Prestige issue 293-294, Dec. 2018-Jan. 2019
The Prize list of the 18th Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) was unveiled on the stage of Geneva’s théâtre du Léman. The horological excellence, creativity, and know-how were saluted by an international jury, who awarded seventeen prizes to different brands. Bovet 1822 won L’aiguille d’Or for the Watch Récital 22 Grand Récital. The brands Akrivia, Chanel, De Bethune, Greubel Forsey, Habring, Hermès, Konstantin Chaykin, Krayon, Laurent Ferrier, Nomos Glasshütte, Seiko, Singer Reimagined, Vacheron Constantin and Van Cleef & Arpels won one of the prestigious prizes. The jury special prize, honoring an influent actor of the watchmaking world, went to Jean-Claude Biver. Hosted by comedian Edouard Baer, accompanied by the songs of Véronic Dicaire, this 18th awards ceremony gathered in Geneva one thousand and three hundred guests coming to celebrate the vitality of horological art.
Winners of GPHG 2018. © GPHG 2018
« AIGUILLE D’or » Grand Prix
BOVET 1822, RÉCITAL 22 GRAND RÉCITAL
This 9-day flying tourbillon is the third chapter in the poetic watchmaking narrative begun by Pascal Raffy and Maison’s artisans two years ago. Together, they now invite us to observe the three heavenly bodies that set the pace of our lives: the sun, earth, and moon. Functions: Hours, seconds, date, day, month, year, moon phase, power reserve, retrograde Minutes, tourbillon, Perpetual calendar Tellurium-Orrery, Double face retrograde date, Retrograde perpetual calendar. © Bovet
« Petite Aiguille » Prize
HABRING² DOPPEL-FELIX
What is ticking inside Doppel Felix is the movement A11 developed and produced in the company Habring², which is the only calibers manufacture made in Austria to date. Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date, Chronograph, Split Second Chronograph. © Habring
Men’s Watch Prize
Akrivia, Chronomètre Contemporain
The new Chronomètre is available in white or in black Grand Feu enamel dial, with Art Deco-inspired asymmetrical gold or blue lines. The lines of the case are minimalistic. © Akrivia
Chronograph Watch Prize
Singer Reimagined, Singer Track1 Hong Kong Edition
This chronograph with a central display and peripheral hours and minutes is presented in a lightweight black version with orange accents, encased in high-performance ceramic aluminum. © Singer
Challenge Watch Prize
Nomos Glashütte, Tangente Neomatik 41 Update
Its straightforward design, angular form, and unmistakable typography have become synonymous with the NOMOS brand. It combines the beautiful details that have made Tangente an icon with an innovative date display. The date ring encircles the dial and features two red dots, which frame the current date, a solution as practical as it is playful. © Nomos Glashutte.
Audacity Prize
Konstantin Chaykin, Clown
In the new interpretation, the look on Clown’s face still changes every minute due to the work of the proprietary module with a two-disk current time display (hours and minutes are the pupils with the yellow iris), and the moon phase indicator is a smile (it can be corrected with the help of a correction pusher which is set on the left side of a 42mm steel case). © Konstantin Chaykin
Ladies complication Watch Prize
Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Planétarium
The Lady Arpels Planétarium watch illustrates the Sun and the closest planets: Mercury, Venus and finally Earth, along with its natural satellite, the Moon. Each heavenly body moves at its actual speed, orbiting the dial in 88 days for Mercury, 224 days for Venus and 365 days for Earth. © Van Cleef & Arpels
Jewelry Watch Prize
Van Cleef & Arpels, Secret de Coccinelle
The Secret de Coccinelle watch tells the tale of a ladybird in Mystery Set rubies graciously walking on a leaf. Tsavorite garnets and emeralds combine their various green hues to depict the rich colors of nature. Thanks to a sliding invisible mechanism specially conceived for this watch, the ladybird hides or reveals the dial by slightly moving along the leaf. © Van Cleef & Arpels
Artistic crafts Watch Prize
Hermès, Arceau Robe du Soir
In a 41 mm-diameter Arceau watch, 2,200 tiny juxtaposed leather squares form a horse profile inspired by the Hermès «Robe du Soir» silk scarf designed by Florence Manlik in 2018. The horse with its vivid hues stands out beautifully against the electric blue background, enhanced by a Swift calfskin strap in the same shade. © Hermès
Ladies Watch Prize
Chanel, Boy-friend Skeleton
For the first time, the BOYFRIEND watch, created in 2015, houses a Fine Watchmaking skeleton movement, the Calibre 3. After three years of development, this third in-house movement is designed to be beautiful at any angle. © Chanel
Innovation Prize
Krayon, Everywhere Horizon
Krayon’s engineers have succeeded in producing a surprisingly compact movement, given its immense complexity, measuring 6.5 mm high. This ingenious caliber is able to combine parameters that give opposing influence in the result of Sunrise and Sunset times. It also incorporates an equation of time, a secret function that is not shown on the dial, used for the calculations. © Krayon
Chronometry Watch Prize
De Bethune, DB25 Starry Varius Chronomètre Tourbillon
Manual-winding mechanical movement. Silicium escapement. Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Jumping seconds, Tourbillon. Weighing in at just 0.18 grams, it’s one of the fastest and lightest tourbillons in the entire watch industry. © De Bethune
Men’s complication Watch Prize
Laurent Ferrier, Galet Annual Calendar School Piece
With its date and month fast-adjustment by simply turning the crown forward and backward, this new timepiece offers a great experience to the wearer. Manual-winding mechanical movement with annual calendar. © Laurent Ferrier.
Revival Prize
Vacheron Constantin, Historiques Triple calendrier 1942
Vacheron Constantin presents new Historiques models featuring a complete calendar. A deliberately vintage look for these new models, reinterpreting the creativity and the aesthetic of the iconic timepieces born in the 1940s. © Vacheron Constantin
Sports Watch Prize
Seiko, Seiko Prospex 1968 Diver’s Re-creation
Seiko’s and Japan’s first ever diver’s watch was made in 1965. Just three years later, in 1968, Seiko’s engineers raised the bar with a hi-beat diver’s watch with 300-meter water resistance. This watch was one of the foundation stones on which Seiko’s future diver’s watch development was based. It had a 10-beat, high precision automatic caliber, a one-piece structure, a screw-down protection crown, and a uni-directional rotating bezel. © Seiko
Mechanical Exception Watch Prize
Greubel Forsey, Grande Sonnerie
Assembling no less than 935 parts, filing two patents, incorporating Greubel Forsey’s third Fundamental Invention (Tourbillon 24 Secondes), developing an acoustic resonance cage generating an extreme purity of sound, installing eleven functional safety features ensuring unparalleled intuitive ease of use, performing a three-year wearing test…This timepiece embodies the quintessence of their expertise and their ideal of horological excellence. © Greubel Forsey
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Jean-Claude Biver
President of LVMH Watchmaking division, chairman of Hublot and Zenith. © Fred Merz / Rezo.ch
Prize list 2018:
«Aiguille d’Or» Grand Prize: Bovet 1822, Récital 22 Grand Récital
«Revival» Prize : Vacheron Constantin, Historiques Triple Calendrier 1942
Innovation Prize: Krayon, Everywhere Horizon
Ladies watch Prize: Chanel, Boy-Friend Squelette
Ladies Complication Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Planétarium
Men’s Watch Prize: Akrivia, Chronomètre Contemporain
Men’s Complication Watch Prize: Laurent Ferrier, Galet Calendrier Annuel Montre Ecole
Chronograph Watch Prize: Singer Reimagined, Singer Track1 Hong Kong Edition
Chronometry Watch Prize: De Bethune, DB25 Starry Varius
Chronomètre Tourbillon
Mechanical Exception Watch Prize: Greubel Forsey, Grande Sonnerie
Sports Watch Prize: Seiko, Seiko Prospex 1968 Diver Re-creation
Jewelry Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Secret de Coccinelle
Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: Hermès, Arceau Robe du Soir
«Petite Aiguille» Prize: Habring2, Doppel-Felix
Challenge Watch Prize: Nomos Glashütte, Tangente Neomatik 41 Update
Audacity Prize: Konstantin Chaykin, Clown
Special Jury Prize: Jean-Claude Biver, President of the Watchmaking Division at LVMH, chairman of Hublot and Zenith.