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The GPHG Awards 2020
The GPHG Awards 2020 - Copyright GPHG
Copyright GPHG
Copyright GPHG

Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève 2020: Award winners in full

By Euronews
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Taking place against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, the winners of the 2020 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève awards gathered in Switzerland on Thursday to celebrate the art of watchmaking.

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For 19 years, the prestigious Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) has celebrated a centuries-old master craft: watchmaking.

While the skills of watchmakers have evolved and consolidated over that time, the same dedication to form, design and craftsmanship through often thousands of hours of painstaking work has remained a constant for these artisans throughout history.

First founded in 2001, the annual GPHG awards, dubbed the industry's 'Oscars', give a platform to the intricate art of watchmaking and reward the contemporary creativity and innovation of horologists from around the world.

This year's event was no exception. Here's what you need to know ahead of this year's awards ceremony in Switzerland.

The ceremony

The socially-distanced event went ahead as planned in Geneva on Thursday, November 12, 2020, with just the winners present so as to minimise the risk of spreading the coronavirus. Balloons took up places in the auditorium of Geneva's Théâtre du Léman where other nominees and guests would normally have sat.

The ceremony itself was live-streamed and can be watched back if you missed it in the media player above.

Not only tempered slightly by the ongoing pandemic, the event also took a different form this year with the creation of an expanded jury to adjudicate the winners of the annual awards. Instead of the usual 20 to 30 judges, there is now an academy of some 350 industry experts, as of this year, involved in the selection and judging of hundreds of timepieces launched and marketed over the course of the year. For the first time, too, the academy could also nominate entries as opposed to watch brands submitting them.

The trophy

Crafted by renowned Swiss graphic designer, Roger Pfund, whose design credits also include the Swiss passport and a series of Swiss and French banknotes, winners take home the now-iconic gilded bronze hand trophy. The inspiration behind its design is two-fold: Michelangelo's famous Creation of Adam fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the importance of skill and mastery, two skills associated with watchmaking which has for hundreds of years been done by hand.

The winners

Below are the winners and all 84 nominated timepieces which were vying for a gong on Thursday evening. Judges were tasked with choosing a winner from among six showstopping finalists in each of the 14 award categories, ranging from luxury men's and ladies' timepieces to diving watches and chronographs, as well as the grand prize for the best in show, the "Aiguille d’Or".

Click here for more information on the designs and specifications of all the individual watches nominated in the awards shortlist below. Click on the videos below to admire the fine detail of the six entries in each category up close.

Ladies'

  • Beauregard, Lili
  • WINNER: Bovet 1822, Miss Audrey
  • Chanel, Mademoiselle Privé Bouton perle
  • Dior Montres, Dior Grand Bal Ruban
  • Hermès, Arceau Petite Lune Sprinkling of diamonds and sapphires
  • Piaget, Limelight Gala Precious Sapphire Gradient
I have to tell you I have been invited and then I said to myself if one of our timepieces is recognised and admitted, it's going to be an honour on behalf of all the artisans.
Pascal Raffy
President of Bovet 1822, winner of the Ladies’ Watch Prize 2020

Ladies' complication

  • Bulgari, Serpenti Seduttori Tourbillon
  • WINNER: Charles Girardier, Tourbillon Signature Mystérieuse « fleur de sel »
  • Jacob & Co, Astronomia Fleurs de Jardin Rainbow
  • Maurice Lacroix, Masterpiece Embrace
  • Piaget, Altiplano Tourbillon
  • Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Ballerine Musicale Diamant

Men's

  • Bulgari, Octo Finissimo S Blue Dial
  • De Bethune, DB28XP Starry Sky
  • Laurent Ferrier, Classic Origin Green
  • Petermann Bédat, Dead beat second
  • Romain Gauthier, Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium® Edition
  • WINNER: Voutilainen, 28SC
For us, its very special. I didn't expect at all and I'm very happy to have a prize in this category which I think is a very tough category in a way because most of the manufacturers are doing gentleman's watches so I'm very proud of it.
Kari Voutilainen
Owner and watchmaker, winner of the Men’s Watch Prize 2020

Men's complication

  • Bovet 1822, Récital 27
  • De Bethune, DB28XP Tourbillon
  • Girard-Perregaux, Quasar Light
  • WINNER: Greubel Forsey, Hand Made 1
  • Hermès, Slim d'Hermès GMT
  • MB&F, HM10 Bulldog Ti

Iconic

  • Breitling, Chronomat B01 42
  • WINNER: Bulgari, Aluminium Chronograph
  • Girard-Perregaux, Laureato Infinity Edition (42mm)
  • IWC Schaffhausen, Portugieser Chronograph
  • Piaget, Altiplano Origin Automatic
  • Seiko, Professional Diver's 1000M
It's extraordinary because this watch is not only an icon, as it was designed for the first time 25 years ago, but it was revived because of COVID as we felt we needed to create something very new, very special, breaking the rules, a very strong pedigree watch.
Jean-Christophe Babin
CEO of Bulgari, winner of the Iconic Watch Prize 2020.

Chronometry

  • Armin Strom, Gravity Equal Force Stainless steel
  • Bernhard Lederer, Central Impulse Chronometer
  • Brivet-Naudot, Eccentricity
  • WINNER: Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud, FB 2RE.2
  • H. Moser & Cie, Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon H. Moser X MB&F
  • Theo Auffret, Tourbillon in Paris
It's definitely a ray of light. It's definitely a great and positive moment. Also, the fact that this event even took place - because no body was sure of anything this year - so of course, yes, it gives a positive inspiration for the months to come.
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele
President of Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud, winner of the Chronometry Watch Prize 2020

Calendar and Astronomy

  • Behrens, Apolar
  • Chopard, L.U.C Perpetual Twin
  • IWC Schaffhausen, Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide
  • Parmigiani Fleurier, Hijri Perpetual Calendar
  • Sarpaneva Watches, Lunations Harvest Moon
  • WINNER: Vacheron Constantin, Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton
This prize is very important for this is the fourth prize we are winning four years in a row so it's a very important prize. But it's also a very important prize because [the watch] symbolises what we are trying to do. It means balancing innovation with traditional high watchmaking.
Louis Ferla
CEO of Vacheron Constantin, winner of the Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize 2020

Mechanical Exception

  • Armin Strom, Minute Repeater Resonance
  • WINNER: Bovet 1822, Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter 2
  • Jacob & Co, Bugatti Chiron
  • MB&F, Legacy Machine Thunderdome
  • Piaget, Altiplano Ultimate Concept
  • Ressence, Type 2A
I am very touched as it the continuity of an idea I got in 2015 to have astronomical timepieces always 100 per cent always made in-house... and we mix together the art of engraving and to decorate every single timepiece. So, very honoured for the artisans.
Pascal Raffy
President of Bovet 1822, winner of the Mechanical Exception Watch Prize 2020

Chronograph

  • Atelier de Chronométrie, Split-seconds chronograph
  • Breitling, Top Time Limited Edition
  • WINNER: H. Moser & Cie, Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic
  • Kurono Tokyo by Hajime Asaoka, Kurono Chronograph 1
  • Louis Moinet, Memoris Superlight
  • Parmigiani Fleurier, Tondagraph GT Steel Black
It's special to win because it's the first time we win, so it's already special. The chronograph is a master complication, very complex, and to create something unique and different is not easy... This really shows the achievement of that watch.
Edouard Meylan
CEO of H. Moser & Cie, winner of the Chronograph Watch Prize 2020

Diver's

  • WINNER: Breitling, Superocean Automatic 48 Boutique Edition
  • Doxa, SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung US Divers
  • Grand Seiko, 9RA5 Professional Diver's 600M
  • MING, Ming 18.01 H41
  • Reservoir, Hydrosphere Bronze x Revolution "The Maldives Edition"
  • Ulysse Nardin, Diver X Cape Horn
I was invited so I expected to win but I did not expect to win twice. I'm very happy because really all our new products were elected; perhaps we've done a lot over the last three years. And it's again, a sign that not only consumers are supporting and appreciating our work, but also suppliers, journalists and I would say the professional world in the watch industry.
Georges Kern
CEO of Breitling, winner of the Diver’s Watch Prize 2020

Jewellery

  • Bulgari, Serpenti Misteriosi Intrecciati
  • Chopard, Magari
  • Dior Montres, Dior Grand Soir Reine des Abeilles
  • Jacob & Co, The Mystery Tourbillon Full Ruby
  • Piaget, Limelight Gala High Jewellery Black Opal
  • WINNER: Van Cleef & Arpels, Frivole Secrète watch

Artistic Crafts

  • ANDERSEN Genève, Jumping Hours 40th Anniversary
  • Bovet 1822, Amadéo Tourbillon Squelette 7 Jours
  • Dior Montres, Dior Grand Bal Plume
  • Hermès, Arceau Into the Canadian Wild
  • Jacob & Co, Astronomia Sky Phoenix
  • WINNER: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Soleil Féerique

"Petite Aiguille"

  • Bell & Ross, BR 05 Skeleton
  • WINNER: Breitling, Superocean Heritage '57 Limited Edition II
  • Habring2, Chrono Felix Panda
  • IWC Schaffhausen, Portugieser Automatic 40
  • Sarpaneva Watches, Sarpaneva x Moomin
  • Trilobe, Secret
I think it's a confirmation of the work which we've been doing since three years. You know, there's a new management in place and of course when there's a transformation process, there's always at the beginning a little bit of skepticism and doubts. I am very proud of the team who did that and who were successful in implementing our ideas.
Georges Kern
CEO of Breitling, winner of the "Petite Aiguille" Prize 2020

Challenge

  • Behrens, Rotary
  • Breitling, Endurance Pro
  • Kurono Tokyo by Hajime Asaoka, Kurono Anniversary Green ‘森:Mori’
  • Louis Erard, Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein
  • MING, Ming 27.01 Ultra Thin
  • WINNER: Tudor, Black Bay Fifty-Eight
It means a lot for the company, recognition for what we do daily. For us in Geneva, for all the workers in the factory, it's a very nice prize to receive and to be recognised as the winner of this Challenge category.
Roland Enderli
Tudor Watches commercial director, winner of the Challenge Watch Prize 2020

Horological Revelation Prize

  • Gaël Petermann and Florian Bédat, Co-founders of Petermann Bédat

Young Student of the Year Prize

  • Romain Labat

Audacity Prize

  • H. Moser & Cie

Innovation Prize

  • Parmigiani Fleurier

"Aiguille d’Or" Grand Prix

  • Piaget
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