The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) Academy has just announced the 90 timepieces shortlisted from a competitive pool of 273 entries, representing 146 brands in this year’s prestigious watchmaking competition. These exceptional watches, divided into 15 categories, are vying for one of the 20 coveted awards, including the illustrious “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix, the highest honor in horology.

Revolution Editors Celine Yap, Cheryl Chia, and Felix Scholz pick their favorites.

Contest is stiff in the Mechanical Exception, Calendar and Astronomy, and Tourbillon categories

Revolution’s Technical Expert Cheryl Chia calls out the shortlisted watches in these categories as the ones to watch. “The most compelling category is undoubtedly the Calendar and Astronomy, where there are three exceptional contenders — IWC’s Portugieser Eternal Calendar, the H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Chinese Calendar, and the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar — each of which could have claimed victory in any other year.” For instance, the Tonda PF Hijri QP has been exceptionally built to calculate the 30-year cycle with abundant years and common years — a specificity that complies with the Tabular Islamic calendar. Cheryl explains the entire mechanism in her article here.

“They all represent very honorable solutions to three different types of calendars but the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar takes the cake — not just for its record-breaking moon phase but the breakthrough required to design a secular mechanism that can be implemented into an existing perpetual calendar module,” she continues. “Despite having a relatively low part count — just 8 — arriving at this solution involved a major leap in thinking, a breakthrough, in other words, rather than a series of small, incremental advances.”

Group Editor-in-Chief Celine Yap notes that the Tourbillon category this year is brimming with remarkable contenders. “That Chopard L.U.C Flying Tourbillon is in a word: star-eyes-emoji. And the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription? SO BEAUTIFUL. Sartory Billard’s first tourbillon also made the cut, and that makes us really happy for the brand. But somehow, it is Rémy Cools’ Tourbillon Atelier that I found most mesmerizing. It is utterly devoid of unnecessary flourishes and yet delivers superb finishing in all the right places. You’ve got to love that single bridge obviously polished and bevelled by hand.”

Refreshing and surprise entries in the Ladies’ and Ladies’ Complication categories, while it’s all about “more is more” for Jewellery watches 

The Ladies’ category at the GPHG has traditionally celebrated bejeweled timepieces and delicate small complications, making the Hermès Cut a refreshing addition as the only daily wear timepiece. Says Yap, “The Cut as a completely new offering with global appeal makes it a strong contender in this category, but not without heavy competition from the yellow gold Chopard Alpine Eagle with a turquoise dial and the diamond-set rose gold Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF.”

When it comes to the Ladies’ Complication category, Yap notes that the Andersen Geneve x BCHH Sakura world timer is a surprising and intriguing entry in the same category. “Primarily because it is not a typically feminine watch,” she explains. “But this is precisely why it stands out. Because women’s watches don’t always have to be frilly and fancy. So it might well be the dark horse versus the hot favorite which is certainly Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Brise d’Été.”

“In the Jewellery category, the most subdued aesthetic comes from Piaget’s extra-large cut diamond, rubies and sapphires Aura High Jewellery watch. But get over the bling and you’ll appreciate how Bvlgari created an absolute work of art in the Fenice High-Jewelry Secret Watch with articulated gem-set feathers — and hands up if you’re in awe over that 9.78-carat Paraiba tourmaline.”

Van Cleef & Arpels’ Lady timepieces find nominations across three categories

Nominations from Van Cleef & Arpels, Piaget, Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, and Chopard make up 20% of the pool, with Chopard dominating with six standout timepieces. However, Van Cleef & Arpels boast three ladies’ timepieces in the Artistic Crafts, Ladies’, and Ladies’ Complication categories, the latter represented by the Lady Arpels Brise D’Été Watch. “Van Cleef & Arpels is always a big favorite for Ladies’ watches but Lady Arpels Brise d’Été in the Ladies Complication category will dominate much of the spotlight for the maison,” says Yap.

Adds Chia, “It is an exceptional piece of high craft and watchmaking that wears its complexity ever so lightly. The movement is highly unusual — the automaton mechanism is powered by a separate barrel and gear train that is implemented on the periphery of a tiny automatic base movement with a full, circular gold rotor. At the end of the gear train is a centrifugal governor which regulates the speed at which the butterfly and flowers move.”

Men’s Complications category is down to a mixed bag of major players and microbrands

“Here, we see Chopard, De Bethune and Franck Muller competing with the likes of ArtyA, Byrne and Kazuo Maeda, and that makes it so challenging to pick a favorite,” says Yap. “De Bethune’s DB Kind of Grande Complication is everything we love about the indie watchmaker yet it’s hard to argue with the gorgeous white gold L.U.C Strike One with gold hand-guilloché dial. If this prize went to either of the other nominees, I would be quite surprised — but pleasantly surprised, because come on who doesn’t like a good “upset”?

The Artistic Crafts category is a universe of its own with an exemplary showcase of metiers d’art

The pool encompasses the stunning marquetry work of Louis Vuitton’s Escale Cabinet of Wonders Snake’s Jungle, the precise miniature painting and champlevé work in Hermès’ Arceau Chorus Stellarum, the mind-boggling mosaic-like weave between malachite, chrysoprase, engraved white gold and diamonds in Piaget’s Glowing Weave watch that Yap describes “offers so much texture and subtle volumes”. Let’s also not discount the excruciatingly detailed engraving work of the Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 Year of the Dragon. In contrast, the absolutely discreet black jade stone of the Jumping Hours by Andersen Genève is pared back in perfect minimalistic fashion. 

“Andersen Genève is a maverick in the Artistic Crafts category, as their signature Jumping Hours returns with a stunning Black Jade dial that stands in striking contrast to the richly detailed pieces crafted by all the other nominees,” quipped Yap. “Once again, the honor of being the hot favorite goes to Van Cleef & Arpels as the Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté features three innovative forms of enameling including gem-set on enamel — cue mind-blown emoji.”

Top picks from the Time-Only, Iconic, and Challenge categories are affordable innovations and timeless classics

The Challenge category, reserved for timepieces priced under 3,000 CHF, consistently impresses with its blend of quality and innovation, proving that groundbreaking design doesn’t always require a hefty budget. Says Australia Editor-in-Chief, Felix Scholz, “The Furlan Marri Disco Verde is a solid choice from the crowd-pleasing brand, and the Tellurium from Spaceone is a remarkable amount of watch for the money. The Otsuka Lotec No. 6 has a wonderful artisanal feel and a distinct aesthetic thanks to the retrograde display, but my pick is the Projekt 01 from kollokium, the creative collaboration between Manuel Emch and Amr Sindi (AKA The Horophile).”

“It’s a bold choice for the GPHG to name a category after one of the most-abused words in watches, but the Iconic category is all about celebrating models that have a lasting influence (of over 20 years) on the market,” continues Scholz.

Among the contenders are classics like the newest Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute and the IWC Big Pilot Markus Bühler, beloved by collectors for its unique turbine design. “The heavy hitters in this category have to be the literally heavy Piaget Polo 79 and the sophisticated makeover of the Louis Vuitton Tambour, though it would be cool to see the Urwerk UR-102 Reloaded take home the prize.”

As the tides of fashion begin to drift away from the dominance of sports watches, there’s a renewed appreciation for dressier timepieces, making this the perfect moment for the Time Only category to shine. With its emphasis on the purity of design, this category is drawing attention from discerning collectors. 

“Parmigiani Fleurier’s honey-dialed Tonda PF is an attractive option, and the Donze Cadrans dial of Czapek’s Goutte d’eau is a wonder, but for me the clear standout is the delightfully off-center debut from Berneron — the Mirage in Sienna,” says Scholz.

Chia shares the same sentiments, saying, “Berneron’s Mirage is a masterclass in shaped watchmaking. It might be easy to liken it to the Crash, but this has a highly sophisticated movement and it’s just spellbinding on the wrist! There is nothing like it.”

GPHG 2024 Exhibition Tour

The shortlisted watches, along with the eventual prize-winners, will embark on a world tour that kicks off in Hong Kong from September 28 to 30 at Christie’s new headquarters in the Henderson Building. The journey continues to the Saigon Opera House in Ho Chi Minh City from October 9 to 11, in partnership with The Hour Glass. From October 18 to 21, the watches will be on display in New York at Watches of Switzerland, before the grand finale in Geneva at the Musée Rath from October 30 to November 17. Following the awards ceremony, the Bucharest University Library will host the prize-winning timepieces from November 21 to 23, in an event organized by MisterWatch Magazine.

The highlight of the GPHG season will be the 24th awards ceremony on Wednesday, November 13, at the Théâtre du Léman in Geneva. The ceremony, which will be broadcast live on the GPHG website, will reveal the winners of this year’s competition, culminating in the presentation of the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix.

For the full list of GPHG Nominees, visit the website here.