Breguet Claims Top Honor at Geneva Watch Prize 2025
The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève Celebrates 25 Years of Excellence
The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, marking a milestone in the world of luxury watchmaking. The prestigious event took place on 13 November, showcasing some of the most exceptional timepieces from around the globe. Known as the “Oscars of Watchmaking,” GPHG has become a symbol of craftsmanship and innovation in the industry.
Over the past two decades, the creative industries have faced numerous challenges, including reduced funding, skill shortages, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence. Despite these obstacles, the art of watchmaking continues to thrive, demonstrating resilience and ingenuity. Raymond Loretan, president of GPHG, emphasized that “watchmaking represents an alliance of art and industry, mechanics and poetry, mystery, mastery of the microscopic and the pursuit of the infinite.” He added that despite current difficulties, the craft displays remarkable vitality.
This year’s ceremony featured 90 timepieces competing across 15 categories, including ladies’, men’s, calendar and astronomy, jewellery, and mechanical watches. The top honor, the ‘Aiguille d’Or’ Grand Prix, is open to any watch across all categories. Last year, it was awarded to IWC Schaffhausen's Portugieser Eternal Calendar. The winners were chosen by a jury of experts, including collectors, watchmakers, journalists, and auctioneers. The selected timepieces will be on display at Dubai Watch Week between 19 and 23 November.
Aiguille d’Or Grand Prix: Breguet’s Classique Souscription 2025
The most distinguished award at the GPHG, the Aiguille d’Or, went to Breguet's Classique Souscription 2025. This timepiece features only one hand, embodying one of the greatest challenges in watchmaking: simplicity. The design draws inspiration from the groundbreaking Souscription pocket watch of 1796, reborn as a pocket watch. The white enamel dial and single hand reflect the purity of the original design.
Winners of the GPHG Watchmaking Awards
Here are the winners of the night’s dazzling awards ceremony:
Ladies’
Watches with hours, minutes, seconds, simple date, power reserve, and classic moon phases, with a maximum of 9-carat gemsetting.
WINNER 2025: Gérald Genta’s Gentissima Oursin Fire Opal
This audacious piece features a flame-hued dial surrounded by 137 individually set fire opals, exemplifying “audacious elegance.”
Ladies’ Complication
Watches with mechanical creativity and complexity, featuring various complications.
WINNER 2025: Chopard's Imperiale Four Seasons
This watch features a rotating disc that completes a full revolution over 365 days, following the cycle of the seasons. Its upper half is adorned with a lacework pattern in 18-carat ethical white gold.
Time Only
Watches with two or three hands and no gemsetting, bearing exclusively analogue time indications.
WINNER 2025: Daniel Roth's Extra Plat Rose Gold
The jury praised this piece for its “purity and savoir-faire,” masterfully balancing modern elegance with traditional craftsmanship.
Men’s
Masculine watches with hours, minutes, seconds, simple date, power reserve, and classic moon phases, with a maximum of 9-carat gemsetting.
WINNER 2025: Urban Jürgensen's UJ-2: Double wheel natural escapement
This timepiece features a double wheel natural escapement, highlighting the elegance and complexity of its creation.
Men’s Complication
Watches with mechanical creativity and complexity, featuring various complications.
WINNER 2025: Bovet 1822's Récital 30
This watch introduced a breakthrough in world timers by using rollers instead of conventional displays, allowing for accurate timekeeping during Daylight Saving Time.
Iconic
Watches from emblematic collections or models with lasting influence.
WINNER 2025: Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
To celebrate its 150th anniversary, Audemars Piguet unveiled a new self-winding perpetual calendar movement, enhancing user comfort with an “all-in-one” crown.
Tourbillon
Mechanical watches with at least one tourbillon.
WINNER 2025: Bvlgari's Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon
This watch integrates a skeleton tourbillon into a movement just 1.85 mm thick, showcasing Bvlgari’s horological expertise.
Mechanical Exception
Watches with special mechanisms, such as innovative displays or acoustic functions.
WINNER 2025: Greubel Forsey's Nano Foudroyante
This timepiece uses nanomechanics to operate its complication with minimal energy, reducing power consumption by a factor of 1,800.
Chronograph
Mechanical watches with at least one chronograph indication.
WINNER 2025: Angelus' Chronographe Télémètre Yellow Gold
This watch calculates the distance of an event based on the speed of light and sound, rivaling modern equipment.
Sports
Watches suited for physical exercise, with appropriate materials and design.
WINNER 2025: Chopard's Alpine Eagle 41 SL Cadence 8HF
This lightweight watch features ceramicised titanium and a sporty aesthetic, complemented by subtle orange accents.
Jewellery
Watches demonstrating exceptional mastery of jewellery and gemsetting.
WINNER 2025: Dior Montres's La D de Dior Buisson Couture
This timepiece features intricate floral designs made from precious stones, evoking the artistry of embroidered florals.
Artistic Crafts
Watches showcasing artistic techniques such as enamelling, engraving, and guilloché.
WINNER 2025: Voutilainen's 28GML SOUYOU
This timepiece features Japanese lacquer art, requiring over a thousand hours of meticulous work.
“Petite Aiguille”
Watches priced between CHF 3,000 and CHF 10,000, including smartwatches.
WINNER 2025: M.A.D. Editions' M.A.D.2 Green
This watch pays homage to 1990s club culture, incorporating a DJ deck and strobe lighting.
Challenge
Watches priced at or below CHF 3,000, including smartwatches.
WINNER 2025: Dennison's Natural Stone Tiger Eye In Gold
This watch revives a classic cushion case, featuring a natural tiger’s eye dial with unique character.
Mechanical Clock
Mechanical instruments for time measurement, excluding wristwatches.
WINNER 2025: L'Epée 1839's Albatross L'Epée 1839 X MB&F
This clock features a striking hour function and an automaton with propellers, offering multiple operational modes.
Audacity Prize
Rewarding non-conformist and offbeat approaches to watchmaking.
WINNER 2025: Fam Al Hut's Möbius
This bold debut redefines technical miniaturisation and spatial design in haute horlogerie, featuring an in-house bi-axis tourbillon.
Horological Revelation Prize
Awarding young brands less than ten years old.
WINNER 2025: Anton Suhanov's St. Petersburg Easter Egg Tourbillon Clock
This minimalist design offers a modern vision of the Easter egg clock genre.
Chronometry Prize
Recognizing exceptional precision timekeeping performance.
WINNER 2025: Zenith's G.F.J. Calibre 135
This watch carries the history of Zenith, featuring a modern re-engineered movement with up-to-date technical solutions.
Special Jury Prize
Honoring individuals or institutions promoting high-quality watchmaking.
WINNER 2025: Alain Dominique Perrin, founder of the Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain
