These luxury watches won this year’s “Oscars”

Many watchmakers look forward to this evening every year: The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) recently took place and with it the “Oscars of the watch world”. The award is considered the most important award in the industry. The so-called “Aiguille d’Or”, which translates as “golden hand”, is the highest award.

The jury consists of watchmakers, watch experts, collectors and journalists from all over the world. This year there were 15 categories, 20 watch prizes and one special prize. The latter went to Jean-Pierre Hagmann, who is often referred to as “one of the most famous case makers of the 20th century”.

When it comes to watches, there is actually something for every taste: from the jewel-studded jewelry watch, which is priced at the million mark, to the affordable but special watch for under 3,000 euros.

The winner of the evening was the French luxury jewelry company Van Cleef & Arpels, which impressed in three categories.

IWC won the grand prize with the Portugieser Eternal Calendar (Ref. IW505701), which has been generating enthusiasm ever since it was presented at the Watches & Wonders watch fair. The watch features a secular perpetual calendar that takes into account the leap year exceptions of the Gregorian calendar. In theory, the watch will show the correct day up to the year 3999, provided it always has enough power reserve. The moon phase would even be accurate for 45 million years – only then would it have to be corrected manually.

As was the case last year, when looking at the winners, it is important to note that some brands, including Patek Philippe, Rolex and the Swatch Group, are not taking part in the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. The reasons are different – but it is certainly also related to the fact that participation in the GPHG is voluntary and also subject to payment.