The 2024 list presented by Carole Bouquet (exit Edouard Baer who has become unfrequented) therefore crowns IWC with its famous Golden Needle for its Portugieser Eternal Calendar model – which entered the Guinness World Records – and which presents itself as being the “most precise moon phase wristwatch in the world” with a theoretical difference of only one day in 45,361,055 years!
The Little Needle returning to Stephan Kudoke for his 39 mm steel Kudoke 3 watch (around 10,000 euros) which offers an unconventional time reading.
While the minutes are traditionally displayed by the large central hand in blued steel, the hour indication is placed on a plate fixed and divided into three sections. The time is indicated using a three-pronged hour hand – each branch of different length running between the two dials. This Petite Aiguille is an excellent choice.
For the rest. Some good surprises but also and above all, again and again, watch brands in the shape of chestnut trees (Piaget, Van Cleef & Arpels, Laurent Ferrier, Bovet or De Bethune) which are regulars at this GPHG.
Be careful, it's not that they are not deserving, far from it, but among the dozens and dozens of brands present on the market how can the general public understand that every year, the same big names in the watch industry are once again rewarded by the GPHG!
The Women's Watch Price returns to Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Jour Nuit (still as poetic of course, but whose concept is not really new). In this context, the Arnold & son or the new Hermès (watch more accessible to the greatest number of people, more “general public”) would not have been unworthy of this price.
The Women’s Complication Prize returned -again- to Van Cleef & Arpels for its Lady Arpels Brise d’été… And two for VCA! Here again, other (more?) interesting brands were in the running: the very beautiful Andersen Genève Sakura x BCHH or even the Chaumet Swing or the Trilobe The Exquisite Hour Secret!
The Price of Iconic Watch returns this year to Piaget for its Polo 79, a relaunch of the famous Polo from the 80s and a watch – this time mechanical – but which has managed to retain all the spirit of the original model in a very beautiful way. The Breitling Navitimer could also have legitimately claimed the title.
Furthermore, given this selection of six watches, we can wonder about the notion of a watchmaking icon? Indeed, a watch can only become iconic after years and years of marketing and after having established itself on the market as an essential timepiece. Which is not necessarily the case for certain pieces.
The Men's watch price goes to Kari Voutilainen for his KV20i Reversed. A great victory for one of the most adored and talented watchmakers of his generation even if, for this type of reward, it would perhaps be more judicious to elect a more “mainstream” and less exclusive timepiece…
The Men’s Complication Prize goes to De Bethune, a regular at the GPHG, for his DB Kind Of Grande Complication (400,000 euros).
However, the Byrne would have fully deserved a spotlight from the jury for its Meca Gyro Dial which, moreover, does not exceed 30,000 euros! More concretely, this Byrne changes dial every day. In fact, every evening at midnight (or on request), the four indexes at 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock and 12 o'clock transform and change face.
The Prix Time Only was awarded to a Moser Streamliner. Why not but we would have preferred the Czapek Goutte d’or or the Tonda PF Microrotor no date.
The Whirlpool Prize was awarded – quite rightly – to the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription imagined, developed and designed by the Fabrique du Temps in Geneva in 20 examples plus a prototype. The piece is simply extraordinary and fully deserves this award. Moreover, Mr Daniel Roth “himself” admitted when he saw this model that he could not have done better!
The Sartory Billiard SB06-24HM “La Nuit” wasn’t bad either.
The Price of the Calendar and Astronomy watch was awarded to the Laurent Ferrier Moon Silver (another GPHG regular…). A pretty watch with the most classic design and complications. The Chronotop Anton Suhanov or the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar would not have been unworthy.
The Chronograph Price returns to the Sylvain Pinaud x Massena Lab Monopusher Chronograph. Nothing to say. The choice is ultra-coherent and the piece is beautiful and technical. It is also a great success for Sylvain Pinaud, watchmaker in Sainte-Croix, who fully deserves this award.
The Price of the watch Sport returns to the Ming 37.09 Bluefin, a compressor-type diver waterproof to 600 meters… Surprising choice, but hey. In this case, the Singer Reimagined Divetrack, much more disruptive and a real diving instrument, would have fully deserved this award.
We also find among the big winners, Chopard for the Jewelery Watch Price for its Laguna Secret Watch (the Gucci G-Timeless Planetarium was nevertheless interesting) and Van Cleef & Arpels (a third award this year for the same collection of watches, namely the Lady Arpels) for the Artistic Crafts Watch Prize.
As for the Eco-Innovation Prizeof the importance of an ecological guarantee today, it is awarded to Chopard and its LUC Qualité Fleurier model in Lucent Steel, a recycled steel, the use of which by the manufacture dates back several years. So nothing really new!
The Audacity Prize returns to Berneron for its Mirage Sienna, one of the most (d)astonishing watches of the year with its case and its shaped caliber. A pure success as much aesthetic as mechanical and commercial since this watch is only available on a waiting list with a production of twelve watches per year. We love it.
The Challenge Watch Prize returns to the Japanese Otsuka Lotec with their No.6 model with retrograde minutes and hours in a 42.6 mm steel case housing a modified Miyota caliber for less than 2,500 euros! A very nice discovery that comes to us from the Land of the Rising Sun in an accessible price range. Ultra-consistent.
The Chronometry Prize returns this year to the Lederer Triple Certified Observatory watch, a 44 mm steel model with a refined design whose manual winding caliber – as its name indicates – is triple certified in addition to the COSC: by the Besançon Observatory in France , by the Glashütte Observatory in Germany and by the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland. No doubt possible. If any watch deserved this award this year, it’s this Lederer!
The Exceptional Mechanics Prize returns to Bovet 1822 for its Récital 28 Prowess 1 and the Prix de la Watchmaking Revelation to Rémy Cools, a young French watchmaker (cocorico) for his Tourbillon Atelier in 39 mm platinum sold by subscription.
Note that there was no Mechanical Clock Prize this year. Too bad, it's a section which presents different and very often innovative things.
To finish, the Special Jury Prize goes to Jean-Pierre Hagmann, an octogenarian who has created cases for the biggest names (Audemars Piguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe) and who is today a partner at Akrivia.
In the end, a GPHG 2024 (90 watches selected for 57 brands) with very good things and good choices in different price and style ranges (Kudoke, Daniel Roth, Berneron or Otsuka Lotec…) but overall, still a little disappointing due to the redundancy of certain brands.
Like last year, and like the year before… This list leaves a lot of big names in watchmaking on the side of the road to reward often and always the same ones… No watch from the Swatch Group for example. Is this normal?
Jean-Philippe Tarot
