Winners of the GPHG 2022


Photo: GPHG

The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), the premier awards ceremony for the timepiece industry, recently occurred in Geneva for its 2022 season. The winners of all divisions were revealed, along with the highly prized Aiguille d’Or, the competition’s top honor. This time, the prize went to a worthy recipient who is among the most well-known figures in the watch industry.

The GPHG is indeed the best platform available to the watch industry to present it’s latest and greatest. It’s far from ideal, and many significant and renowned watchmakers choose not to participate. Besides, you’ll see that no timepieces from the Rolex, Swatch Group, or Richemont (apart from Van Cleef & Arpels) were up for grabs. However, the GPHG is still significant. It’s also among the few occasions that draw together a variety of watch-related topics, including mechanical watches, jewelry, and Swiss manufacturing tradition.

Let’s quickly review the winners of all groups:

  • Aiguille d’Or: MB&F LM Sequential EVO

MB&F’s Legacy Machine Sequential Evo won the “Aiguille d’Or,” the top award this year. The Sequential Evo, designed by Northern Irish designer Stephen McDonnell for MB&F, broke new ground when it debuted earlier in the year. It is revolutionary in design, functionality, and appearance and unquestionably deserving of recognition.

 

Photo: MB&F

The timepiece has two vertically directly powered mechanisms that eliminate stutter from the chronograph indicators. When the Chrono isn’t in use, jewels are incorporated into the chronograph grip shafts to lessen inner contact between the shafts. Additionally, the Sequential Evo has a cutting-edge “Twinverter” double button that offers a variety of timing possibilities, such as split-second as well as lap counter settings.

Remarkably, they all operate on one shaft and counterbalance as opposed to two separate trains. The Legacy Machine line features visible components on the dial as well as a balancing wheel hung high over it by a gracefully curved balancing bridge. It is compatible with this design regardless of its novel concept.

  • Men’s Watch: Akrivia Chronometre Contemporain II

Photo: Swiss Watches

Rexhep, a rock celebrity amongst watch enthusiasts and a pioneer in independent manufacturing, is a real man around town in Geneva. Everybody is thrilled about him because his second reiteration of the Chronomètre Contemporain is both fashionable and exquisitely crafted. It’s a 38mm stainless steel timepiece featuring a grande feu enamel face and RRCC02 caliber that is hand-finished and has German silver plates.

  • Men’s Complication: Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur

Photo: Monochrome Watches

Hermès has achieved a double in complexity by producing similar timepieces in various sizes. It is undoubtedly a beautiful-looking watch, featuring its Galvanic etched and polished dial and special “traveling time” function created especially for Hermès. Moreover, it is a striking rendition of Cottier’s global time complexity, with the home time displayed in the aperture at 12 o’clock and the satellite dial revolving around the dial to display local time.

  • Ladies’ Watch: Parmigiani Fleurier, Tonda PF Automatic

Photo: Parmigiani

The ladies winner was a somewhat scaled-down variant of the company’s iconic timepiece. But who can really resist the stunning Cadran guilloché Grain d’Orge dial on this 36-millimeter rose gold piece with the company’s micro-rotor movement? Despite being 36mm, this watch still fits all wrist sizes! Besides, the victory is well-deserved in either case.

  • Ladies’Complication: Hermès, Arceau Le Temps Voyageur

Photo: The Watch Pages

The 38-millimeter Hermès stainless steel wristwatch, which has the company’s distinctive “Traveling time” function and is currently very popular, is 3mm smaller in design than the men’s variant. When this piece was unveiled, experts closely examined the style and complication. However, nobody could have predicted the numerous end-of-year honors that lay in store for it.

  • Iconic: TAG Heuer, Monaco X Gulf

TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf Special Edition

Although the word “iconic” is frequently used, it falls into the category of watch prizes. The orange and blue scheme of Gulf Racing is unquestionably distinctive, while the Heuer Monaco is a legendary sports chronograph. Therefore, combining them in this 2022 version of TAG’s square Chrono featuring the in-house movement Heuer 02 will create a sporty victor.

  • Calendar and Astronomy: Krayon Anywhere

Photo: SJX Watches

The Krayon Anywhere, first introduced in 2020, was popular at the youth trade exhibition and this year’s victor in calendars and astronomy.

In the current horological world, the Krayon Anywhere is unique in that it only shows the timings of dawn and dusk in a certain place for a whole year. The timepiece accomplishes it beautifully for someone who has to keep track of how much sunlight remains each day. Remi Maillat, Cartier’s creator and former designer, would be thrilled!

  • Tourbillon Watch: H. Moser & Cie, Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton

Photo Monochrome Watches

Given the tough competition, Schaffhausen-based Moser would be thrilled to have topped this area. Nevertheless, ever since it debuted at Watches and Wonders early this year, this timepiece has captured the attention of the whole market.

The steel Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton, the first of its type at the independent manufacturer, features a Funky Blue fumé convex sub-dial at 12 o’clock. It makes the amazing 3-D movement fully visible. Moreover, the one-minute flying tourbillon placed at 6 o’clock and the cylindrical hairspring work together to ensure the greatest level of accuracy while providing an exciting display of movement with contrast.

  • Mechanical Exception: Ferdinand Berthoud, FB 2RSM.2-1

 

Photo: Ferdinand Berthoud

 

The Star Wars-inspired FB 2RSM.2-1 timepiece is based on the history of manufacturing apprenticeship. A University of Neuchâtel student created the movement as his capstone project, along with the label. Ferdinand Berthoud, the creator, used an 18th-century nautical clock as his model for the regulator design dial. This honor is thus a wonderful way to recognize the watch industry’s future!

Ferdinand Berthoud produces only a few timepieces, but when it does, they almost always appear on the platform at the GPHG. Therefore, the FB 2RSM.2-1 will be the 4th Ferdinand Berthoud wristwatch to receive at the yearly exhibition of Mechanical Exception honor.

  • Diver’s Watch: Tudor, Pelagos FXD

Photo: Hodinkee

Fans are clamoring for Tudor’s authentic MilSub, which was created in collaboration with the Marine Nationale, and was available by the end of 2021. The timepieces are inscribed with a vintage-motivated etching every year; for example, in 2022, the watches will read MN22, and in 2023, MN23. The most popular ticket is MN21, which has only been produced for a brief period and is, therefore, extremely rare. Generally, this is a true bruiser, made of titanium, ceramic, a bidirectional timer bezel, as well as fixed lugs.

 

  • Chronograph: Grönefeld, 1941 Grönograaf Tantalum

Photo: Revolution Watch

The Grönograaf, often known as The Horological Brothers, is basically their debut chronograph. The Grönefelds created a novel movement by what they refer to as a “soft resetting” feature based on the difficult life that a pro chronograph may lead. According to wherever they are as the reset button is hit, the pertinent minutes and seconds indicators revert either counterclockwise or clockwise. Likewise, the 30-minute timer has immediate leaping minutes.

The door was open for Grönefeld to take home the Chronograph award when MB&F’s chronograph won the Aiguille d’Or. This is a really amazing timepiece, and it ought to be recognized in some way soon.

  • Jewelry: Bvlgari, Serpenti Misteriosi High Jewellery

Photo: Monochrome Watches

With an extremely intricate interpretation of the Serpenti, Bulgari, the Aiguille d’Or winner from the previous year, won the 2022 GPHG award for jewelry. Before the ubiquitous Octo Finissimo, the 40-millimeter rose gold jewelry was the most well-known Bvlgari timepiece.

Featuring one of the tiniest mechanized movements to present, the in-house micro-caliber Piccolissimo is encased in this masterpiece. In addition, it is decorated in turquoise inlays and brilliant-cut diamonds and has rubellite eyes. Serpenti is indeed a wonderful treasure!

 

  • “Petite Aiguille”: Trilobe, Nuit Fantastique Dune Edition

Photo: Monochrome Watches

This watch is, without a doubt, a deserving victor. The dial’s grainy “dune” color serves as the Avant-Garde Trilobe’s focal point.

The watch creation’s concept favors minimalism and manipulates perspective. The exquisite-grained dial comprises four pieces, 3 continuously rotating, defying symmetrical forms. This uncontrolled dial also reveals three different openings and is unadorned and orderly. Hours have the widest ring; minutes have a wheel that emerges inside an aperture; seconds have a wheel that rotates between an azure circle and a “Clous de Paris” center.

  • Artistic Crafts: Voutilainen, Ji-Ku

Photo: GPHG

The Ji-Ku is beautiful and deserving of the artistic crafts award. It is a 39-millimeter platinum manually wound piece with a glossy dial created by Tatsuo Kitamura, one of Japan’s best lacquer painters. Every dial requires months to build and has elements like Awabi-gai, Yakou-gai, Jyunkin-itakane, and Kinpun.

Without Kari Voutilainen clinching a GPHG, the year would not have been worthwhile. Because of this, it’s a good thing that Kari Voutilainen found himself on the platform at the Théâtre du Léman for the Ji-Ku. Undeniably, it’s a stunning watch that blends the greatest of Swiss and Japanese artistry and is created by a single ingenious Finn called Voutilainen.

  • Challenge Watch: M.A.D. Editions, M.A.D.1 Red

Photo: Monochrome Watches

Members and associates of “The Tribe,” the ownership club for the company, were the target market for the initial M.A.D.1, which was introduced in 2021. The M.A.D.1 received such overwhelmingly excellent reviews that a follow-up model—the M.A.D.1 RED—with greater availability was announced for 2022. It was destined to triumph.

Maximilian Büsser, the developer of MB&F, has been producing otherworldly timepieces for the last sixteen years. However, Max has additionally been experimenting with a side venture for some time: making a more approachable timepiece under a different brand but constantly with the wacky MB&F accent. The outcome was “M.A.D.1.”

  • Mechanical Clock: Van Cleef & Arpels, Fontaine Aux Oiseaux automaton

Photo: Van Cleef & Arpels

This watch is a magnificent mechanical and beautiful piece of art. It’s a piece everyone would love to have on their desk and is definitely worthy of the GPHG victory.

Due to the animation’s on-demand activation and the retro clock display’s continuous operation all day, this invention presents a dual spectacle. The automaton springs to life whenever it is turned on, displaying a touching scene. Likewise, the water in the basin begins to ripple as though in a gentle breeze. The dragonfly climbs into the air, slowly opening its petals, whereas a water lily gradually begins to blossom.

On the other hand, the birds at the basin’s edge start to chirp as they awaken and begin their wooing show by raising their heads and flapping their wings. Their flexible legs raise sequentially as they come closer to one another in a startlingly lifelike motion.

Once the scene is complete, the water lily delicately folds, the birds resume their initial positions, and the dragonfly flies back to its hiding place.

  • Innovation Watch: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Heures Florales Cerisier

Photo: GPHG

This unique Van Cleef & Arpels clock must have captured the judge’s attention to win the equally exceptional Innovation award. Van Cleef & Arpels’ works reflect the splendor of a kindly nature perpetually regenerated by taking inspiration from fauna and flora. Time moves in synchronization with the never-ending seasonal cycle in the selections of the Maison.

  • Chronometry: Grand Seiko, Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon

Photo: Monochrome Watches

The fact that Grand Seiko received recognition from the Swiss market for a compelling new debut in the Kodo Constant Force Tourbillon is far beyond exciting. This is a significant time for Grand Seiko since it introduces the Caliber 9ST1, a 43.8-millimeter titanium and platinum timepiece. It unites a tourbillon and a constant-force system as one component on a single shaft.

 

  • Audacity: Bvlgari, Octo Finissimo Ultra 10th Anniversary

Photo: Time and Watches

The competition isn’t a Selling Sunset episode; instead, it’s a race to create the timepiece mechanism that looks the most like a wafer. The 1.80-millimeter average thickness of this 40-millimeter titanium and tungsten carbide manual-winding timepiece marks the company’s ninth straight world title.

  • “Horological Revelation”: Sylvain Pinaud, Origine

Photo: Sylvain Pinaud

About 4 years after releasing his first watch, the Chronograph, Sylvain Pinaud debuted his second creation, the Origine. The 40-millimeter steel piece featuring off-center hours and minutes solidly establishes the designer in the list of “hot indies.” Besides, this is the start of a very interesting adventure.

  • Special Jury: François Junod, automaton-maker and sculptor

François Junod, a designer and the market’s go-to expert on automatons, received the Jury’s special award. Skilled artist Junod is among the few craftsmen capable of producing fully mechanical art pieces astounding in the current electronic and CGI-heavy environment. Being honored in this manner is indeed a worthy homage to his perseverance and talent.

Conclusion 

Watchmakers battle to win medals yearly at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie Genève for their innovation and artistry. The event also provides an opportunity to honor watchmakers sometimes disregarded in a frenzy to recognize more popular brands.

Big ups to all winners!

 

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