As the autumn leaves fall from the trees, the great and the good gathered in Geneva for the annual watch awards, the Grand Prix d’Horologie de Geneve, or GPHG as we call it round these parts. So now the fat lady has sung her tune — the golden envelopes have been ripped open, the canapes have been devoured, the Laurent Perrier has slaked the collective thirst and the staff at the Leopard Lounge are scraping up the lost soles and lost souls from the after-party. The results are in and the winners have been announced. Oh, what a night! The GPHG 2022 awards is a wrap…

The Grand Prix

This year, the headline prize “Aiguille d’Or” went to MB&F for the Legacy Machine Sequential Evo. Conceived for MB&F by Northern Irish watchmaker Stephen McDonnell, the Sequential Evo broke the mould when it was launched earlier this year. Equally in its construction, function and aesthetics, it is ground-breaking and a worthy winner of a prize for sure! The watch features two directly driven vertical systems which rid the chronograph hands of stutter. The chronograph clutch shafts incorporate jewels to reduce internal friction between the shafts when the chronograph is not in use. The Sequential Evo also features a novel ‘Twinverter’ binary switch, allowing multiple timing options including split seconds and lap timer modes. Impressively, they all run on a single escapement and balance, rather than two independent trains. Despite its new approach, the design is consistent with the Legacy Machine range, where the mechanics are exposed on the dial and a balance wheel is suspended high above it by an elegantly arched balance bridge.

Read our original article about the watch here.

Ladies’ Watch Prize: Parmigiani Fleurier, Tonda PF Automatic

The slightly reduced version of the brand’s signature watch took the ladies’ prize. A 36mm rose gold watch featuring the brand’s in-house micro-rotor movement, who could resist that Cadran guilloché Grain d’Orge dial? Although at 36mm, it’s still a watch that would suit all wrists!

Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize: Hermès, Arceau Le Temps Voyageur

World timers are hugely popular at the moment and this 38mm Hermès steel watch features the brand’s unique “Travelling time” mechanism is a smaller execution to the so-called men’s version…but only by 3mm.

Men’s Watch Prize: Akrivia, Chronomètre Contemporain II

Rexhap is a truly a man-about-town in Geneva, having achieved rock star status amongst horophiles and being a leading light in independent watchmaking. His second iteration of the Chronomètre Contemporain is as stylish as it is beautifully designed, and we are all delighted for him. A 38mm steel watch with grand feu enamel dial and caliber RRCC02 with German silver plates and traditional hand-finishing.

Men’s Complication Watch Prize: Hermès, Arceau Le Temps Voyageur

Hermès has taken the double in the complications with executions of the same watch but in different sizes. It’s a lovely looking watch for sure, with its Galvanic engraved and lacquered dial and unique “travelling time” mechanism developed exclusively for Hermès. With home time in the window at 12 and the satellite dial that shows local time whilst rotating round the dial, it is a compelling interpretation of Cottier’s world time complication.

Iconic Watch Prize: TAG Heuer, Monaco X Gulf

Iconic is an over-used term, but it makes sense in the context of watch awards. The Heuer Monaco is a classic sports chrono, and the blue and orange livery of Gulf Racing is certainly iconic. Put them both together in this 2022 iteration of TAG’s square chrono with the in-house movement Heuer 02 and you have a racy winner!

Tourbillon Watch Prize: H. Moser & Cie, Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton

The Schaffhausen-based Moser will be delighted to have won this category as the competition was stiff. But this watch has captivated the entire industry since it launched at Watches and Wonders earlier this year. The skeletonized movement gives an unadulterated view of the one-minute tourbillon and the brand’s signature fume dial is at 12 o’clock.

Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize: Krayon, Anywhere

The Krayon Anywhere is a rare watch in today’s horological landscape, in that it is dedicated to displaying sunrise and sunset times. The watch does it very elegantly and is perfect for those who need to keep an eye on how much daylight is left on any given day. Ex-Cartier watchmaker and founder Remi Maillat will be delighted!

Mechanical Exception Watch Prize: Ferdinand Berthoud, FB 2RSM.2-1

The Star Wars droid-esque monikered FB 2RSM.2-1 is a watch built on the tradition of apprenticeship in watchmaking. The movement was developed by a student from the University of Neuchâtel, with the brand, as his graduation project. The regulator-style dial is inspired by an 18th century marine clock built by founder Ferdinand Berthoud. This is award is a fantastic way to celebrate the future of watchmaking!

Chronograph Watch Prize: Grönefeld, 1941 Grönograaf Tantalum

The Grönograaf is actually the first chronograph from Grönefeld Bros, aka The Horolgical Brothers. Taking into consideration the harsh life that a professional chronograph can live, the Grönefelds developed a new movement with what they call a “soft reset” mechanism. The relevant minutes and seconds hands return either clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on where they are when the reset is pressed, and the 30-minute counter features an instantaneous jumping minutes.

Diver’s Watch Prize: Tudor, Pelagos FXD

Tudor’s true MilSub, designed with the Marine Nationale has collectors hot under the collar when it was released at the end of 2021. Each year the watches are engraved with the vintage-inspired engraving — in 2022 the watches are engraved MN22, and next year will be MN23. The hottest ticket is MN21, which was only made for a few weeks meaning only a few MN21s are out there. Titanium, ceramic bi-directional countdown bezel and fixed lugs make this a real bruiser.

Jewellery Watch Prize: Bvlgari, Serpenti Misteriosi High Jewellery

Before the omni-present Octo Finissimo, if you were asked to name a Bvlgari watch, you’d say the Serpenti. This winner houses the in-house micro-caliber Piccolissimo, one of the smallest mechanical movements to date, and the 40mm jewellery watch in rose gold is set with turquoise inserts, brilliant-cut diamonds and rubellite eyes. What a gem!

Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: Voutilainen, Ji-Ku

The Ji-Ku is a worthy winner of the artistic crafts prize — it’s a joy to behold. It is a 39mm platinum manual-wind watch featuring a lacquer dial by one of the greatest lacquer artist of Japan, Tatsuo Kitamura. Each dial takes several months to complete and features Kinpun (gold dust), Jyunkin-itakane (gold leaf), Yakou-gai (shell of great green turban) and Awabi-gai (abalone shell from New Zealand).

“Petite Aiguille” Prize: Trilobe, Nuit Fantastique Dune Edition

The focus of this Avant Garde Trilobe is the grained “dune” coloured dial with grenage finish that features rotating hours, minutes and seconds indications that are displayed without hands in a fascinating way. It’s a worthy winner and watch that we all have a soft spot for at Revo Towers.

Challenge Watch Prize: M.A.D. Editions, M.A.D.1 Red

The original M.A.D.1 released in 2021 was conceived for friends and the members of “The Tribe”, the brand’s owners club. However, the general feedback to the M.A.D.1 was so overwhelmingly positive that a follow-up version was promised for 2022, available this time to a wider audience: the M.A.D.1 RED. It was always gonna win…

Mechanical Clock Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Fontaine Aux Oiseaux automaton

VC&A don’t mess around, and this unique clock packs more precious materials than I think I’ve ever seen! Here’s the official list: yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, colored sapphires, emeralds, tsavorite garnets, mandarin garnets, amethysts, diamonds, lapis lazuli, turquoise, chalcedony, rock crystal, mother of pearl, vegetal lacquer, lacquer, enamel, eggshell marquetry, ebony, glass, aluminum, steel, black PVD, goat leather. It is a stunning work of art, both aesthetically and mechanically. I want it for my desk!

Innovation Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Heures Florales Cerisier watch

This watch was our very own Cheryl Chia’s pick. She says it all here.

Audacity Prize: Bvlgari, Octo Finissimo Ultra 10th Anniversary

The race to be the thinnest. No, it’s not an episode of Selling Sunset but the quest to make the most wafer-esque watch movement. This 40mm titanium and tungsten carbide manual-wind watch has a total thickness of 1.80 mm that represents the brand’s eighth consecutive world record. I could make a pun about it having a ‘slim’ chance of winning, but it was the bookies’ favorite!

Chronometry Prize: Grand Seiko, Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon

This was the watch that people kept texting me about when I was at Watches and Wonders this year. A 43.8mm platinum and titanium watch featuring Caliber 9ST1 that combines a tourbillon and a constant-force mechanism as one unit on a single axis, this is a very important moment for Grand Seiko.

“Horological Revelation” Prize: Sylvain Pinaud, Origine

Sylvain Pinaud unveiled his second piece, the Origine, four years after his debut watch the Chronograh. The 40mm steel watch with off-center hours and minutes firmly places the watchmaker in the pantheons of “hot indies,” and I am sure this is the beginning of a very exciting journey.

Special Jury Prize: François Junod, automaton-maker and sculptor

The Jury awarded its special prize to the industry’s go-to automaton specialist and sculptor François Junod. Master craftsman Junod is one of a few artisans who can make entirely mechanical creations that, in today’s electronic and CGI-laden world, are simply staggering. It is a fitting testament to his patience and craft that he be recognized in this way. Bravo!

The 2022 awards ceremony took place at the Théâtre du Léman in Geneva and was the culmination of the watches’ tour around the world, taking in New Delhi in early October, in partnership with Ethos Watches and then on to Casablanca, Morocco within the prestigious setting of the Villa Roosevelt. The latter exhibition, a first for the GPHG on the African continent, was organized in partnership with the Bank of Africa. Back in Europe from the 2nd to the 20th November, the exhibition was based in Geneva at the Musée Rath, in partnership with the Musée d’art et d’histoire (MAH) and following the ceremony, the watches will be exhibited for the first time in New York, from 1 to 4 December, in partnership with Watches of Switzerland.