All 90 Finalists for the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2024
This year marks the 24th edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), an annual competition and awards ceremony celebrating the best in the watchmaking world. As the industry doesn’t have its own Oscars or Academy Awards, the annual GPHG award show is the closest to having a grand gala to honour the industry and its peers. After significant consideration over the summer, the 980-strong GPHG Academy has determined the 90 nominated finalists for the awards show later this year.
The top 90 finalists were chosen out of over 270 watches entered this year from 146 different brands. With 15 different categories for the GPHG, each category will have six finalists. These watches will also be in the running to walk away with one of the 20 prizes awarded to the best watchmaker’s creation of the year. This also includes the highly coveted and prestigious “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix award, which went to the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4 last year.
All 90 nominated finalists will be taken on a world tour in preparation for the award night, set to take place on November 13th at the Théâtre du Léman in Geneva, Switzerland. The tour will start at the end of September, with Hong Kong being the first stop, followed by Ho Chi Minh City in mid-October, the only Southeast Asian stop of the year. New York will also host the GPHG tour of the watches the following week in October before finally making its way to Geneva for the exhibition and award show. The last on the list will be Bucharest, Romania who will introduce all the winners from GPHG 2024 in the final leg of the world tour.
Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève – Nomination Categories
In total, there are 15 categories to go over and 20 awards to be given away. We have included a round-up of all 90 nominated finalists from all 15 categories, making it six finalists per category. This ranges from ladies’ and men’s watches to mechanical exceptions, calendars and astronomy, chronographs, jewellery, and artistic crafts, just to name a few.
Keep scrolling to discover the category nominations.
GPHG 2024 – Ladies’
Of the six pieces nominated for the Ladies category, it features some notable watchmakers like Arnold & Son, Chopard, and Parmigiani Fleurier whilst famed jewellers like Fabergé, Hermès, and Van Cleef & Arpels round up the list. But it’s only the Hermès Cut that doesn’t feature any fine-cut gems on the watch whereas the other five finalists all carry a host of fine gemstones.
GPHG 2024 – Ladies’ Complications
Both Fabergé and Van Cleef & Arpels make an appearance once more in the Ladies’ category with two different floral motifs on its watches. Louis Vuitton also makes up the list with its apparent Japanese cherry blossom inspiration. ANDERSEN Geneva brought about a world timer whilst Trilobe went down the route of a moving starry sky with a moon phase and constellations. This is Chaumet’s only nomination of the award show and it went all out with a diamond-and-sapphire-filled creation.
GPHG 2024 – Time Only
As mentioned, this particular category focuses primarily on time and how it’s told with the main themes being chronometry and decoration. Berneron’s unique take on the Mirage Senna bears a resemblance to the famed Cartier Crash while the likes of Bernhard Lederer and Chopard went down a more traditional approach. Parmigiani Fleurier makes an appearance once again with another Tonda PF while Czapek introduced the Goutte D’eau (drops of water) that imitates a ripple effect. H. Moser & Cie also bathed the Streamliner Small Seconds with a blue enamel dial.
GPHG 2024 – Men’s
The men’s category for GPHG 2024 with the likes of Bulgari, Garrick, and Voutilainen featuring a partly openwork design to its watches. Parmigiani Fleurier is also featured on the list with a clean and minimalist Toric Small Seconds while Japanese watchmaker like Hajime Asaoka makes an appearance with the Tsunami “Art Deco”. Lastly, there’s Grand Seiko with its first-ever hand-wound high beat movement in 50 years while also drawing inspiration from the watchmaker’s studio surroundings.
GPHG 2024 – Men’s Complications
Much like the ladies’ category of complications, the men’s section also features some fairly complicated creations. The likes of Artya, Byrne, and Kazuo Maeda make its only appearance at GPHG. As for Chopard, they introduced the L.U.C Strike One given the collection’s rising popularity over the years while also expanding its range of watches. De Bethune’s Kind of Grande Complication is a culmination of the maker’s 22 years of innovation in terms of complication and material finishing. Lastly, there’s Franck Muller with a new evolution to its Long Island case.
GPHG 2024 – Iconic
Like the category suggests, the six finalists for the GPHG 2024 Iconic award focuses on reinterpretations if iconic watches made for contemporary collectors. This includes a throwback for Hublot with the Classic Fusion in a 29 mm yellow-gold case as well as Urwerk with the UR-102 Reloaded, which harkens back to its first few creations that was launched during Baselworld 1997.
GPHG 2024 – Tourbillon
The tourbillon category for GPHG 2024 features a diverse mix of established brands, up-and-coming independent watchmakers, as well as a relaunched brand under the LVMH group. The likes of Chopard, H. Moser & Cie, and Voutilainen are just some of the big names thrown into the ring alongside indies like Remy Cools and Sartory Billard whilst Daniel Roth makes a return under the LV banner. It’s also worth noting that both Cools and Voutilainen will be at IAMWATCH with Ken Koshiyama of Chopard and even Jean Arnault of Louis Vuitton.
GPHG 2024 – Calendar and Astronomy
Astronomy and watchmaking go hand-in-hand as time-telling instruments of the past were created to chart the movements of celestial bodies. With the emergence of smart devices over the last decade, a watch’s ability to do more than just tell time is seen as a mechanical marvel given its mastery and ability to miniaturise celestial movements to fit onto one’s wrist. Each watch offers a different perspective to how one views a perpetual calendar along with a moon phase like Parmigiani Fleurier, H. Moser & Cie, and even Anton Suhanov, who will also be at IAMWATCH in October.
GPHG 2024 – Mechanical Exception
Mechanical exception is all about how watches subvert the idea of what it can be. While the previous category explored of how calendar and astrology work well with time-telling, these six watches break the barriers of what many think a watch is with its out-of-the-box creativity to go with an unbridled passion for creating something unique. The MB&F HM11 Architect is one such example with its spaceship-like shape as well as the Ulysse Nardin Freak S Nomad, which emphasises the movement on the dial that will both tell the time and power the watch.
GPHG 2024 – Chronograph
All six watches have a different take on what a chronograph should be like with the likes of TAG Heuer, Angelus, and Massena Lab all bringing something unique to the table. Even the Louis Vuitton x Rexhep Rexhepi collaboration piece got the nod for a nomination, which was launched last year.
GPHG 2024 – Sport
These days, sport watches are built to withstand rigorous environments while still being highly functional. Most were made for a specific activity in mind, which brings us to the six nominees for the Sports category at GPHG 2024. IWC’s Pilot’s Watch is in collaboration with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team while Tudor’s Pegalos FXD Chrono “Cycling Edition” was created with its very own Pro Cycling team. Even Zenith’s Defy Extreme Diver was meant for deep sea diving enthusiasts.
GPHG 2024 – Jewellery
The jewellery category for GPHG 2024 brings extravagance to the forefront with the six finalists. The likes of Bulgari, Chopard, Damiani, Dior Montres, Gucci, and Piaget have all outdone themselves with their gem-setting expertise. Each watch has incorporated a slew of rubies, sapphires, and diamonds amongst others into its creations with the inspiration of nature in the background.
GPHG 2024 – Artistic Crafts
The name of the game for the ‘Artistic Crafts’ category is all about enamelling, gem-setting, hand-engraving, and marquetry to the highest degree. Whether it’s a hand-engraved dragon motif on the dial for Chopard, gemstones that resemble a garden under a morning sun for Van Cleef & Arpels, or the marquetry techniques of having a bamboo forest on the dial for Louis Vuitton, each finalist has been able to bring its artistic crafts to the front page.
GPHG 2024 – “Petite Aiguille”
When it comes to the “Petite Aiguille” category for GPHG, it focuses on the ‘entry-level’ aspect of high-end watchmaking. The Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT has been one such watch that many expected to be nominated for the “Petite Aiguille” award alongside Furlan Marri. Despite being relatively new to the watchmaking industry, it has already created waves in the world of watches after they released a perpetual calendar.
GPHG 2024 – Challenge
The last GPHG award category, ‘Challenge’, showcases watches retailed for CHF 3,000 or under – a competitive segment favouring creativity and lateral thinking. While all six do pose a minimalist approach, it does well when it comes to placing emphasis on either time-telling or its astronomical features. Kollokium brings forth neubrutalism with the help of Manuel Emch (CEO of Louis Erard), who will also be at IAMWATCH in a few months. The Spaceone by Théo Auffret also offers something completely different with its avant-garde aesthetic to go with its astronomical complications.
