golden sun that move across a shining blue sky over a day. The judges said it is a “tiny theatre that changes its set like a parade of poetic ambiences.”
The company also won the Ladies’ Complication prize for the Lady Arpels Brise d’Été. This watch not only works well but also looks beautiful. It honors nature. When you press a button, butterflies made of enamel move, and flowers gently sway. The watch mixes together different ways of coloring and setting stones, so it looks like a dream that blends fine craft with art.
These two wins with the Arpels Lady Jour Nuit and Lady Arpels Brise d’Été show that van cleef & arpels can mix skilled work with stories that touch people. They make watches that are both amazing in how they work and full of magic in their look and feel.
Men’s, Sports, and Challenge Watch Prizes
The Men’s Watch Prize went to Voutilainen’s KV20i Reversed. The jury said this watch has fine mechanics in the small things and a finish that is truly special. This shows that people still like handmade, classic watches made by Kari Voutilainen.
For the Sports Watch, MING’s 37.09 Bluefin won the award. The jury called it an original watch with a simple look that uses many shades of blue. The watch also stands out because it has a new design and can handle water up to 600m. The “Petite Aiguille” prize was given to Kudoke 3 Salmon. This watch was picked for the creative way it shows time and fits the price range of CHF 3,000 to CHF 10,000.
At the end, Otsuka Lotec’s No.6 took home the Challenge prize for watches that cost under CHF 3,000. Here is a list of some other winners in these groups:
- Men’s Watch: Voutilainen KV20i Reversed
- Iconic Watch: piaget polo 79
- Sports Watch: MING 37.09 Bluefin
Jewelry, Artistic Crafts, and Iconic Watch Prizes
This includes the bright shine of high-jewelry watches and the careful work on hand-carved watch faces. These awards go to watches that are more than tools—they are real works of art. Let’s look at the watches that caught the jury’s eye with their unique design and impressive craftsmanship.
Design Excellence in High-Jewelry Watches
The Jewelry Watch Prize honors watches that bring together the art of watchmaking with the best in jewelry craft. This year, Chopard’s Laguna High-Jewelry Secret Watch won the award. The jury said this beautiful watch made them think of faraway beaches because of its bright colors and the glowing pearl.
This secret watch shows Chopard’s skill in both making watches and high-end jewelry. The watch hides the time behind a seashell design. It is made from ethical pink gold and colored titanium. The watch is set with bright sapphires, topazes, emeralds, and garnets. Finding and placing all these stones takes great skill and a lot of work.
The greatest part of the watch is a lovely natural pearl that weighs 1.63 carats. You will find it hidden under the cover of the dial. It took the team over 1,000 hours to finish this watch. The final result is a wonderful piece that mixes richness with a creative look. This is why the watch is a true winner in a group known for its stunning designs.
Unique Artistic Craftsmanship Among Finalists
The Artistic Crafts Prize goes to watches that show exceptional mastery in skills like enameling, engraving, or working with skeleton parts. This year, the clear winner was the Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté. This watch stood out because it has an amazing three-dimensional dial. On it, there is a fairy picking flowers in a garden filled with sunlight.
The Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté is well-known for its unique style and rare artistic techniques. The way the watch looks so deep is very special. This effect comes from small layered sculptures and the use of different enameling methods on parts that are curved or hollow. The people who judged the contest talked a lot about how the watchmaker managed to create the look of dew on clear leaves. This detail was seen as a true sign of skill.
You can see the careful craftsmanship in every part:
- A female figure made from white gold with wings crafted out of pearly plique-à-jour enamel.
- Flowers shine with yellow sapphires and façonné enamel, which is a 3D method developed by Van Cleef & Arpels.
- Leaves made of white gold and plique-à-jour enamel, letting light pass through and giving the dial a glowing effect.
Mechanical Exception and Calendar/Astronomy Awards
At the heart of watchmaking is the drive to make the best mechanical watches. The GPHG highlights this with two main award groups: Mechanical Exception and Calendar/Astronomy. These awards are given to watches that show fresh ideas in how the parts work or a deep skill in making difficult calendar or astronomy features. The winners in these groups are often the most clever and learning-heavy watches of the year.
This year’s event had a lot of smart ideas. One watch can track global daylight saving time with its moving parts. Another has a calendar that is more right than any before it. Now, let’s look at what made these watches stand out and win in these very skilled groups.
Groundbreaking Mechanical Innovations
The Mechanical Exception prize is given to watches that have a special and new mechanism not seen in traditional watches. This year, Bovet 1822 Récital 28 Prowess 1 took the top spot. The jury said it is a “world first” because it fixes a problem many travellers have with daylight saving time. The watch is the first to use a mechanical way to show DST in all 24 time zones.
The team spent five years, from the start to the finish, building this watch. It works with 24 rollers that turn and show time zones. With the press of a pusher, the rollers change to show DST or standard time, depending on the city. The way it works is a new step for the watch industry. It perfectly brings together the look and the inner parts to solve a problem people face now.
Along with its world-time feature, the watch also has a perpetual calendar and a flying tourbillon, all made with rollers. The whole piece includes 744 components. That is a large number, and it shows how the watch is a true mechanical exception where smart design and complexity help make both a useful and beautiful watch for the watch industry.
Remarkable Achievements in Calendar and Astronomy
The Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize gives recognition to timepieces that do an amazing job tracking how planets and stars move. This year, the winner was the Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Silver. This watch is the first lunar complication from Laurent Ferrier, and the jury praised it for having classic details and a calm design. It is seen as a perfect example of how an annual calendar with moon phases should be made.
But there was strong competition in this group. There was the moser & cie Chinese Calendar, which combines two calendar systems in a smart way. The IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar was in the running too. This watch, known for its eternal calendar and 45-million-year moon phase, ended up winning the Aiguille d’Or. Both of these watches showed big thinking, especially the perpetual calendar from IWC.
Another big name at the event was the Bernhard Lederer 3 Times Certified Observatory Chronometer. It won the Chronometry Prize because of its remarkable precision timekeeping performance. Its timing accuracy stood out from the rest. All this goes to show that the calendar and astronomy watch field had an amazing year. Many of the runners-up, just like the laurent ferrier classic moon, were true works of art and showed the depth of new ideas in watchmaking right now.
Trends and Insights from This Year’s Competition
The GPHG awards are not only about celebrating watches. They are like a sign of what is happening in the watch market. This year, the winners and people on the list showed a few big trends. There is a strong move towards quiet luxury. There is also more power in the hands of independent and new brands. The jury liked designs that were both classic and bold at the same time.
These trends give us helpful ideas about where the watch world is going. The success of some styles and brands can shape how watches look in the future and what collectors want. In the next parts, we will talk about how new brands are making a name for themselves. We will also see how winning a GPHG award can help raise a brand’s value and name in the watch market.
Emerging Brands and New Faces in Swiss Watchmaking
While many big names often get most of the attention, the GPHG also gives new brands and fresh faces in Swiss watchmaking a chance to stand out. The Challenge and “Petite Aiguille” categories are a space for these makers to show off watches that are more affordable and full of new ideas. This year, Otsuka Lotec’s No. 6 won the Challenge prize and brought an original, handmade feel into the spotlight.
SpaceOne, which was a nominee for the first time and started just 18 months ago, got a spot in the Challenge category for making complex watches more open to people. Guillaume Laidet, one of the founders, said the brand wants to bring high-level watchmaking to more buyers. This idea speaks to many new collectors.
These makers, and others like Kollokium and Berneron (which won the Audacity Prize), are giving the industry fresh spirit and style. Their wins at the GPHG show that new ideas do not just come from a single brand or at high prices. There is room for anyone to bring change, and independent watchmaking keeps growing with creativity.
How Winning Impacts a Brand’s Prestige and Market Value
Winning a GPHG award has a lasting influence on a brand’s name and the watch market value. For many, this is a big moment. It gives brands international attention and shows they are respected all over the world. Laurent Dordet, the CEO of Hermès Horloger, said that a GPHG win makes the long-term name of Hermès strong as a watchmaker. It proves the brand fits into a space where people may not know it as much.
This boost in the brand’s name often reflects right away in the watch market. Winning this award can increase demand for one model, help raise the value of the whole collection, and get new collectors interested. The ‘quiet luxury’ trend, shown with Parmigiani Fleurier, is a good example of how GPHG can bring a brand in line with shifts in the market.
The big effects of a win are:
- Enhanced Brand Credibility: A win is a sign from experts that the brand offers good quality and skill.
- Increased Media Exposure: A winning brand gets global news coverage and reaches new people.
- Higher Collector Demand: Watches that win GPHG awards often become more attractive, making people want them more and raising their market value.
Conclusion
The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève Awards show off the best work in the watchmaking industry. The event helps people see new styles and clever ideas too. This year, the winners stand out for their skill, the care they put into their watches, and strong design. When you look at the leading brands honored at the grand prix, you see what matters most in watchmaking today. These prizes push all makers to aim higher for the future.
If you love nice watches or are new to them, knowing about the grand prix d’horlogerie de helps you learn the value of timepieces. These awards make people know which watches to watch and what is changing in the watch world. Keep up with the awards if you want to see the latest in creativity and design in horology. Take part and let yourself enjoy all that the grand prix d’horlogerie brings to us.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève unique among global watch awards?
The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève stands out because it has more prestige than other events. It covers many categories and gives the famous best-in-show “Aiguille d’Or” prize. The independent and international jury at the grand prix d’horlogerie takes on a fundamental role. They help to spot and reward remarkable precision timekeeping performance. This includes work from major brands and also from independent artisans in the industry.
Has any brand achieved repeated success at the GPHG?
Yes, some brands have won many times at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie. In 2024, van cleef & arpels was one of those brands. van cleef picked up three big awards in one night at the grand prix. Over the years, brands like audemars piguet and piaget have also shown their exceptional mastery. They have won top prizes at the grand prix d’horlogerie in different years.
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https://revolutionwatch.com/gphg-2024-full-list-winners
https://www.gphg.org/en/gphg-2024/competing-watches
https://dmarge.com/watches/the-academy-awards-of-watches-nominations-have-been-revealed
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