SpotlightMeet The Noteworthy Winners Of The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) 2020
The most important and highly coveted awards in the world of horology—the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG)—wrapped up its latest edition last week. Here’s a rundown of some of the most noteworthy winners
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The 2020 edition of Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève ended last week, and as is the custom, the focus lay on innovation, creativity and the high art of watchmaking. Despite the many challenges that this year brought forth, the show went on, albeit in digital garb. Often referred to as the ‘Oscars of watchmaking’, the GPHGs are a big deal for manufacturers and the horological audience alike. And this year, the nominations came from the GPHG Academy—an international clique of 350 key players from the main sectors of the international watch industry—created at the start of 2020. From the 84 nominated timepieces divided into 14 categories, only one can take home the clout of winning the most prestigious and coveted award of them all, the ‘Aiguille d’Or’. This year, it was Piaget with its Altiplano Ultimate Concept.
The ‘Aiguille d’Or’ grand prix celebrates the best watch of the year and is considered by many to be the ultimate achievement in watchmaking. And the award was presented to a truly deserving timepiece. The Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept, measuring just 2mm in height, is the world’s thinnest mechanical watch. One of the ways Piaget arrived at the timepiece’s record-breaking thinness was by fusing parts of the movement to the case directly. But when you reduce the size of components to such minute scales, strength and functionality are easily compromised. To battle this, the watch’s materials had to be specially engineered in order to take on the various stresses of the real world. What Piaget finally created was a watch that resulted in the filing of five patents, a watch that’s thinner than most movements, and a watch well-deserving of the GPHGs’ top prize.
Noteworthy Winners
Aside from the ‘Aiguille d’Or’ grand prix, prizes were presented to several other exemplary timepieces that are certifiably the best in their class. Here are a few of the exceptional winners.
‘Innovation Prize’
Parmigiani Tonda Hijri Perpetual Calendar
This prize rewards the watch offering an innovative vision of time measurement in terms of technique, design or materials, and opening up new development pathways for the watchmaking art. This year’s recipient was the Parmigiani Tonda Hijri Perpetual Calendar. This is the first wristwatch with a movement that can track the Hijri or Islamic lunar calendar. Since traditional perpetual calendars are crafted according to the Gregorian calendar, the movement of this model had to be calibrated to the Islamic lunar calendar, and is based on technology developed by Michel Parmigiani for a table clock in 2011.
‘Audacity Prize’
‘H. Moser X MB&F’ Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon
A watch featuring a non-conformist, offbeat approach to watchmaking receives the ‘audacity prize’. And when two of the most audacious companies in Swiss watchmaking—H. Moser & Cie. and MB&F—collaborate on a watch, there’s little to no room for a different victor. The Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon is Moser’s interpretation of MB&F’s Flying T. Time is shown on a floating sapphire crystal dial that is inclined at 40 degrees. A one-minute flying tourbillon rises above the main dial through a ventricular opening appearing at 12 o’clock. This timepiece exemplifies Moser’s expressive nature and MB&F’s out-of-the-box technical creativity, bringing out the best in the two manufactures.
‘Iconic Watch Prize’
Bulgari Bulgari Aluminium Chronograph
Given to a watch from an emblematic collection that has been exercising a lasting influence on watchmaking history, this year’s Iconic watch prize was given to the Bulgari Bulgari Aluminium. Re-igniting a fire lit back in 1998 by the first-generation models, this 2020 edition is still as fresh and striking as ever. The unexpected combination of black rubber and lightweight aluminium makes for a watch with interesting textures. The visual aesthetic speaks a universal language that transcends the construct of gender, age, trends and personal style. It truly is an icon reinvented.
‘Chronograph Watch Prize’
H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic
One of our favourite watches this year, the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic, took home the prize for the best watch competing in the chronograph category, and for good reason. If I told you that this was an automatic chronograph, you’d understandably be a little confused, owing to the lack of chronograph sub-dials, or a visible winding rotor at the back. For the first time in watchmaking, the oscillating mass that winds the mainspring has been moved from behind the caseback to the space between the back of the dial and the movement. And the chronograph hands lie in the centre, in red for seconds and steel grey for minutes, making this a 60-minute chronograph. This highly complicated timepiece manages to look deceitfully simple, and this is what made it a true winner, both, in our eyes, and in the eyes of the GPHGs too.
‘Diver’s Watch Prize’
Breitling Superocean 48 Boutique Edition
Big, bold, and bulky, the Breitling Superocean Automatic 48 is a beast of a watch with its oversized 48mm DLC-coated titanium case, a black ceramic bezel, and an eye-catching green dial. It also features a soft-iron inner case that offers protection against the effects of magnetic fields. Water resistant up to 300m, it is up for any challenge, whether you dive, swim or surf with it.
‘Petite Aiguille’
Breitling Superocean Heritage 57 Limited Edition II
The ‘Petite Aiguille’, awarded to a watch retailing for under CHF 10,000 (approximately, INR 8.1 lakh), was claimed by Breitling for its Superocean Heritage 57 Limited Edition II. This wildly popular rainbow-inspired watch symbolises hope and optimism, and part of the proceeds from the watch were donated to charities supporting the frontline healthcare workers in the fight against COVID-19 in some of the worst-affected countries.
The Complete List Of Winners At The GPHGs 2019:
‘Aiguille d’Or’ Grand Prix: Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept
Ladies’ Watch Prize: Bovet Miss Audrey
Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize: ‘Signature Mystérieuse’ Tourbillon by Charles Girardier
Men’s Watch Prize: Voutilainen 28SC
Men’s Complication Watch Prize: Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1
Iconic Watch Prize: Bulgari Bulgari Aluminium Chronograph
Chronometry Watch Prize: Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 2RE.2
Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize: Vacheron Constantin Overseas perpetual calendar ultra-thin skeleton
Mechanical Exception Watch Prize: Bovet Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two
Chronograph Watch Prize: H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic
Diver’s Watch Prize: Breitling Superocean 48 Boutique Edition
Jewellery Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels Frivole Secrète watch
Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Soleil Féerique
‘Petite Aiguille’ Prize: Breitling Superocean Heritage ’57 Limited Edition II
Challenge Watch Prize: Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight
Innovation Prize: Parmigiani Fleurier Hijri Perpetual Calendar
Audacity Prize: H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon H. Moser X MB&F
‘Horological Revelation’ Prize: Petermann Bédat Dead Beat Second
Special Jury Prize: Antoine Simonin, watchmaker, teacher, editor as well as former director of the WOSTEP Foundation
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