All The Winners From the 2023 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genve (GPHG) Watch Awards

November 09, 2023

The 2023 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genve (GPHG) C the watch industry's top awards show C just wrapped up in Geneva. All the categories have been announced, including the highly coveted Aiguille d'Or, the event's top prize. This year, it helped serve as a fitting capstone for one brand's outgoing CEO.? The GPHG is the best showcase the watch world has to highlight its best and brightest. As mentioned in our preview, it's not perfect by any means. A number of important and influential watchmakers do not take part. You'll notice that there were no watches from Rolex, Swatch Group, and many Richemont brands in contention. But the GPHG is one of the few events that manages to bring together many aspects of the watch industry every year C from clocks and jewelry to watches C?to celebrate Swiss watchmaking. I wasn't in attendance, but our own Ben Clymer served on the jury this year, helping to select the winners across each of the categories. With that, here are the winners from the 2023 GPHG.? A photo Ben took before he presented an award at this year's GPHG. Looks a little different from the photo he took in 2013, right? Aiguille d'Or Winner:?Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Universelle RD # 4 Quick Take: First up is the Aiguille d'Or, essentially the GPHG's best in show across categories. This year, it went to Audemars Piguet's Code 11.59 Universelle RD #4. It's an ultra-complicated watch with 23 complications, including a Grand Sonnerie Supersonnerie, minute repeater, perpetual calendar, split-seconds flyback chronograph, and flying tourbillon. It's a stunning combination of much of the R&D we've seen trickling out of AP since 2015 when it introduced the RD#1, and the most complicated watch to ever come from the brand. It's a new generation of complicated watchmaking from AP, and the most impressive use of the Code 11.59 platform so far. What's more, it pays tribute to AP's L'Universelle pocket watch, one of the most complicated watches ever produced, from 1899. Today, the original L'Universelle sits proudly at the center of AP's Museum in Le Brassus. And tonight, the Code 11.59 Unvierselle RD #4 took center stage at the GPHG.?Check out our earlier article on the Universelle for more.? Ladies' Winner:?Piaget Hidden Treasures Quick Take: This is Piaget at its best. As I wrote in our GPHG preview, this felt like the clear standout of the category C?one that needs to better represent what women actually wear in 2023. Still, the gold work on this Piaget is truly spectacular. Each line on the bracelet is engraved by hand, which means the engravings are never uniform, giving it a beautiful, organic effect that resembles a tree's bark. Ladies' Complication Winner:?Dior Grand Soir Automate Etoile de Monsieur Dior Quick Take: As photographer Kristian Haagen pointed out when presenting this award, a complication is a complication, and it's not clear we need separate ladies' and men's complication categories. That said, it's an opportunity to recognize Dior watchmaking, something that might not happen otherwise. I'm just glad that a couple of the brands that seemed to be playing a little fast and loose with the (admittedly ambiguous) definition of ladies' complication didn't win this particular prize.? Revelation Winner: Simon Brette Chronomtre Artisans Quick Take: Simon Brette's debut as an independent deserved to be recognized. The GPHG is at its best when it's recognizing independent watchmaking, so I was excited to see Brette's Chronomtre Artisans win this year. After working with other brands, most notably MB&F, Brette broke out on his own with a subscription piece that immediately found an audience of dedicated collectors. We went hands-on with the Chronomtre Artisans earlier this year and came away impressed, so it's no surprise the GPHG awarded Brette the Revelation prize.? Men's Complication Winner:?Voutilainen World Timer Quick Take: One of the most important modern independent watchmakers surprised the industry with his introduction of a world timer inside a cushion case. It's an elegant implementation of a classic complication C?beside the world timer, it still has all the trademarks of Voutilainen, highlighted by that beautiful guilloche dial.? Iconic Watches stemming from an emblematic collection or model that has been exercising a lasting influence on watchmaking history and the watch market for more than 20 years.Winner:?Ulysse Nardin Freak One Quick Take: "We're not masters of marketing, but we know how to make watches...the Freak is a UFO," said Patrick Pruniaux, Ulysse Nardin CEO, when accepting this award. When Ulysse Nardin introduced the Freak in 2001, it helped pioneer the use of silicon in watchmaking. For this alone, it's deserving of a GPHG.? Chronograph Winner: Petermann Bdat Chronograph Rattrapante Quick Take: One of the most impressive watches I've seen this year, from young watchmakers Ga?l Petermann and Florian Bdat (here's my One To Watch with Petermann Bdat). When Ga?l accepted the award, he even admitted his voice started trembling a bit C?it's moments like this that continue to make me a believer in the importance of the GPHG, for all its faults.? Sports Watches linked to the world of sport, whose functions, materials and design are suited to physical exercise.Winner:?Tudor Pelagos 39 "Sports" was a new category for 2023, and for its inaugural winner, the GPHG chose the nominee with the most commercial appeal. The Tudor Pelagos 39 beat out competition from Chopard, Gronefeld, and others. It's a watch we've loved at least since James took it out for A Week On The Wrist and a worthy winner.? Petite Aiguille Retail price between CHF 2,000 and CHF 8,000.Winner:?Christopher Ward Bel Canto Quick Take: A striking watch under $4,000. This was an easy choice C?congrats to Christopher Ward. Challenge Watches with a retail price under CHF 2,000.Winner:?Raymond Weil Millsime Automatic Quick Take: "Do watches at that price still exist?" The night's emcee joked when introducing the Challenge prize for watches under CHF 2,000. ?In a bit of a surprise, the Raymond Weil Millsime Automatic beat out nominees, including Nomos, Seiko, and Studio Underd0g. Raymond Weil is a brand often slept on by enthusiasts C?including here at Hodinkee, if we're being honest C so perhaps a GPHG award will change that.? A Few More Winners... Those are some of the biggest categories, but there were a few more winners on Thursday evening in Geneva. Here are the rest of the timepieces and watchmakers that took home a GPHG award in 2023: Artistic Crafts: Piaget Altiplano Mtiers d'Art - Undulata Jewelry: Serpenti Cleopatra Calendar & Astromony: Bovet 1822 Rcital 20 Astrium Tourbillon: Laurent Ferrier Grand Sport Tourbillon Mechanical Exception: Hautlence Sphere Series 1 Mechanical Clock: L'Epe 1839 Time Fast II Chrome Chronometry: Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomtre FB 3SPC Best Young Student: Killian Douglas Special Jury Price: Svend Andersen and Vincent CalabreseEdit (11/10): An earlier version of this article stated that Simon Brette won the men's prize. In fact, Brette's Chronomtre Artisans won the Horological Revelation prize, while Ferdinand Berthoud won the Chronometry prize. No prize was awarded in the Men's category.