Chopard, Bvlgari and Parmigiani were big winners, with two prizes each, at the 17th annual Grand Prix D’horlogerie De Genève (GPHG), the world’s most prestigious watch awards show, held in Geneva early last month. A high-powered jury, consisting of 28 multi-disciplinary experts of various nationalities and from diverse backgrounds, chose the winners in 15 categories from 72 pre-selected watches, after a road show across Milan, Mexico, Taipei and Dubai. The Chopard L.U.C Full Strike was the overall winner, bagging the prestigious Gold Needle prize.
Chopard L.U.C Full Strike – Winner
Chopard’s first minute repeater also celebrates the brand’s 20th anniversary of its founding. The watch chimes the hours, quarters and minutes on transparent crystal gongs. It comes in a 42.5 pink gold case and is powered by a manual-winding mechanical movement. The power reserve is 60 hours.
Chanel Premiere Camelia Skeleton – Ladies Watch of the Year
The diamond studded skeleton watch, whose rectangular shape is inspired by the famous Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle, celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Première range. Its distinctive manual winding mechanical Calibre 2 movement is positioned to resemble a Camellia flower. The 28.5 x 37mm white gold case comes in two versions, one with 104 brilliant-cut diamonds and 4 baguette-cut diamonds, and another with 42 baguette-cut diamonds and 52 brilliant-cut diamonds. The power reserve is 48 hours.
BVLGARI Octo Finissimo Automatic – Men’s Watch of the Year
The slimmest ultra-thin self-winding watch ever created is the third
in the series of Bulgari’s world record breaking timepieces, after the
slimmest tourbillon in 2014 and slimmest minute repeater in 2016.
The 41 x 46 mm octagonal titanium case is just 5.15 mm thick, while
the self-winding movement, Calibre BVL 138, only 2.23mm thick. The power reserve is 60 hours.
Parmagiani Fleurier Tonda Chronor Anniversaire – Chronograph of the Year
This watch, which celebrates Parmigiani’s 20th anniversary, features the world’s first integrated chronograph, which for years has been the Holy Grail for high-end watch makers and horologists. The manually wound movement includes a chronograph with a split second function and a large date, all on the same main plate. It comes in a 42.1 mm pink gold case. The power reserve is 65 hours.
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Skeleton – Tourbillon And Escapement Watch Prize
The skeleton version of the world’s slimmest tourbillon, introduced in 2014, comes in a 42.57 x 46 mm octagonal platinum case which is just 5 mm thick. The movement with its openworked tourbillon delivers a 52-hour power reserve.
Greubel Forsey QP À Équation – The Calendar Prize
This perpetual calendar combined with an equation of time is the product of seven years of research and development. The two faces of the dial display 15 indications including leap year, 24 hour day and night, day of the week,large date, month, chronometric 72-hour power reserve, equation of time with the months, seasons, solstices and equinoxes, as well as the calendar year. Comes in a 43.5 mm grey gold case. Power reserve of 72 hours.
Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Hemisphères Rétrograde – Travel Time Watch Prize
This ultimate traveller’s timepiece incorporates two time zones correct to the nearest minutes and allows any two locations to be paired. Locations with half-hour or quarter-hour difference can also be paired with full hour times set from GMT. Featuring a knurled bezel, the signature feature of the Toric family, the 42.8 pink gold case is similar to first watch designed by Michel Parmigiani in 1996. The self-winding movement has a 50 hour power reserve.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Celestia Astronomical Grand Complication 3600 – Mechanical Exception Watch Prize
This twin dial tourbillion features 23 astronomical complications on the front and back dials allowing time to be read in three modes – civil, solar and sidereal. These include perpetual calendar, day/night indication, precision moon phase, age of the moon, running equation of time, sunrise and sunset time, day and night length, seasons, solstices, equinoxes and zodiacal signs, tide level indicator, sun-earth-moon conjunction, transparent sky chart of the northern hemisphere with indication of the Milky Way, hours and minutes of sidereal time etc. Comes in a 45 mm white gold case. The manual-winding movement has a staggering 504 hour power reserve.
Ulysse Nardin Marine Regatta – Sports Watch Prize
Created in partnership with the Swedish Artemis Racing team the company’s official partner for the 35th America’s Cup, this watch which was developed with expert advice of famous yachtsmen Loïck Peyron and Iain Percy is targeted at professional sailors who race in regattas. It combines a traditional chronograph function with a flyback chronograph and a split-second chronograph. Comes in a 44 mm steel case and is powered by a self-winding mechanical movement. Power reserve of 72 hours.
Chopard Lotus Blanc Watch – Jewellery Watch Prize
Set with 25.66 carats of white diamonds, this limited edition lotus shaped watch combines high jewellery with high horology. Its petals sparkle as if dotted with dewdrops and open in one smooth move, while the flowing bracelet composed of fine rows of diamonds evokes the undulating waters on which the flower bobs gently up and down. The petals gracefully open up and slip back into slumber when needed like the lotus itself. Comes in a 26.75 mm platinum and titanium case. The bracelet strap is made from grey gold.
Longines Aviation BigEye – Revival Watch Prize
This reissue is based on a chronograph design from the 1930s. Its aesthetic harks back to the great age of aviation with a minute counter, and push buttons that was created to be handled by pilots wearing gloves. Comes in a 41 mm steel case. The self-winding mechanical movement has a power reserve of 54 hours.
Zenith Defy Lab – Innovation Prize
The revolutionary new ZO 342 automatic movement of this watch does away the conventional means of regulating a timepiece using a balance and hairspring assembly in favour of a single 0.5 mm high Zenith-Oscillator made from high-tech material monocrystalline silicon coated with a layer of silicon oxide, and located beneath the dial. The usual 31 part assembly has thus been replaced by the two part oscillator. The absence of conventional mechanical couplings eliminates contact, friction, wear, slack, lubrication, assemblies and dispersions which improves its performance to a level where Zenith calls it the most precise mechanical watch in the world. The 50 mm case is made from another high-tech material which is said to be the world’s lightest aluminium composite: 2.7 times lighter than titanium, 1.7 times lighter than pure aluminium and even 10% lighter than carbon fibre composite. 60 hour power reserve.
