Winners Take it All: Presenting the Champions of GPHG 2023

Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) 2023 awards drew to an end at Théâtre du Léman in Geneva, Switzerland, last night. The ceremony felicitated the best watches and watchmaking from 2022-23. Raymond Loretan, President, GPHG, delivered the opening statement. Winners in all categories were announced. Top honours went to Bovet 1822, Bvlgari, Christopher Ward, Dior Montres, Ferdinand Berthoud, Hautlence, L’Epée 1839, Laurent Ferrier, Maison Alcée, Petermann Bédat, Piaget, Raymond Weil, Simon Brette, Tudor, Ulysse Nardin, and Voutilainen.

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The highly coveted “Aiguille d'Or” Grand Prix, the event's top prize, ended up in the very deserving hands of one of the most popular luxury watchmakers ―Audemars Piguet, for the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4 watch. Svend Andersen and Vincent Calabrese were awarded the Special Jury Prize, which honours an outstanding personality or institution in the watchmaking world, for the AHCI. Let's now take a quick look at the individual winners chosen by the 2023 jury and the 847-member GPHG Academy. Put your hands together for:

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GPHG Awards Winners 2023

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‍Sports Prize: Tudor Pelagos 39

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The Tudor Pelagos 39 is an everyday sports watch, one that has held sway for a decade now as the peak of Tudor's diving watch prowess.  The Pelagos 39 is a titanium dive watch that measures 39 mm and gets a simple, black-dial design. It is run by a COSC-certified chronometer movement with 70 hours of power reserve and a frequency of 4 Hz.

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Challenge Watch Prize: Raymond Weil Millésime Automatic Small Seconds

The 39.5 mm stainless steel watch (Ref. 2930-STC-65001) is silver-sectored and has a 60-seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. The grey dial moves from mid-grey at the centre of the dial to deep grey near the perimeter. Powering the watch is a self-winding mechanical movement, Calibre RW4250, delivering a 38-hour power reserve. Finishing the watch is a grey leather strap with a pin buckle.

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Petite Aiguille: Christopher Ward London C1 Bel Canto

Limited to 300 pieces, this 41 mm titanium watch gets a subdial at 12 o’clock on its Azzuro Blue sunray-brushed dial. Pressing the pusher at 4 o’clock allows the wearer to switch off the chime that is displayed on the red indicator on the dial. The timepiece is powered by the Sellita SW200-1 base movement, which provides a 38-hour power reserve. 

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‍Iconic Watch Prize: Ulysse Nardin Freak One

Freak ONE comes in a 44 mm black DLC-coated titanium case with a satin finish, which is complemented by a rose gold bezel. The watch has no dial, no hands, and no crown. Time is read via an orbital flying one-hour carousel. The watch's movement allows time-setting through the bezel and winding through the caseback. It is powered by the UN-240 Manufacture movement, delivering a 90-hour power reserve.

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Chronograph Prize: Petermann Bédat Chronographe Rattrapante

The watch comes in a 38.6 mm round platinum case with individually soldered stepped lugs while the rectangular rattrapante pusher is positioned at 10 o’clock. It features two large registers and a minute track on its periphery. Powering the watch is the calibre 202 with a 42-hour power reserve. The watch is finished on a leather strap with a platinum pin buckle.

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Ladies Watch Prize: Piaget Hidden Treasures

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The oval turquoise dial remains half-hidden by the gold work of the bracelet that appears to grow over the case. It is hand-engraved with different patterns and textures, emblematic of Piaget’s expertise in the art of engraving and of its dedication to Métiers d’Or. The 27 mm pink gold watch is powered by a quartz movement and is finished on a pink gold bracelet. 

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Ladies Complication Watch Prize: Dior Montres Grand Soir Automate Etoile de Monsieur Dior

This 38 mm gold watch, limited to 28 pieces, gets an automaton complication. Here, by activating the automaton, the sky of the diorama becomes a theatre of true enchantment. A shooting star comes to life and glides to the horizon. The diamond-set stars appear and disappear infinitely behind the engraved mother-of-pearl clouds. The timepiece gets a mother-of-pearl dial and a quartz movement.

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Jewellery Prize: Bulgari Serpenti Cleopatra

The Serpenti Misteriosi Cleopatra is the incarnation of the iconic snake by Bvlgari from 2021. The pink gold cuff watch is bedecked with amethysts, citrines, aquamarines, rubellites, chrome tourmalines, tanzanites, and peridots, totalling 88.30 carats; these are topped up with close to 4,000 diamonds. A dial is concealed under a slice of cherry bright rubellite.

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Artistic Crafts Prize: Piaget Altiplano Métiers d'Art - Undulata

Limited to only eight pieces, this 41 mm white gold watch incorporates green, blue, and iridescent hues into one hypnotic dial.  This timepiece includes several layers of wood, straw, and leather, patiently assembled by hand to create a mesmerising effect. It is run by the signature Piaget flying tourbillon manufacture movement. The manual winding movement gives it 55 hours of power reserve.

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Men’s Complication Watch Prize: Voutilainen World Timer

This 39 mm stainless steel timepiece gets a rounded square-cushion case with short lugs. The dial gets a guilloché  pattern and also a world time complication that is dear to the Finnish watchmaker ― there are 24 engraved divisions matching the world time sectors. The centre displays a delicate wave motif. The world time function relies on a rotating 24-hour disc with day and night sectors. Powering the Voutilainen CSW is the calibre 216TMZ, which offers a power reserve of 60 hours. 

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Calendar and Astronomy Prize: Bovet 1822 Récital 20 Astérium

This 46 mm white and red gold watch gets a mechanism wherein the time is defined by the position of the stars in the sky. It features a host of graduations linked to the astronomic indications through which a single central hand travels. This hand is driven directly by the annual calendar and therefore, it performs a complete rotation once every 365.25 days. The manual winding movement gives it a 10-day dower reserve.

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Tourbillon Prize: Laurent Ferrier Grand Sport Tourbillon Pursuit

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This  44 mm grade 5 titanium watch gets satin-brushed elements, embellished with numerous mirror polishes. The dial gets a salmon pink tone with an opaline finish. The pink hues contrast with darker drop-shaped applied indices in white gold, treated with ruthenium and enhanced with white Super-LumiNova. Powering the watch is the manual winding calibre LF619.01, offering 80 hours of power reserve. Finishing the watch is a titanium integrated bracelet with a folding clasp.

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Mechanical Clock Prize: L'Epée 1839 Time Fast II Chrome

The calibre, displaying hours and minutes on the dual air filters feeding the V8’s two banks of carburetors, has an eight-day power reserve and a 2.5 Hz escapement that is visible under the driver’s helmet. The Time Fast II clock, shaped as a Ferrari, is inspired by the racing sports cars of the 1960s. The clock has two movements (one for time and another for the engine automate). 

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Men’s Watch (Horological Revelation)Prize: Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans

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The 39 mm watch has a case, lugs and a crown made of zirconium. The dial gets the hand-engraved "dragon scales", minute marking on the outer periphery of the dial, and a seconds wheel between 45 and 50 minutes. There are flame-blued steel hour and minute hands. Powering the watch is the manual-winding mechanical movement with  72 ±5 hours of power reserve. The watch is finished on a leather strap with a pin buckle.

Chronometre Watch Prize: Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 3SPC

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This is a cylindrical balance-spring chronometer, certified by the COSC. Appearing at 9 o'clock are the three main escapement organs – the balance wheel, the pallet lever and the escape wheel. The seconds counter is at 6 o’clock while the power reserve indicator rests at 2 o’clock. The watch comes in a 42 mm, 18 ct white gold case. Powering the watch is FB-SPC, a manual winding movement with 72 hours of power reserve. The watch is completed on an alligator leather strap with an 18 ct white gold pin buckle.

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Mechanical Exception (Innovation) Prize: Hautlence Sphere Series 1

This 28-piece limited edition of the Sphere Series 1 uses the signature mechanism of telling time with a playful and spectacular spherical jumping hour/retrograde minute display. This 50.8 mm watch gets satin-finished and polished bezel, case, and crown. Under the dial lie a freewheel and a snail cam, allowing the triggering of the jumping hour. Powering the watch is the manual winding mechanical movement A80, offering 72 hours of power reserve.

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Audacity Prize: Maison Alcée Persée Azur

The Persée table clock consists of 233 components, 169 of which must be carefully assembled by an apprentice clockmaker. Only the regulating organ is pre-assembled, providing a unique opportunity to bring each and every detail to life. Each part is machined to produce exceptional surface finishes. The 100 mm x 161 mm stainless steel and yellow gold clock is powered by a manual winding movement with a 300-hour power reserve.

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Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix: MB&F passed on this award to Audemars Piguet Code 11.59

The 42 mm pink gold watch is the very first AP ultra-complicated self-winding wristwatch. It has a beige dial and black chronograph counters. This stupendous timepiece uses 40 functions, including 23 complications, among which one can find a Grande Sonnerie Supersonnerie, a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar, a split-seconds flyback chronograph, and a flying tourbillon. Making its debut is the “secret” gold caseback as well. Powering the watch is the self-winding Calibre 1000 with 60 hours of power reserve.