by Ian Skellern
While it’s all hands on deck for the Quill & Pad team preparing for Watches & Wonders next week, a recent email from the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) was a reminder that the red carpet event in November is already fast approaching.
Tim and Bart Grönefeld lifting Maximilian Büsser in celebration at the 2022 GPHG
As GPHG Academy members, GaryG, Joshua Munchow, and myself have been asked to nominate watches for later consideration by the Academy and the jury in selecting the six finalists in each category.
While we spend much of our lives immersed in the world of watches, we don’t know of everything out there and there may well be, and are likely to be, gems that we are not aware of. So please send us your suggestions and recommendations for watches in the 15 categories below.
Please note that only timepieces commercialized after May 2022 and at the latest by end of October 2023 are eligible to take part.
The 2023 GPHG categories are:
Ladies’: women’s watches comprising the following indications only – hours, minutes, seconds, simple date (day of the month), power reserve, classic moon phases; and potentially adorned with a maximum 9-carat gem setting.
Ladies’ Complication: women’s watches that are remarkable in terms of their mechanical creativity and complexity. These watches may feature all kinds of classic and/or innovative complications and indications (e.g. annual calendar, perpetual calendar, equation of time, complex moon phases, tourbillon, digital or retrograde time display, world time, dual time or other types of model) and do not fit the definition of the Ladies’ and Mechanical Exception categories.
Men’s: men’s watches comprising the following indications only – hours, minutes, seconds, simple date (day of the month), power reserve, classic moon phases – and potentially adorned with a maximum 9-carat gem setting.
Men’s Complication: men’s watches that are remarkable in terms of their mechanical creativity and complexity. These watches may feature all kinds of classic and/or innovative complications and indications (e.g. world time, dual time or other types of model) and do not fit the definition of the Men’s and Mechanical Exception categories.
Iconic: watches from an emblematic collection that has been exercising a lasting influence on watchmaking history and the watch market for more than 20 years.
Tourbillon: men’s mechanical watches comprising at least one tourbillon. Additional indications and/or complications are admissible.
Calendar and Astronomy: men’s mechanical watches comprising at least one calendar and/or astronomical complication (e.g., date, annual calendar, perpetual calendar, equation of time, complex moon phases display, etc.). Additional indications and/or complications are admissible.
Mechanical Exception: watches featuring a special mechanism, such as an innovative or sophisticated display, an automaton, a striking or any other acoustic function, a special escapement, a belt-driven movement or featuring another original and/or exceptional horological concept.
Chronograph: mechanical watches comprising at least one chronograph indication. Additional indications and/or complications are admissible.
Sports: this has replaced the Diver’s Watch category and the rules haven’t been published as yet, but you can take a good guess. Pick which Tudor will win this year.
Jewelry: watches demonstrating exceptional mastery of the art of jewelry and gem setting, and also distinguished by the choice of stones.
Artistic Crafts: watches demonstrating exceptional mastery of one or several artistic techniques such as enameling, lacquering, engraving, guilloché (engine-turning), skeleton-working, etc. I’m looking forward to seeing which watch by Kari Voutilainen will win here this year.
Petite Aiguille: watches with a retail price between CHF 3,500 and CHF 10,000. Smartwatches are admissible in this category.
Challenge: watches with a retail price equal to or under CHF 3,500. Smartwatches are admissible in this category.
Mechanical Clock: mechanical time-measuring instruments, such as longcase clocks or table clocks. Wristwatches are not allowed in this category.
Send us your suggestions in the comments below. We have until the 20th of April to make our submissions, so you can update your suggestions after Watches & Wonders next week.
For more information, please visit www.gphg.org/horlogerie/en
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I highly recommend the Terra Luna from Ketelaars Watches for the Calendar and Astronomy category. That is one stunning piece!
Thank you for the suggestion, I wasn’t aware of Ketelaars and will check them out.
Regards, Ian
As good as it is—this pieces is a few years old at least…
“ commercialized after May 2022 and at the latest by end of October 2023”?? There must be a mistake here…
No mistake Maciej, it just means that the watches should have had their first deliveries between 1st of June 200 and 31st of October 2023.
Regards, Ian
I’m sorry I don’t understand… it’s an odd period, not covering 12 months. Also, how can you make your submissions by April if watches up until October are eligible?
Time periods don’t exclusively have to be 12 months Maciej. Brands might launch a watch at Watches & Wonders in March, but that doesn’t mean that you can buy one then. They have until October to get the watch on the market to qualify for the GPHG.
Regards, Ian
Thank you forthe explanation of not very logical rules;-) i will surely make some suggestions!
I really wish any swatch group watches could win this year. I highly recommend for sport watch nominee to be the either Longines Zulu or Ultra-Chron. Then petite aguille award nominee to be either Omega CK859 or Longines Sector Black, then for the challenge is the Tissot PRX Powermatic80. Probably for men’s watch nominee it’ll be the akrivia or rexhepi watch. For chronograph I would say that I was split between the split second Peterman Bedat or Gronograph by gronefeld.
All good choices. Unless another sensation chronograph launches next week or in the coming months, the Peterman Bedat is looking like the one to beat.
The Grönefeld Gronograaph won best chronograph last year.
Regards, Ian
Without checking the dates of commercialising particular timepieces but based on their introduction dates, and trying hard to stay with actually “new” watches, my suggestions are…
Aguille d’Or: for me it should be the Omega Speedmaster Super Racing Spirate. Why? Becaus it is important in the very key area of watchmaking: accuracy, and in a very wearable package.
Men’s: Grand Seiko 44GS Spring Drive Asaborake SBGY011; it won’t win, I know. But to me it represents a wonderfully exectuted time telling piece, focusing on functionality and beauty. It is indeed beautiful, simple, yet powerful and subtle at the same time. Very versatile. And interesting with the Spring Drive tech. For me a perfect men’s watch, that’s exactly what it is.
Men’s Complication: Omega Chrono Chime Watches With Chronograph Repeater.
Tourbillon: Audemars Piguet Onyx/Ceramic Code 11.59 Flying Tourbillon. Well, tourbillons on wristwatches make no sense. This category makes no sense. So instead of looking for the most amazing multiple tourbillons flying freely and rotating on x number of axis, I ike this one–just because it lets you focus on the tourbillon, as simple as that.
Mechanical Exception: Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari; I am not after records at all (well, records in accuracy in horology are what I am after, actually) but this RM represents a revolutionary approach to designing watches and movements, totally out of the box. Omega’s Spirate scores high too but I would give it the top prize. Ressence watches also deserve awarding for their ingenuity.
Chronograph: The De Bethune DB Eight Chronograph Monopusher. Although Petermann Bedat Split-Seconds will probably take it.
Sports: Rolex Deepsea Challenge RLX Titanium. Again, I am not after records, but no doubt this is impressive (although I prefer the Omegas Ultra Deep, but that was a year before).
Artistic Crafts: Credor GBBY983. Amazing craftsmanship.
Petite Aiguille: Oris Big Crown Calibre 473. Iconig, historically rooted soul and design, yet modernised, with an interesting in-house movement. For me one of the coolest watches around (although I prefer the colour scheme of the 403 from the year before)
Challenge: watches with a retail price equal to or under CHF 3,500. Smartwatches are admissible in this category.
King Seiko 39mm. Seiko Porspex GMT. Seiko ENAMEL SPB393. Longines Record Heritage.
Any further suggestions, perhaps, after W&W…
So far the only two additions I’d add as a result of 2023 Watches and Wonders are:
Men’s complication: Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante
Chronograph: Lange Oddyseus
So here would be a couple of mine lol
1. Mens
– LYH- 8 Automatic Planet (new watch)
– geoffrey Roth (no new watch that i can tell)
– Bexei (has a new watch that just came out)
– Yosuke Sekiguchi Le Locle (released this year)
– Anton Suhanov Racer (released this year)
2. Sports
– Romain Gauthier Titanium Edition (released this year)
3. Artistic Crafts
– Kees Engel Barts black diamond case (released this year)
– RGM Terra Nova (released this year)
– Credor GBBY983
4. Petite Aiguille
– Tutima GMT (released this year)
– Garrick S6 (released this year)
– Schaumberg Moonphase (released this year)
– aleksandr nesterenko watches (released a new orange one)
5. Tourbillon
– Hodinky Berkus Tourbillon (released this year)
6. Ladies Complication
– Van Cleef Heures Florales ( I am not sure)
7. Jewelery
– Grand Seiko White Lion
8. Chronograph
– Louis Moinet Chronograph
Dear Ian, great timepass every year. I like to suggest the following:
PETITE AIGUILLE:
Stefan Kudoke, Kudoke 3
Carl Suchy & Söhne Belvedere
Sartory Billard SB07
MECHANICAL CLOCK:
Miki Eleta Horse Race Clock no. 41 (2023)
Naeschke Table Clock MK1 Eternity
LADIES’ COMPLICATION:
Arkhea Minute Tourbillon by Shona Laine
MECHANICAL EXCEPTION
Van Cleef & Arpels Éveil du Cyclamen Automaton
Van Cleef & Arpels Floraison du Nénuphar Automaton
ARTISTIC CRAFTS:
Van Cleef & Arpels Éveil du Cyclamen Automaton
Van Cleef & Arpels Floraison du Nénuphar Automaton
Parmigiani Fleurier Rose Carrée (colour series)
MEN’S:
Junge Prestige, Junge Uhrmacher Dresden
Lyrique, Etude No. 2
MEN’S COMPLICATION:
De Bethune DBD Digitale Season 2
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante
JEWELLERY:
Van Cleef & Arpels Ludo Secret Watch
CALENDAR AND ASTRONOMY:
Parmigiani Fleurier Platinum Cultural Calendar, Chinese Calendar
DIVERS:
Tudor Black Bay 54
ICONIC:
IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40
Bulgari Octo Roma
LADIES’:
Hermès Arceau WOW
as far as I can see it today : )
Be well, Thomas