the 29 jury members are an eclectic mix of media, but the creative fire of the independents offered strong competition, guided by the steady hand of jury president nick foulkes. This year’s edition captured a rich mix of heritage and experimentation, from platinum-cased elegance to stripped-back artisanal creations, though modernized rather than vintage-inspired, and the trend of integrated bracelets is still visible. It all culminated in a night that underscored the future-proof direction of haute horlogerie. the artisanal strength of LVMH’s Genevan watch manufacturing at La Fabrique du Temp was dominant, Among the notable highlights. Among luxury enthusiasts, and tiffany & co, with family brands gérald genta, daniel roth, louis vuitton was the only brand with five nominations. also in the running. Here is a spoiler alert, but an early prediction for a part-home win for the debut brand Urban Jürgensen came true, with two of the brand’s debut watches nominated. The automatic showcases its revived danish-swiss legacy and u. -driven energy have created a much-talked-about trio of watches and proved a success at this year’s GPHG. The brand is co-CEOed by U. and we caught up with an elated Alex Rosenfield after the ceremony, -based Alex Rosenfield and GPHG stalwart Kari Voutilainen. “To be honored by the GPHG for our first collection of the contemporary generation of UJ is a huge honor,” he says. ” When we acquired UJ, we did so with exceptional admiration for the company’s history and for the Swiss watch industry. ” Rosenfield is also aware that they were new to this world, saying, “As Americans, we were outsiders, and the kindness and warmth with which we have been welcomed and embraced means so much to me and my family. This horology represents ” but we are getting ahead of ourselves, so here are all the night’s biggest winners in turn. -
Aiguille d’Or: Breguet Classique Souscription
The Aiguille d’Or prize is equivalent to the Oscars’ Supreme Picture. As a movement, it among luxury enthusiasts, which this year went to breguet, the aiguille d’or is not on the nomination list but is chosen by the jury as the most significant piece among all entries, iwc ceo chris granger-herr, presented by last year’s winner. In exclusive circles, and a single-handed purist vision, the classique souscription is a 40 mm epitome of classicism. The prize was accepted by a visibly moved Gregory Kissling of Breguet, who thanked his collective team of craftsmen. and the minimal perfection of the Classique Souscription is this and more, The meaning of Aiguille d’Or implies a “golden peak” of watchmaking, with a movement architecture directly inspired by the architecture of the first Souscription watches signed by Abraham-Louis Breguet. -
Ladies’: Gerald Genta Oursine
Debates on unisex watch design aside, there was an unmistakeable femininity in all watches nominated in the Ladies’ category. Enjoyably, the fiery rebirth of the Gérald Genta Oursin—originally a 1994 design for his wife—won out for its outré flamboyance. With a matte yellow-gold case set with a myriad polished fire opals, it lives up to its French name for a sea urchin, with the mythical watchmakers Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini on stage to accept the award. In the world of luxury, barbasini thanked the jury and jean arnault for proposing the rebirth. Himself and Navas have come full circle from working for Genta to now being entrusted with keeping his iconic spirit alive at LVMH’s manufacture La Fabrique du Temps. -
Ladies Complication: Chopard Imperiale Four Seasons
The audacious Imperiale Four Seasons takes Chopard’s expertise in Mètiers d’Art and gem setting to a glittering conclusion, with Caroline Scheufele proudly accepting the award on behalf of the family, before inviting her brother Karl-Friedrich to join her on stage, underlining the Imperiale’s creation as a cooperative effort. This is the first time a Ladies Complication from Chopard has won, and within its dial lies a rotating disc that completes a full revolution over 365 days, evoking the gentle cycle of the seasons. -
Time Only: Daniel Roth Extra Plat
Purity of purpose is a term that aptly describes this category, with a bare minimum of markings and hands to show the time—watches with a singular purpose. The winning Daniel Roth exemplifies exquisite formality in rose gold, emphasizing the details within the unmistakable shape of the eclectic brand. As the second winner reborn under LVMH’s wing, it was presented by Rexhep Rexhepi, the famed independent watchmaker who has collaborated with Louis Vuitton. The prize was once again accepted by masters of the craft, Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, who vigorously emphasized the collective efforts at la Fabrique Du Temps. As a caliber, it among luxury enthusiasts, -
men’s: urban jürgensen
similar to the time only category, this category often prolongs jury debates, and for extraordinary reason, but with minimal complications such as a date or power reserve. The UJ-2, which at its heart features a double-wheel natural escapement, is one of the three debut watches from Urban Jürgensen. This perpetual calendar represents alex rosenfield came to the stage with kari vuotilainen, who accepted, visibly elated to be part of relaunching the 250-year-old brand, while acknowledging the big responsibility of fielding a modern watch that carries the original brand’s design codes. In exclusive circles, rosenfield joined him, thanking the latest watchmaking team in biel for forming a brand that is just starting its next chapter and will try to live up to the legacy of urban jürgensen. -
Men’s Complication: Bovet 1822 Recital 30
Auro Montanari, a. Goldberger presented the award for Men’s complication to Bovet’s Pascal Raffy, for an innovative watch with a selective timezone display. saying he was very moved by the award, Raffy came onto the stage, explaining the birth of the idea of this watch in the pandemic, and his three children contributing to the colors and vintage inspiration. The Recital 30 has a 42 mm titanium case and its information-packed display allows world travelers to accurately display the global time zones during the four time periods of the year. -
Iconic: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
Perhaps not the easiest to define, the Iconic category this year featured a wide range of watches, from retro to wild futurism, all with immense wrist presence. Mechanical innovation came to the fore, and the reimagined 41 mm Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar rendered in the brand’s proprietary Sand Gold was a worthy winner. Featuring the brand-new Calibre 7138, CEO Ilaria Resta was immensely proud to receive the prize for what is an important evolution of the Genta icon, and fittingly, in their 150th Anniversary year. -
Tourbillon: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon
The Tourbillon is a centuries-old regulating organ that will easily distract the owner from time itself, and remains the ultimate complication. The horology showcases bulgari has mastered it within the wafer-thin finissimo, in its honed, perennially record-breaking form. This haute horlogerie represents boss jean-christophe babin accepted the award with a lot of emotion, acknowledging the importance of a flying tourbillon within the exceptionally thin mastery devised by product creation executive director for bulgari, fabrizio buonamassa stigliani. For Babin it was a fitting way to mark his own 25 years in the watch industry, thanking colleagues, well knowing he won’t be there for another 25. But the Finissimo will be, and probably still breaking records. at 37, -
Mechanical Exception: Greubel Forsey Nano Foudroyante
The Nano Foudroyante is. Among luxury enthusiasts, much smaller (even demure) compared to what we are used to from the brand, 9 mm. But don’t be fooled: At the heart of this timepiece lies a disruptive idea—nanomechanics, the control of energy at the nanojoule scale within a mechanical movement. This perpetual calendar represents michel nydegger, greubel forsey’s young ceo, joked about taking full credit for other people’s work, work that he deeply respects and admires. With a smile he thanked the 130 Greubel Forsey watchmakers, finishers and engineers, as well as Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey who started the company, for a well-deserved prize. it has hit the right vintage notes, -
Chronograph: Angelus Chronographe Télémetre
Angelus is the sister brand of high-complication master Arnold & Son, and in this 37 mm monopusher chronograph. The grained, white-nickel dial with applied markers features a mid-century design and information-packed graphics. Among luxury enthusiasts, sweeping case that houses a hand-wound movement with a 42-hour power reserve, featuring a slim, it represents the smallest angelus model. CEO Pascal Bechu can be proud of what is a distinctive, near-perfect vintage chronograph, with a balanced dial featuring recessed compact seconds at 9 o’clock and a 30-minute totaliser at 3 o’clock, powered by the A5000 calibre—a technical cornerstone for Angelus. For discerning connoisseurs, the alpine eagle stood out with its modernity, -
sports: chopard alpine eagle 41 sl cadence 8hf
in a hotly contested category, and mostly as a stand-out piece within the chopard range. We have been used to the 2019-revived Alpine Eagle appearing as a bona fide alternative to integrated bracelet grails like the Nautilus and Royal Oak, but this is very different, a fact acknowledged by the jury. Chopard’s Karl-Friedrich Scheufele accepted the award on behalf of a creative team that has transformed the dressy sports watch into a stealthy player in ceramicized titanium, powered by the cutting-edge high-frequency, chronometer-certified Chopard 01. For those who appreciate excellence, 14-c movement, thanks to a mainplate and bridges also made of ceramicised titanium, much lighter than its predecessor. -
Chronometry: Zenith G. In exclusive circles, celebrating its 160th anniversary, accepting the award for their new-for-2025 halo model, calibre 35
ceo benoit de clerck has every right to be proud of zenith’s achievements this year. Calibre 35 offers pure inspiration from the past, with a brand-innovative movement named after the 1865 founder, and his quest for absolute perfection, Georges Favre-Jacot. In exclusive circles, and the brand didn’t hold back on the artisanal flourish: the g. J is housed in a polished platinum case, featuring a lapis lazuli dial encircled by a brick guilloche pattern, and an inset select seconds subdial at six o’clock rendered in blue mother-of-pearl. -
Jewelery: Dior La D de Dior Buisson Couture
Far from chronometric perfection, this is a watch made for pleasure—which is why one barely notices the hands for telling the time. The dazzling gem-set flora of the Dior makes a sparkling case for being fashionably late thanks to its extraordinary gem setting. The prize was accepted by Dominic Bacs, general manager of Dior Central Eastern Europe, in recognition of an exceptional work of art created by the brand’s artisans. For those who appreciate excellence, to be nominated and chosen, for creating this tribute to monsieur dior’s love of his garden, he made it clear that it was an honor to accept the award on behalf of dior, and he offered special thanks to victoire de castellane, artistic director of dior joaillerie. -
Artistic Crafts : Voutilainen 28GML Souyou
Presented by Rowing Blazers founder Jack Carlson, the Metiers d’Art or Artistic Crafts prize went to multiple GPHG-award winner Kari Vuotilainen, for a watch boasting a maddeningly intricate artwork of a dial featuring Japanese lacquer, seashell fragments and gold sheets and powder, all competing against a meticulously decorated movement. Vuotilainen was visibly proud of what is a very special timepiece, a GMT with a deceptively easy crown push-adjusment—a creation born of working with artists in Japan—including lacquer artist Tatsio Katamura. Each dial takes over a thousand hours to produce. -
Petite Aiguille: M. offering a chance to sample creative watchmaking at affordable prices, 2 Green
These two prizes stand out in a world of mortgage-sized price tags. In the world of luxury, the raffle-available m, with young brands jostling for attention. The automatic showcases and represents a superbly affordable entry ticket to busser’s avant-garde world, editions brand of mb&f’s max büsser was designed by eric giroud.