by Ian Skellern

Welcome to the 2015 edition of Quill & Pad’s early Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) predictions in which we pick our favorites and explain why.

Our panelists are:

Ian Skellern (IS), co-founder and technical director

Joshua Munchow (JM), resident nerd writer

GaryG (GG), resident collector

Nancy Olson (NO), resident pen expert and watch journalist

Note: as a GPHG jury member, Quill & Pad editor-in-chief Elizabeth Doerr is excluded from these predictions.

According to the GPHG’s rules, the Jewellery watches should demonstrate exceptional mastery of the art of jewellery and gemsetting, and also distinguished by the choice of stones.

Pre-selected Jewellery watches in the 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève

IS: I find the Jewellery category to be the most difficult to judge by images alone. While I can make an educated guess as to how most watches will feel, I cannot do the same with high-end jewelry, and static photos do not convey the animation and movement in many of these pieces. Please take my comments with a sack of salt.

JM: The Jewellery category of the 2015 Grand Prix is the hardest for me to choose from. Not because I don’t know what I like (I definitely have favorites), but because out of every pre-selected timepiece, only one is mechanical. And, sadly, that one is not one of my favorites. For this reason I have to choose on style and craft alone, which is still impressive, but it mostly leaves the horology out of my calculations.

Piaget Extremely Piaget Double Sided Cuff Watch (front)

Piaget Extremely Piaget Double Sided Cuff Watch

IS: My vote goes to the Piaget Extremely Piaget Double Sided Cuff Watch because it both looks interesting and I imagine that it will feel quite pleasing as well. I’ve not much else to say because, while it appears to be covered in hundreds – if not thousands – of diamonds, there is no mention of their quality or quantity in the information provided.

It may be worth putting a bit more effort in the submission process next time, Piaget.

Piaget Extremely Piaget Double Sided Cuff Watch (back)

GG: Piaget calls it audacious in the description, and it is certainly that! The retro 1970s styling really works, in my view, and having both opal and onyx dials ready to show on a moment’s notice is a very clever idea. It gets my vote for runner-up.

JM: It is my second runner-up, Gary. I loved the style and period grace of the Extremely Piaget Double Sided Cuff Watch. Having two dials of different materials is an awesome way to make one piece of jewelry into a versatile accessory. Plus, the skeleton-style cuff covered in snow-set diamonds reminds me of a delicate spider web glistening with frost in the late-fall morning sun. It is seriously a stunning and “simple” piece from Piaget.

Quick Facts Piaget Extremely Piaget Double Sided Cuff Watch
Case: 23 x 24 x 6.5 mm, white gold
Movement: quartz, caliber not specified
Functions: hours, minutes
Gem-setting: amount of diamonds not specified; opal dial with diamonds on one side; onyx dial on the other side
Limitation: one unique piece
Price: 250,000 Swiss francs

Fabergé Summer in Provence Multicoloured Sapphire

Fabergé Summer in Provence Multicoloured Sapphire

NO: I think this watch is a gorgeous example of various artisanal techniques, such as enameling and stone setting. Fabergé somehow managed to pull all the colors, textures, and different gemstones into a beautiful and summery floral tableau without making the watch look busy.

I really like the way the case and dial décor spills onto the bracelet. I admit that I gave this watch high marks for having a mechanical movement − the only one in the Jewellery category. This is a trend that I plan to continue to support.

Fabergé Summer in Provence Multicoloured Sapphire

IS: I would have liked to have been able to place the Fabergé Summer in Provence Multicoloured Sapphire as my number one pick, especially given Piaget’s paucity of information. But while I love the fun party atmosphere of the Summer in Provence, the colors of those pastel green stripes and pastel blue acorns (at least they look like acorns to me) just don’t work for me.

I’d like bright colors all over, and the tamer hues of the green and blue soften the impact of what may have been. While this shouldn’t be counted officially, I cannot help but give the Summer in Provence Multicoloured Sapphire extra points for having a nice Vaucher mechanical movement, especially as all of the other pre-selected watches are quartz-powered.

For more background on Fabergé’s rebirth and jewelry watches, please see Fabergé Inaugurates Rebirth With Exceptional Lady Compliquée.

Quick Facts Fabergé Summer in Provence Multicoloured Sapphire
Case: 37 x 11.7 mm, white gold
Movement: automatic Vaucher caliber
Functions: hours, minutes
Gem-setting: diamonds, emeralds, Paraiba tourmalines, and pink and blue sapphires; mother-of-pearl flowers, grand feu enamel, turquoise
Limitation: 5 pieces
Price: 290,000 Swiss francs

Audemars Piguet Diamond Punk

Audemars Piguet Diamond Punk

NO: When I first saw it, I wasn’t sure I liked this watch since it’s so bold and out of the box. But after thinking about it a while, those are the very same reasons why I fell in love with it.

GG: This is a sensational watch from a technical perspective with 7,848 snow-set diamonds (count ҆em!) and a non-traditional form. It gets my vote as second runner-up

NO:I t’s very much in keeping with the brand − if not in looks, then in its independent spirit. The 56 pyramid facets are designed to conjure punk-style studs or the Alpine peaks of the Les Brassus region where Audemars Piguet is situated − or both, depending on one’s orientation.

But what I think is truly amazing is that it is set with more than 8,000 diamonds on the dial, and case and takes about 1,500 hours to make. That’s a lot of commitment of time and resources. I love secret watches, and though this piece is a little more substantial than what I normally gravitate toward, it still beautifully qualifies and it gets my vote for first runner-up.

GG: But if there can be such a thing as “too diamond-y,” Nancy, this monochromatic presentation may just slip over into that space. The diamond-and-onyx version comes closer, but that’s not the one nominated here, and, for me, the overall presentation is a bit bulky to begin with and the large black surfaces don’t quite do the trick.

Audemars Piguet Diamond Punk

JM: My winner for the jewelry category is something that I love for its boldness in style and the function of its engineering. My winner is the Audemars Piguet Diamond Punk watch.

It stands as the most encrusted of the group by far with 7,848 diamonds in 56 pyramid facets around the cuff plus another 300 diamonds on the dial. It awesomely has a hidden dial with a secret panel that slides out of the way to reveal the time. This piece is simply mesmerizing, and it has attitude. I admire that from something usually designed to be classy. Simply incredible, and deserving of the top prize!

Quick Facts Audemars Piguet Diamond Punk
Case: 44 x 30 x 12.2 mm, white gold cuff
Movement: quartz, caliber not specified
Functions: hours, minutes
Gem-setting: 7,848 snow-set diamonds on case; 300 snow-set diamonds on secret dial
Price: 702,000 Swiss francs

De Grisogono Grappoli

GG: Technical merits of the jewel work aside, for me it’s really important in this category that the final appearance be striking without being too much; and I love the look of this watch! And it combines snow-setting in the central sectors with a halo of moving briolette sapphires on the perimeter to make for a stunning show.

de Grisogono Grappoli

IS: My third pick has to be for the de Grisogono Grappoli. And just to let you know how flaky and un-educated my thought process is for this category, there is absolutely zero I like about the Grappoli from the photos provided.

But, I had the pleasure − and it honestly was a pleasure − of handling a similar watch at Baselworld this year and I loved the way the outer fringe of jewels were supported on thin “stalks” that swayed to and fro. I found it very tactile, and that’s something to look out for in a jewelry watch.

Quick Facts de Grisogono Grappoli
Case: 36 x 11.6 mm, white gold
Movement: quartz, caliber not specified
Functions: hours, minutes
Gem-setting: 980 brilliant-cut diamonds and blue sapphires, 70 moving briolette-cut sapphires (73 cts total)
Limitation: one unique piece
Price: 150,000 Swiss francs

Bulgari MVSA High Jewellery Watch

NO: This small, bejeweled cocktail watch is very much on trend, since we’re seeing more smallish and sparkly high-jewelry pieces lately, and it is my second runner-up. What I find so intriguing is the variety of stones and sizes and cuts that somehow work together so cohesively on the case and articulated bracelet.

This is an obvious tribute to the Bulgari artisans who designed and produced this one-of-a-kind piece. It’s said to be inspired by the ancient architecture of Greece and Rome, but I’m sure it didn’t go unnoticed that it’s also designed in the colors of the Italian flag!

Quick Facts Bulgari MVSA High Jewellery Watch
Case: 15.8 x 15.8 x 8.4 mm, white gold
Movement: quartz, caliber not specified
Functions: hours, minutes
Gem-setting: not specified
Limitation: one unique piece
Price: 1,100,000 Swiss francs

Chaumet Joséphine Aigrette Impériale

JM: My first runner-up is what I believe to be the most classically feminine watch in the bunch, for the woman who carries herself with well-earned grace. That piece is the Chaumet Joséphine Aigrette Impériale.

Chaumet Joséphine Aigrette Impériale

Wrapping around the wrist seductively in loops of diamonds, the watch rests, slightly tear-dropped, in a very peaceful manner. It does not scream out for attention, yet it pulls you in with impeccable diamond settings and flowing movement that enhance the sparkle of the almost 1,400 stones.

I would picture this watch gracing the wrist of many important women, including its namesake.

Quick Facts Chaumet Joséphine Aigrette Impériale
Case: 24 x 8.23 mm, white gold
Movement: quartz, caliber not specified
Functions: hours, minutes
Gem-setting: almost 1,400 diamonds (more than 17 cts)
Price: 269,500 Swiss francs

Predicted Winners

Ian: Piaget Extremely Piaget Double Sided Cuff Watch

Nancy: Fabergé Summer in Provence Multicoloured Sapphire

GaryG: de Grisogono Grappoli

Joshua: Audemars Piguet Diamond Punk