Since 2001, the Grand Prix d?Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) has been awarding “the most remarkable creations in order to nurture the advancement of the art of horology worldwide.” As a result, the GPHG quickly became the most important and prestigious annual award in the industry, even though brands like Rolex, Patek Philippe (or any member of the Swatch Group) are currently not represented. The award is open to watchmakers from every region of the world, with several non-Swiss brands already having been recognized since 2001 (like, for example, the Zeitwerk (Ref. 140.029) from A. Lange & Söhne in 2009 which won the Grand Prix, or Grand Seiko winning the Petit Aiguille in 2014 with the Hi-Beat 36000 GMT SBGJ005).

The GPHG’s Multi-Step Judging Process
For 2022, the GPHG’s Academy members were invited for the third time to first select and upload watches worthy of an award. This selection then had to be confirmed by the corresponding brands in order to be able to officially proceed to the first round of voting. Alternatively, brands were also able “to enter the competition spontaneously via the dedicated digital platform” (the basic entry fee is CHF 700 per watch), if they hadn’t already been entered by the Academy. The most important rule: “only watches or clocks commercialized after May 2021 and at the latest by the end of October 2022” are eligible to take part.

“The GPHG Academy members are significan...