Industry News Watches & Jewelry

GPHG 2019

November 2019 marks the 19th anniversary of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. This prestigious event celebrates the art of watchmaking annually. Nevertheless, during this year’s edition led by comedian Edouard Baer, the ceremony bestowed 19 prizes to the most innovative brands. Audemars Piguet winner of The «Aiguille d’Or» Grand Prix with other winning brands like Bulgari, Chanel, Chronometrie Ferdinand Berthoud, Genus, Hermes, Kudoke, MB & F, Ming, Seiko… while Luc Pettavino founder of Only Watch won the Jury Special Prize.

Photo of the prizewinners holding their trophies. © GPHG 2019

Grand Prix de l’Aiguille d’Or:

Audemars Piguet, Royal Oak

With a movement of 2.89 mm in thickness and a case of 6.3 mm in height, the new Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin becomes the world’s thinnest automatic wristwatch. The Manufacture’s R&D team has integrated movement development, design, and ergonomics in the conception of this new timepiece to boost its efficiency. © Audemars Piguet.

Petite Aiguille Prize

Kudoke, Kudoke 2

At the front, the eye is caught immediately by the rotating domed sky disk. Hand engraved and electroplated in three colors it demonstrates the creativity of Stefan Kudoke. A small gold-plated triangle indicates the hour of day or night, the upper half of the 24-hour-indication shows intuitively the current day or night time. The dial combines roman as well as Arabic numerals on the two rhodium-plated rings put on. The attentive observer can find the infinity sign included in the hour hand as well as balance cock engravement in the movement. © Kudoke.

Horological Revelation Prize

Ming, 17.06 Copper

The 17.06 presents a classical color scheme is clean and restrained modern forms; from hour markings to case geometry. It is a considered study in textures and light: a warm etched copper dial contrasts against the polished-brushed case, multiple dial layers, and reflections of the sapphire ring from which luminous hour markers appear suspended. Both dial and hands are loaded with Super-LumiNova C1 for a distinctive nocturnal signature. © Ming.

Mechanical Exception Watch Prize

Genus, GNS1.2

This exceptional timepiece, whose case, movement and time display complications are manufactured in 18K gold, is the culmination of three years of development. As time passes, this gives the watch a fascinating and ever-changing face. To know the exact time, simply note the hour shown and add the precise minute to the tens-of-minutes indicated by the Genus. Hours are indicated at 9 o’clock, tens-of-minutes are shown by the lead traveling indicator – named “the Genus” – which moves freely from one central orbit to the other, and the precise minute is read on the rotating dial in the traditional 3 o’clock position. © Genus.

Innovation Prize

Vacheron Constantin, Twin Beat

When worn, the Traditionnelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar beats at a high frequency that is aligned with modern active lifestyles, displaying the hours, minutes, date, month, leap year cycle and power reserve on its dial. When the watch is not being worn, its in-house developed caliber 3610 QP can be slowed down in order to guarantee an extended power reserve of at least 65 days. © Vacheron Constantin.

Men’s Complication Watch Prize

Audemars Piguet, Minute Repeater Supersonnerie

This contemporary wristwatch has the sonic power of a pocket watch. Its exceptional acoustic performance, sound quality, and harmonic tone are granted by the patented gongs, case construction and striking regulator developed at the time. The 18ct white gold case is complemented by a smoked blue enamel dial set off by white gold hands, applied indexes and numerals. © Audemars Piguet.

Diver’s Watch Prize

Seiko, Prospex LX line diver’s

This year, the 1968 Seiko Professional Diver’s design is expressed anew in a line of Prospex watches for sport on land, in the sea, and in the sky. This diver’s watch with titanium case and bracelet is at the center of the LX line. The center of gravity of the case is lower so that the watch sits comfortably on any wrist. © Seiko.

Ladies Watch Prize

Chanel, J12 Calibre 12.1

The latest J12 now has a one-piece ceramic case equipped with a sapphire crystal so the new 12.1 caliber automatic movement, can be admired. The oscillating weight has been totally redesigned in tungsten to produce its openwork while maintaining efficient rewinding power, as the Chanel Creation Studio wanted a perfect circle, one of the graphic signatures of Chanel Haute Horlogerie. The caliber 12.1, a chronometer offers a 70-hour power reserve. © Chanel.

Ladies complication watch prize

MB&F Legacy Machine Flying T

Legacy Machine FlyingT, the first of MB&F’s three-dimensional horological art pieces dedicated to women. A round case in white gold, with a steeply cambered bezel and slender, elongated lugs, is fully set with diamonds. A high, extravagantly convex dome of sapphire crystal rises from the bezel. Beneath the dome, a subtly curved dial plate, liquidly black with layers of stretched lacquer or glittering with blazing white diamonds. © MB&F.

Jewellery Watch Prize

Bulgari, Serpenti Misteriosi Romani

The cuff features a snake sinuously coiled around it. It is embellished with baguette-cut diamond scales. Truly spectacular, this one of a kind creation is the most expensive high-end timepiece ever made by Bvlgari, comprising a massive number of precious stones. The snakehead is crowned with a 10ct Sri Lankan sapphire and a total of more than 60ct of diamonds and 35ct of sapphires form the snake’s body and scales. Serpenti Misteriosi Romani High-Jewellery secret watch in 18ct white gold is a unique piece. © Bulgari.

Astronomy Watch Prize

Hermès, Arceau L’heure de la Lune

The new Arceau L’heure de la lune watch offers a unique vision of Earth’s satellite with the simultaneous display of moon phases in both northern and southern hemispheres. Two mobile counters gravitate on a meteorite or aventurine dial, revealing mother-of-pearl moons in step with an exclusive module, coupled with a Manufacture Hermès movement. This Haute Horlogerie timepiece is issued in two 100-piece limited editions. © Hermès

Chronometry Watch Prize

Ferdinand Berthoud, Carburised steel regulator

It is made of nickel silver, vertically satin-brushed by hand and black rhodium-plated. Of the three small apertures, the first serves to show the hours, offset at 2 o’clock and appearing on a glare-proofed sapphire crystal disc. The second opening features an original power-reserve display mechanism, distinguished by a large dial cut-out revealing part of the finely sandblasted and black rhodium-plated main plate. Located in the center of the minutes counter at 12 o’clock, the third aperture displays wheels and movement decoration. Limited to 20 pieces, the FB 1R.6-1 model features a 44 mm-diameter case, made of carburized stainless steel. © Ferdinand Berthoud.

Men’s Watch Prize

Voutilainen, 28ti

Its elegant and strong mechanism is housed in a stylish and robust case. The in-house movement of the Vingt-8 was designed, built, and assembled in its entirety in Voutilainen workshops. The design and philosophy of the movement combine respect for longevity and precision with classical watchmaking tradition. © Voutilainen.

Challenge Watch Prize

Tudor, Black Bay P01

The Manufacture Calibre MT5612 that drives the Black Bay P01 model displays the hours, minutes, seconds and date functions. Its openwork rotor is satin-brushed with sand-blasted details, and its bridges and plate have alternating polished sand-blasted surfaces and laser decorations. © Tudor.

Audacity Prize

Urwerk, AMC

The watch, like the atomic clock, is a novel construction and is designed specifically for the AMC project. It includes typical Urwerk features such as the power reserve indicator and two stacked barrels for a power reserve of four days. The watch also has Urwerk’s Oil Change Indicator, which shows when the movement should be serviced. © Urwerk.

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