Grand Prix D’Horlogerie De Genève 2021 Winners

That’s right ladies and gentlemen! It’s that time of the year again. No, not time to start rummaging through the attic for your Christmas decorations, please do yourself the favor and leave that until at least the end of November. What I’m talking about is the Oscars of the watch world, the Grand Prix D’Horlogerie De Genève (GPHG). This year, a total of 84 watches were selected, with six different watches going head-to-head in 14 different categories with a total of 19 different prizes up for grabs. In case you didn’t know, the event has just taken place — if you’re reading this, you missed it! But not to worry, here at Fratello we’ve put together a list of all the winners along with the official description of the categories where required.

Grand Prix D’Horlogerie De Genève

All the way from Geneva, the results slowly start to make their way around the world. The champagne has been uncorked, the afterparty is well underway, and unless you are lucky enough to have been there, you won’t yet be aware of who snapped up the prizes. So let’s change that! Now that you know how the awards work, thanks to RJ’s explanation article (which you can find here), it’s time to take a look at the winners of this year’s GPHG.

“Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix — Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar

Ladies’ — Piaget Limelight Gala Precious Rainbow

Ladies’ Complication — Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Féerie Watch

Men’s — Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 80 Hours Caliber 9SA5

Men’s Complication — MB&F LMX Titanium

Iconic — Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin

(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 — De Bethune DB Kind of Two Tourbillon

Calendar and Astronomy — Christiaan Van Der Klaauw CVDK Planetarium Eise Eisinga

Mechanical Exception — Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic

(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 any other original and/or exceptional horological concept.)

Chronograph — Zenith Chronomaster Sport

Diver’s — Louis Vuitton Tambour Street Diver Skyline Blue

Jewelry — Chopard Flower Power

Artistic Crafts — MB&F LM SE Eddy Jaquet “Around the World in Eighty Days”

(watches demonstrating exceptional mastery of one or several artistic techniques such as enameling, lacquering, engraving, guilloché (engine-turning), skeleton-working, etc.)

“Petite Aiguille” — Tudor Black Bay Ceramic

(watches with a retail price between CHF 3,500 and CHF 10,000. Smartwatches are admissible in this category.)

Challenge — CIGA Design Blue Planet

(watches with a retail price equal to or under CHF 3,500. Smartwatches are admissible in this category.)

Innovation — Bernhard Lederer Central Impulse Chronometer

(This prize rewards the best competing watch offering an innovative vision of time measurement (in terms of technique, design, materials, etc.) and opening up new development pathways for the watchmaking art. This prize is discretionary, the Jury will decide whether there are grounds for awarding it in 2021.)

Audacity — Louis Vuitton Tambour Carpe Diem

(This prize rewards the best competing watch featuring a non-conformist, offbeat approach to watchmaking. It is intended to foster creative audacity. This prize is discretionary, the Jury will decide whether there are grounds for awarding it in 2021.)

“Horological Revelation” — Furlan Marri MR. Grey Ref. 1041-A

(This prize rewards a competing watch created by a young brand (less than ten years of existence since its first model was commercialized). It may also reward the mechanical creation of a young talent, in the event that none of the competing watches should be considered worthy of receiving this prize. This prize is discretionary, the Jury will decide whether there are grounds for awarding it in 2021.)

Special Jury Prize — Dubai Watch Week

(This prize rewards a personality, institution, or initiative that has played a fundamental role in promoting high-quality watchmaking. It cannot be awarded to a watch, nor to a brand as such. This prize is discretionary, the Jury will decide whether there are grounds for awarding it in 2021.)

Final Thoughts

And there you have it! The theater is empty, the red carpet rolled up, and the winners have taken their awards to the afterparty and are likely already three flutes deep at the very least: cheers to the winners!

What did you think of this year’s award-winning watches? Were the worthy contenders for the corresponding categories? Which watches would you have liked to see make the cut? Let me know in the comments below.

For more information check out the Grand Prix D’Horlogerie De Genève site here.