It’s once again high time that world’s most prestigious luxury companies gather to present their best watches in the hope of nabbing one of the coveted prizes at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève – GPHG).
Created in 2001 by two watching making enthusiasts, the Foundation of GPHG highlights and yearly rewards the most remarkable contemporary creations, as well as promote the art of watchmaking worldwide. Each year, elite representatives of the profession present their finest creations, with the distinguished “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix best-in-show award.
It has been dubbed the industry’s equivalent of the Oscars, and this unmissable event is a celebration of the watchmaking industry and its players.
“These are the Oscars of the watchmaking industry,” has confirmed GPHG president Raymond Loretan. “The GPHG is affirming its faith in the ability of watchmakers, wherever they may be, to unite and chart their future together.»
«We select the best.”
And the best is what we’re getting.
For its 22nd edition, 90 nominated timepieces, including 84 watches and 6 clocks, are vying to be regonised as the best in the 15 categories – which include Ladies, Men, Calendar and Astronomy, Jewellery and this year’s new Mechanical Clock category.
The competing models have taken a pitstop in New Delhi, India, and Casablanca, Morocco, and are being shown to the public at the Musée Rath in Geneva from 2 to 20 November, where the public will be able to admire the models, as well as take part in free guided tours and introductory workshops on watchmaking.
A symphony of mechanisms
From TAG Heuer to Hermès, Bulgari to Zenith, the selection is a symphony of mesmerizing mechanisms ticking along with grace, elegance and style.
The eventual trophy winners will be selected by a jury of 30 personalities from the world of watchmaking and the arts, helmed this year by historian, author and journalist Nick Foulkes.
“As in previous years, this Jury brings together a wide range of opinion and expertise, from across the watch industry as well as the wider cultural landscape,” said Foulkes. “I believe that the GPHG is increasingly important as a focus for international attention on the watch industry, both within the borders of Switzerland and beyond, while reaffirming the Geneva’s position as the global capital of horology in the 21st century.”
The standouts in this year’s selection are to numerous to mention.
However, several models have caught our eye.
The multi-nominated Swiss manufacturer Audemars Piguet has a grand total of five nominated watches, in both the Ladies’ and Men’s Complication sections, as well as the Iconic, Tourbillon and Artistic Crafts shortlists.
«It is an honour to see that five of our timepieces were selected by the Jury across different categories illustrating specific expertise and skills,» the company shared with Euronews Culture.
The nominations are clearly a huge honour for brands all of kinds, and Audemars Piguet are at the forefront of the nominees this year.
Whether it’s their highly stylised Code 11.59 model, limited to 50 pieces, which interweaves 18-carat white gold with blue ceramic, the gorgeous contemporary design that encases the openworked movement of their Royal Oak “Jumbo” in the Iconic selection, or the brand’s new selfwinding ultra-thin flying tourbillon movement developed over a five-year period for their Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Ultr-Thin model in the Ladies’ Complication section, Audemars Piguet’s selection is indeed a sight to behold.
«Audemars Piguet is proud to participate in such a watchmaking rendezvous, which pays tribute to the exceptional Swiss savoir-faire that has driven our industry for centuries,» they told Euronews Culture.
One particular model that mesmerizes in their selected timepieces is their one-of-a-kind timepiece Code 11.59 Grande Sonnerie Carillon Supersonnerie, which boasts a multifaceted 18-carat white gold case decorated with a dedicated guilloché motif realised by Swiss engine-turning artisan Yann Von Kaenel.
Von Kaenel has reportedly reinterpreted the acoustic tonality of the chiming watch with an undulating design that evokes sound waves. To add to the mesmeric effect, the guilloché dial has been hand-finished by Swiss enameller artisan Anita Porchet with translucent enamel in graded shades of blue to animate the guilloché motif’s shimmering plays of light with each movement of the wrist.
Original offerings and the return of an icon
Elsewhere, certain designs strike a very original note.
Russian watchmaker and inventor Konastantin Chaykin’s Ladies’-selected timepiece is named Harley Quinn, after the DC Comics universe character, and reproduces the clownish features of the infamous supervillain…
Gelfman’s retro-futuristic IN-16 Nixie model in the “Petite Aiguille” shortlist looks like an explosive device that might starts its countdown to detonation, with its retro Nixie tubes that brings the aesthetic of the Cold War era to the 21st century.
And then there’s the playful, 100-pieces limited series offering from Hublot, selected in the Artistic Crafts selection. The Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow has at its colourful center a three-dimensional smiling flower with rubies, sapphires and amethysts forming the petals. Best of all, the petals turn under the watch crystal and bring the flower to life.
But the one anomaly this in this year’s GPHG shortlist comes from Girard-Perregaux.
Founded in 1791, Girard-Perregaux is one of the oldest fine watchmaking manufactures still in operation in Switzerland today, and even for an industry veteran who has won GPHG’s highest award, an inclusion in the shortlist at this year’s GPHG remains a cause of celebration.
«It is a great honour to have been selected by such a prestigious competition, which we have had the chance to win several times in the past, especially the Aiguille d’Or in 2013 for the Girard-Perregaux Constant Escapement LM – And we hope to win again this year!,» the company told Euronews Culture.
And they may stand a good chance…
The aforementioned anomaly is Girard-Perregaux’s Casquette 2.0, in the Iconic selection.
Standing out from the more lavish designs of its peers, this iconic model feels like a blast from the past and a welcome homecoming because of the retro feel of its design.
«The Casquette was a revolutionary watch when it came out in 1976, a time when there was total freedom of expression in design, both in shape and form.»
«The Girard-Perregaux Casquette had a completely new, never seen before shape. It didn’t look like your traditional watch, and could be worn as a stylish accessory. In some way, it redefined what a wristwatch could be.»
The original Casquette model was only produced during a two-year time frame (between 1976 and 1978). During that period, Girard-Perregaux made 8200 examples of this innovative quartz watch, rare models that have since become collector’s items. The originals spoke to the emerging trend of using LED and digital displays that represented a radical break with the convention of two- and three-handed analog watches.
«Moreover, the Casquette was not only a stylistic feat, but carried a technical importance too with its unique digital tubular display and a level of movement miniaturization that was unheard of at the time.»
And now, this quirky piece of watch history is back, with the new, more functional model upholding the design language of the original but now encased in ceramic and Grade 5 titanium. And what better way to welcome home an icon than at GPHG, surrounded by the industry’s finest creations?
«It became iconic ever since and influenced other products in the category. Its impact can also be measured by the success of the reissued Casquette 2.0 when launched back in February this year.»
The company continues to have high hopes for the model and their status within the industry.
«The high watchmaking industry is living through a virtuous circle: demand is high, and the supply is limited to the capacity of production, which is hardly flexible given the level of craftsmanship that goes into our products,» the Girard-Perregaux spokesperson said to Euronews Culture.
«From a product perspective, sports watches with a vintage flair are still all the rage, but classic and dressiers designs with a strong character are making a comeback. There is also a high demand for steel-on-steel watches with integrated bracelet.»
Well, it doesn’t get more vintage and exciting than the Casquette 2.0… And the pandemic and its aftermath may have had some influence in explaining its popularity.
«Creativity in the watch industry, and especially at Girard-Perregaux, is an inexhaustible resource driving us every day. However, the pandemic has brought everyone back to a certain sobriety. People want to focus on the essentials by buying watches with timeless design, that are iconic or that carry a strong tie to the brand’s DNA.»
Stopping time with prestige
As you can tell, winning a GPHG trophy – much like winning an Oscar – is no small thing.
Time and stands still, and whether it’s pride in seeing a manufacturer’s work rewarded, the opportunity to market one’s product with one of the industry’s highest distinctions or peer recognition, Geneva has nothing to envy Hollywood when it comes to prestigious awards.
The glitzy 2022 prize-giving ceremony takes place on Thursday 10 November at the Théâtre du Léman in Geneva. After which, the winning watches of the 2022 edition will travel to Zurich at the end of the month for a private presentation in collaboration with FGP Swiss & Alps, the main partner of the GPHG for the past three years.
They will finally be exhibited for the first time in New York, from 1 to 4 December, in partnership with Watches of Switzerland.
The prize-giving ceremony will be broadcast live on Euronews on 10 November.