The 24th Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) spotlighted the world’s most distinguished horologists, brands, and enthusiasts in Geneva. Each year, the GPHG honors the most extraordinary timepieces and innovations, celebrating Swiss watchmaking’s enduring craftsmanship, technical brilliance, and artistry.

This year’s competition saw intense anticipation and remarkable entries. Among the event’s highlights, the Aiguille d’Or — GPHG’s top prize — was awarded to the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar, a watch lauded for its impressive moon phase accuracy and its mechanical innovation for the secular mechanism. The addition of the Eco-Innovation, Audacity, “Horological Revelation” and Chronometry prizes were also awarded, with the Special Jury Prize awarded to artisanal watch casemaker, Jean-Pierre Hagmann. 

“Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix: IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar

“The Calendar and Astronomy category this year seemed like a slaughterhouse with three exotic and highly impressive calendar watches — the H. Moser & Cie. Chinese Calendar, the Parmigiani Tonda Hijri and the IWC Eternal Calendar. Even newcomer Anton Suhanov’s humble day-date Chronotope was notably clever and innovative. Ultimately, the IWC Eternal Calendar claimed the highest honour of the night, the Aiguille d’Or and deservedly so,” said Cheryl Chia, technical editor at Revolution.

“Encoding a 400-year cycle is challenging enough, but IWC accomplished it with only eight components, all while adhering to the existing placements of wheels and levers in Kurt Klaus’ perpetual calendar module. As a result, neither the parts nor the arrangement of the parts are conventional and the overall solution is anything but derivable without a stroke of genius, not to mention its moon phase display with a 45 million year precision was achieved with just three conventional toothed wheels.”

You can revisit our conversation with Stefan Ihnen, Associate Director of Technics, Research & Design at IWC, on the watch’s complete mechanics here.

Calendar & Astronomy Watch Prize: Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Silver

“The winner of the Calendar and Astronomy category, meanwhile, was the Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Silver. As you might recall, the Parmigiani Tonda Hijri had won the GPHG Innovation Prize four years prior, suggesting that this year’s honour might have been due for the H. Moser & Cie. Chinese Calendar,” said Chia.

“Its ingenious fusion of two vastly different calendar systems, its attempt to bring a degree of regularity to the fiendishly irregular Chinese calendar, and the simplicity of its display all made it a compelling contender. Ultimately, the outcome suggests that familiar aesthetics and classic design language still hold greater sway.”

Mechanical Exception Watch Prize: Bovet 1822 Récital 28 Prowess 1

“While all contenders of the mechanical exception category are worth applauding, two of which feel more like triumphs in engineering and material science rather than mechanics and only one brought something genuinely new to the table – the Bovet Récital 28 Prowess 1, which ultimately won,” said Chia.

 “Complexity in watchmaking can sometimes feel like a showcase of skill for skill’s sake but the Récital 28 Prowess 1 brings something quite special where aesthetics and mechanics are seamlessly integrated to tackle an age-old problem. It is the first timepiece to offer a mechanical solution for displaying Daylight Saving Time all around the world. Five years in the making, the watch displays the time across 24 time zones using 24 rollers, along with one small roller for the time system (UTC, AST, EAS or EWT). All you need to do is to press the pusher to select the DST system, and the time zone rollers will rotate accordingly to display the right city for DST or standard time against a 24-hour disc. On top of this ingenious solution, it has a roller-based perpetual calendar (with retrograde roller date) and a flying tourbillon, bringing the total number of parts to an astonishing 744.”

Tourbillon Watch Prize: Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription 

“The tourbillon category was another fierce battleground, with no real losers. In the end, victory came down to the finer points. The Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription is indeed exceedingly fine in execution, construction and finish,” said Chia.

“It is a masterful homage with many careful updates to the original design including lugs with slight downward curvature, as well as its thoughtful improvements to the movement such as a longer power reserve and redesigned bridges. Yet these details fall short in capturing how the watch impresses in the metal. The quality of the case and the yellow gold engine-turned dial is sublime, and although the movement is hidden behind a solid caseback in the subscription model, it is quite nice to know that it is executed with restrained elegance where the bridges follow a very logical, modest yet beautiful layout.”

Ladies’ Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Jour Nuit

“This outstanding timepiece blows the competition out of the water by combining time-honored métiers d’arts with exquisite gem-setting to the day and night display, easily one of its earliest, most recognizable medium complications ever,” said Group Editor-in-Chief, Celine Yap.

“With a diamond paved moon and a guilloché yellow gold sun on a blue aventurine disc that rotates in 24 hours, shrouded by blue painted and engraved mother-of-pearl, the Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Jour Nuit is “a lot of watch” as the watch-loving cognoscenti likes to say.”

Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Brise d’Été

“Seeing Van Cleef & Arpels take the award feels almost to be expected, particularly if you consider the sheer number of different artistic crafts that went into the Lady Arpels Brise d’Été,” said Yap.

“Valloné enamel, champlevé enamel, plique-à-jour enamel, sculptural miniature painting, and of course gem-setting of spessartite garnets, tsavorite garnets and diamonds. So much precious metal and gemstones add a lot of weight, and yet at the push of a button, the florals sway almost effortlessly as if weighing nothing at all. A yellow gold butterfly with plique-à-jour enamel wings gives the hours and nothing more, but then again nothing else is missing from this fabulous masterpiece.”

Jewelry Watch Prize: Chopard Laguna High-Jewelry Secret Watch

“This is the high-wattage category of the GPHG and always serves up the most eye-watering horological creations each year,” said Yap. “Secret watches are a favorite among jewelers because of how perfectly they straddle watch- and jewelry making.

“Chopard definitely deserves the prize this year as the Laguna High Jewelry Secret Watch is a vision in ethical pink gold with bursts of technicolor hues derived from colored titanium and a melange of vibrant gemstones including pink, violet and pastel blue sapphires, topazes, emeralds, along with purple, Demantoid and Mandarin garnets. The skill required to source, select and set the sapphires atop the largest shell concealing the dial is a feat unto itself, and underneath is one of the jewelry world’s rarest finds: a stunning natural pearl of 1.63 carats.”

Iconic Watch Prize: Piaget Polo 79

“One of the newer additions to the GPHG’s regular roster of categories, the ‘Iconic’ category is also one of the more controversial ones,” said Felix Scholz, Editor-in-Chief of Revolution Australia. “The guidelines for eligibility read thus; ‘watches stemming from an emblematic collection or model that has been exercising a lasting influence on watchmaking history and the watch market for more than 20 years or offering a contemporary reinterpretation.’ One way of looking at the award is that it’s celebrating the stalwarts of an industry that is largely built on history and tradition. Another point of view is that it’s a category that encourages an institutional lack of innovation.

“Regardless of where you stand on the ‘why’ of the award, for most, there was little doubt as to the ‘who’ — Piaget’s Polo 79 was a clear favorite — the right watch at the right time. Not only does it manage to balance fidelity to the original with a substantial qualitative upgrade, but its genre of 80s-era opulence and excess has been front and center in the collector’s consciousness for quite some time now. It was the logical choice and a worthy winner.

“What’s also interesting in a ‘geez, I’m getting old’ kind of way is the other nominated watches. Sure, the Breitling and Hublot have been around for decades; the IWC Big Pilot and the Louis Vuitton Tambour debuted in 2002, while the Urwerk is the older, in 1997. That these designs feel comparatively recent is a proof point of just how long the watch industry’s product cycles are, perhaps adding validity to the need for an ‘Iconic’ category.”

Men’s Watch Prize: Voutilainen KV20i Reversed

“In recent years, the question of gender and watch design has been increasingly on the table, with heated debate about the merits of gendering inanimate objects,” said Scholz. “Well, the rules of the GPHG don’t particularly care about the nuances of this debate, and they have some surprisingly clear guidelines for what makes a men’s watch. ‘Masculine watches comprising the following indications only — hours, minutes, seconds, simple date (day of the month), power reserve indication, classic moon phases — and that may potentially feature a digital/retrograde display or be adorned with a maximum 9-carat gem setting.’ Now, obviously, a lot of these guardrails are in place to ensure the men’s category doesn’t clash with all the other categories, and the fact that all these caveats exist kind of makes you wonder if there’s still merit in the category in 2024.

“Having said that, the watches themselves are all worthy contenders, with the Voutilainen KV20i Reversed winning the prize. I think there will be some surprise that the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric in platinum didn’t win the prize, as this was one of the critic’s picks from Watches & Wonders 2024, and of the five shortlisted Parmigiani Fleurier models in the overall competition, the Toric was arguably the strongest in its category. And while it was more of an outlier, the Garrick S3 Mark 2 would also have been an exciting choice. Having said that, there’s very little to fault in the Voutilainen, it’s a stunning piece that lives up to the standards we expect from the master.”

Challenge Watch Prize: Otsuka Lotec No. 6

“The Challenge category is, to my mind at least, one of the most consistently interesting and competitive awards at the GPHG,” said Scholz. “The price cap of under CHF 3,000 provides a sort of level playing field you don’t get in most other categories, where you typically see commercial-scale pieces stacked up against the highest of high horology; the lower price point also sees an incredible amount of creativity. If the sky’s the limit, you can do everything on a watch, but for under CHF 3,000, you have to make some pretty pointed choices, and the results are fascinating.”

“Personally, I like a lot of the entrants. The Kollokium, with its die-cast case and the intricate, pixel-like dial design is visually striking and full of potential; the Spaceone Tellurium feels like they’ve forgotten to add a zero to the price, while Furlan Marri and Beaubleu are testaments to the power of good design (and bonus points to Beaubleu for using a French movement). Christopher Ward continues to prove itself a powerhouse at this price point, with a level of sophistication that still feels under-appreciated.

“Having said all that, the Otsuka Lotec No. 6 by Japanese independent Jiro Katayama is a more than worthy winner. The bi-retrograde, gauge-inspired design feels artisanal and handmade, drawing on the design traditions of steampunk, and adds up to a watch that feels uniquely personal. The fact that the model is tricky to acquire for those outside of Japan likely only adds to its allure.”

Time Only Prize: H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel

“Among the other contenders in the time-only watch category, H. Moser & Cie beat the likes of Parmigiani Fleurier’s gold-dial Tonda PF, a Chopard L.U.C Qualité Fleurier, and Berneron’s popular Mirage (the latter two won special prizes but more on that later), with their Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel,” said Lee Sheng, writer at Revolution.

“Beyond its sporty look, the Streamliner catches attention with its minimalist design and the detailed craftsmanship of its dial, which uses fired enamel in a gradient shade with a textured surface. Yet this enamel dial sets it apart from typical sports watches, mixing classic touches with a sporty feel, making it a standout among time-only watches, whether sporty or dressy. Interestingly, the shortlisted entries and winners show that the jury is well in tune with current market trends, with half of the shortlisted watches leaning towards a sportier style.”

Men’s Complication Watch Prize: De Bethune DB Kind of Grand Complication

“This year’s competition was a tight race between several notable contenders, but ultimately, the De Bethune DB Kind Of Grande Complication took the top spot. The Grande Complication is striking with its dual faces and multiple complications, including a perpetual calendar and tourbillon,” said Lee. 

“What sets it apart, however, is the quality of its features: the spherical moonphase, the 30-second tourbillon, and the jumping seconds. It’s not often you find a highly complicated watch with a jumping seconds mechanism. That said, the Franck Muller Long Island Evolution Master Jumper came very close, impressing with its vertically-aligned digital display of jumping hours, minutes, and dates.”

Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté

“There’s no question that the Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté won the Artistic Crafts award. This watch spares no expense, from design to execution. From the start, it wasn’t created to cater to mainstream tastes but rather to create an exquisitely artistic piece,” said Lee.

“The dial isn’t just any enamel dial; it features a three-dimensional design with intricate, layered sculptures. The visual depth is remarkable, as is the execution of various enameling techniques on hollow and curved surfaces, such as the angel’s wings, achieved through the plique-à-jour technique. Even more impressive are the enameled flower blossoms, rendered without frames in a three-dimensional format using façonné enamel — a technique developed by the brand.”

Chronograph Watch Prize: Massena Lab × Sylvain Pinaud Chronograph Monopoussoir

“The Chronograph is perhaps the most ubiquitous complication aside from the automatic rotor or a date wheel,” shared Troy Barmore, Revolution’s Content & Community Manager. “But it is also one of the most useful and, arguably, the most underrated in terms of its level of complexity and sheer difficulty to produce. Thus, any innovation within the category deserve heaps of praise at a baseline.

“The Chronograph Monopoussoir Sylvain Pinaud × Massena Lab is everything that a good collaboration should be — the result of the combined vision, expertise, and passion of two absolute connoisseurs of horological greatness. Like all great collaborative efforts, it was spawned from a mutual love of watchmaking — an initial request for a pièce unique that evolved into a limited edition of 10 magnificent timepieces.

“As the name would suggest, the watch is a manually wound chronograph movement which is actuated by a single pusher set within the crown — start, pause, and reset. This functions by way of a column wheel with a horizontal clutch. This meticulously finished and hand-built mechanism is on full glorious display by way of the partial open-worked dial made by none other than Comblémine SA. To strike a balance between simplicity and the elaborate is perhaps the finest achievement of the piece — the juxtaposition of the cleanliness of its execution with the complexity of its function — this is true artistry.”

Sports Watch Prize: Ming 37.09 Bluefin

“To innovate in the realm of watchmaking is, itself, an achievement, given the relatively narrow and limited potential of the instrument (it must at its base, tell time),” said Barmore. “But arguably, it is even more difficult to innovate in a space where the focus of the watch is pure utility. Such is the sport watch — a purpose-first tool above all else. There comes a point at which innovating on such a pure tool which is often simple by necessity.

“At first glance, the MING 37.09 Bluefin may appear similar to their standard fare — though this is not to say that a ‘standard’ MING is anything less than beguiling to behold. Indeed, MING is one of the most visually distinct and innovative brands out there, and they have brought that distinct style and lateral thinking to the dive watch category.

“In the 37.09 Bluefin, MING has created a sport watch that checks all of the boxes — an inner rotating timing bezel, dual crown construction (playful and reminiscent of the earliest compressor case divers) and an impressive 600m water resistance. To achieve this without compromising their aesthetic is an achievement. If anything, it is the inverse, where MING has bent the conventions of the category to their own aesthetic will.”

“Petite Aiguille” Prize: Kudoke 3 Salmon

“Often when exploring the heights of high horology, it can feel a bit like standing at the base of Everest and staring up at the peak — for most people, it is an unreachable thing,” said Barmore. “Now, price and accessibility are absolutely relative. This is more true in the watch world than perhaps any other luxury good. But in the interest of highlighting more attainably priced timepieces, the “Petite Aiguille” award highlights watches priced between CHF 3,000 and CHF 10,000.

“Kudoke was founded in 2005 but remained relatively under the radar until just the past few years. But in that time, it gained a following of deeply passionate, highly detailed oriented collectors who could see and understand the brilliance of the watchmaking and hand finishing that they were witnessing. Fast forward to today, and Kudoke has received the praise that they deserve by way of the Kudoke 3 Salmon.

“Sneaking in at less than CHF 100 of the cutoff price, this watch, which belongs to Kudoke’s HANDwerk collection, showcasing the time in an entirely unique and imaginative manner. The hour hands (yes plural) track along a three-stepped half circle plate numbering one to 12. As the hour progresses, tracked by the prominent minute hand which passes infinitely around the outer track, three seemingly separate but connected hands trace the hour along the plate. Overlapping hours 2, 6, and 10 appear in multiple places, which visually provides a smooth transition from one level to the next.

“If that sounds confusing — that’s because it is. At least until you see the watch in motion. What once seemed like a mind-bending, twisting of timekeeping à la the mirrors of a horological funhouse are suddenly and effortlessly delineated into a perfectly readable timepiece. The hands appear, disappear, and reappear again behind a hand finished salmon toned dial plate, like a ballerina performing a mesmeric magic trick.”