These Are the Winners from the Oscars of the Watch Industry

Yes, you read that right—the stuffy Swiss watch industry has a black-tie awards ceremony akin to the Academy Awards. (And just like at the Oscars, many of the attendees seem to ignore the dress code.)

Dubbed the GPHG—Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève—the ceremony was created in 2001 to “celebrate and promote the watchmaking art.” Overseen by a foundation that votes on the best timepieces of the year, the GPHG bestows prizes in various categories to brand representatives each November in Geneva. (Best Dive Watch! Best Chronograph! Best Ladies’ Watch! You get the idea…) There are 19 prizes, including the granddaddy: Aiguille d’Or, or best in show.

This year, 90 different timepieces were nominated in total. Chairing the 2023 jury was Nick Foulkes, an English historian and noted authority on luxury goods who most certainly owns more pocket squares than you do. Foulkes and the jury members debated the merits of the nominated watches ahead of the ceremony.

Not all brands participate in the GPGH, giving it an incomplete feeling—especially given the relatively small size of the watchmaking industry. (Several Richemeont brands, the Swatch Group, and most notably Rolex did not take part this year.) Here are a few of our favorite award winners.

The Aiguille d’Or

This year, the coveted Aiguille d’Or went to Audemars Piguet for its Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Ultra-Complication Universelle (RD#4). While the Code 11.59 collection generated lots of debate upon its launch in 2019—some folks applauded the maison for developing a line so different from that of its tentpole Royal Oak, while some were less enthused with the Code’s aesthetics—there’s no denying that this watch in particular is an impressive feat of watchmaking.

Representing the first ultra-complicated, automatic wristwatch housed within a Code 11.59 case, it includes more than 40 functions including a minute repeater, perpetual calendar, and flying tourbillon. (Sadly, it will not connect to Wi-Fi and you can’t play Snake on it.) Powering it is AP’s Calibre 1000, which consists of over 1,100 components. No wonder this thing took seven years to complete!

Men’s Complication

Next up, star watchmaker Kari Voutilainen snagged the men’s complication prize for his Cushion Shape Worldtimer. While at first glance this more utilitarian timepiece might seem like rather pedestrian fair for the talented Finnish watchmaker, it bears deeper examination: Look closely at the dial contained within the interesting cushion case and you’ll notice two gorgeous, handmade patterns: a trivague wave motif in the center and an engine-turned guilloché pattern within the solid-silver dial base divided into 24 sections. These sections correspond to the 24-hour indices and cities represented on the rotating inner ring that help allow the user to track the time in multiple locations around the world simultaneously.

While Patek certainly comes first to mind when the notion of the world timer is raised, Voutilainen’s watch is fresh and contemporary while simultaneously industrial and elegant. The clever design also extends to the hand-wound Calibre 216TMZ movement: Besides being beautifully decorated, it also obviates the need for case correctors, as the time zone can be advanced by simply pushing the crown. It’s a handsome twist on a genuinely useful complication.

Sports Watch

Meanwhile, Tudor’s Pelagos 39 took home the sports watch prize. Since its launch in September 2022, this lightweight diver has been winning over hearts and minds across the watch world, communicating clearly to all and sundry that Rolex’s sister brand is making some of the best tool watches on earth. (And pricing them relatively affordably, to boot; where else are you gonna snag a Submariner-adjacent diver, in titanium, with an in-house movement, for under $5K?)

For those of you who aren’t familiar, the Pelagos 39 is a smaller, lighter version of the brand’s titanium-clad, professional-spec dive watch. The Pelagos 39 wears like a dream, and though it’s only good to 200m, very few humans need more water resistance than that. For the money, you simply can’t do much better in a dive watch.

Petite Aiguille

A particularly interesting award is the Petite Aiguille, which is awarded to watches costing between 2,000 and 8,000 Swiss francs (roughly $2,200 to $8,900). This year, British brand Christopher Ward snagged the prize with its C1 Bel Canto, a striking watch that lists for just 3,350 Swiss francs (about $3,700). Upon each hour, a hammer audibly strikes the time as part of a complication dubbed the sonnerie au passage. Though this is not a traditional “repeating” watch, which strikes the time when activated, most comparable offerings still cost tens of thousands of dollars. The fact that a boutique brand like Christopher Ward was able to develop a handsome one for under $5,000 sent shockwaves through the watch world upon its release in late 2022.

The secret is in CW’s business model: Founded in 2004, it merged with manufacturing partner Synergies Horlogères (SH) in 2014—this, in turn, allowed the brand to vertically integrate its manufacturing while keeping pricing accessible. Johannes Janke, previously an engineer and technical director at SH, began developing add-on modules for existing third-party movements that could turn simple, time-only watches into more complicated fare. Master watchmaker Frank Stelzer was then able to build upon one of these modules to realize a chiming watch—though the journey took several years of development. It quickly sold out upon its debut, flooring longtime industry professionals with its pricing. Thankfully, CW has since expanded the C1 Bel Canto into a full collection, with numerous references available on its website.

For a complete list of the winners, see below:

“Aiguille d’Or” grand prix: Audemars Piguet, Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet

Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4

Innovation prize: Hautlence, Sphere Series 1

Audacity prize: Maison Alcée, Persée Azur

Chronometry prize: Ferdinand Berthoud, Chronomètre FB 3SPC

“Horological Revelation” prize: Simon Brette, Chronomètre Artisans

Ladies’ watch prize: Piaget, Hidden Treasures

Ladies’ complication watch prize: Dior Montres, Grand Soir Automate Etoile de Monsieur Dior

Men’s complication watch prize: Voutilainen, World Timer

Iconic watch prize: Ulysse Nardin, Freak One

Tourbillon watch prize: Laurent Ferrier, Grand Sport Tourbillon Pursuit

Calendar and astronomy watch prize: Bovet 1822, Récital 20 Astérium

Chronograph watch prize: Petermann Bédat, Chronographe rattrapante

Sports watch prize: Tudor, Pelagos 39

Jewellery watch prize: Bulgari, Serpenti Cleopatra

Artistic crafts watch prize: Piaget, Altiplano Métiers d'Art - Undulata

“Petite Aiguille” prize: Christopher Ward London, C1 Bel Canto

Challenge watch prize: Raymond Weil, Millésime automatic small seconds

Mechanical clock prize: L’Epée 1839, Time Fast II Chrome

Special jury prize: Svend Andersen and Vincent Calabrese

Originally Appeared on GQ