On Wednesday, November 13, 2024, the watchmaking event of the year took place in Geneva: the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) awards ceremony. With an atmosphere as grand as the tradition itself – glittering lights and a palpable sense of anticipation in the room – French actress Carole Bouquet guided the evening with charm. The jury, led by Nick Foulkes and joined by the GPHG Academy, honored the very best that horology has to offer. A musician accompanied each prizewinner as they took the stage, which I hadn’t seen before. It was a strange mix of amusing and moving, with reactions that ranged from thumbs-up to dancing along.

The crowning moment was the awarding of the “Aiguille d’Or” to IWC Schaffhausen for their “Portugieser Perpetual Calendar” – a true triumph, and you could feel the pride rippling through the room. The awards for Berneron, Bernhard Lederer, Bovet 1822, and, of course, Van Cleef & Arpels and Chopard, also met with enthusiastic applause. My personal highlights of the evening were Kudoke’s Salmon 3 in the Petite Aiguille category, Kari Voutilainen’s KV20i Reversed, and, to be honest, I could go on and list the entire night’s lineup…

One of the most touching moments was when the special jury prize went to Jean-Pierre Hagmann, a legendary case maker who has become an icon in his field over decades of meticulous craftsmanship. There were definitely some misty eyes in the crowd, as it was clear how alive watchmaking’s history felt in that moment. His acceptance speech was both impressive and endearing – he took a full ten minutes to list all the watch brands he’s crafted cases for, including nearly every name even a non-watch enthusiast would recognize. A memorable and heartwarming moment.

The 90 nominated timepieces, including the 20 winners, are on display at the Musée Rath in Geneva until November 17. For those who don’t make it there in time, the pieces will be showcased at the Central University Library in Bucharest from November 21 to 23.

More insights and photos from the evening are, of course, available on the official website www.gphg.org, including the full event video. And a small mystery remains: why is Sylvain Pinaud without an award in the photos? Hopefully he hasn’t lost it…;-)

Here you will find a more emotional summary of the 2024 GPHG.

The official List:
•   “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix: IWC Schaffhausen, Portugieser Eternal Calendar
•   Audacity Prize: Berneron, Mirage Sienna
•   Eco-innovation Prize: Chopard, L.U.C Qualité Fleurier
•   Chronometry Prize: Bernhard Lederer, 3 Times Certified Observatory Chronometer
•   Horological Revelation Prize: Rémy Cools, Tourbillon Atelier
•   Iconic Watch Prize: Piaget, Piaget Polo 79
•   Tourbillon Watch Prize: Daniel Roth, Tourbillon Souscription
•   Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize: Laurent Ferrier, Classic Moon Silver
•   Mechanical Exception Watch Prize: Bovet 1822, Récital 28 Prowess 1
•   Chronograph Watch Prize: Massena Lab, Chronograph Monopoussoir Sylvain Pinaud x Massena Lab
•   Sports Watch Prize: Ming, 37.09 Bluefin
•   Men’s Complication Watch Prize: De Bethune, DB Kind Of Grande Complication
•   Men’s Watch Prize: Voutilainen, KV20i Reversed
•   Time Only Watch Prize: H. Moser & Cie, Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel
•   Jewellery Watch Prize: Chopard, Laguna High-Jewellery Secret Watch
•   Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté
•   Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Brise d’Été
•   Ladies’ Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Jour Nuit
•   Petite Aiguille Watch Prize: Kudoke, 3 Salmon
•   Challenge Watch Prize: Otsuka Lotec, No.6
•   Special Jury Prize: Jean-Pierre Hagmann