The GPHG: Watchmaking’s “Oscars”
The GPHG: Watchmaking’s “Oscars”
Everyone knows the Academy Awards (the Oscars), where each year the best films, actors, and craftspeople are honored. In the watchmaking world, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) honors timepiece excellence every year, and it is considered the “Oscars” of watchmaking.
Founded in 2001, the same year Mr. Raffy took over the House of BOVET, the GPHG shines a spotlight on and rewards the best timepieces and promotes the art of watchmaking worldwide.
Watchmakers from all over the world submit timepieces in the various categories of the GPHG competition each year, and a jury made up of industry experts chooses the year’s best timepieces. This competition honors and enhances the traditions, skills and values of Swiss and world watchmaking culture and every watchmaker aspires to achieve this recognition.
The GPHG awards ceremony, held in November of each year, draws elite representatives of the international watchmaking community, united in honoring the finest creations and the artisans who work ceaselessly to carry on watchmaking traditions, while at the same time breathing vitality and creativity into the watchmaking world. Twenty or so prizes, including the “Aiguille d’Or” (the highest award, the “Best in Show”), are awarded every year.
The House of BOVET 1822 has a long history of success in the GPHG. In 2018, BOVET won the aforementioned “Aguille d’Or” for best timepiece of the year with the stunningly beautiful and incredibly complex Récital 22 Grand Récital.
Then, in 2020, the House of BOVET won the Mechanical Exception Award with the Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter 2, which combines modernity with traditional hand-engraving, as well as the Lady’s Watch price with the Miss Audrey.
This year, BOVET 1822 has three timepieces
in the Official Pre-Selection
The Récital 20 Astérium in Mechanical Exception, the Virtuoso V Jumping Hour in Men’s Complication, and the fully-engraved and miniature painted Amadeo Amadeo Skeleton Tourbillon in Artistic Crafts.
Each autumn, in the lead-up to its annual awards ceremony, the GPHG organizes a traveling exhibition around the world, presenting the nominated watches. These exhibitions enable the public to discover and admire the most beautiful timepieces of the year. The winning timepieces are also exhibited after the awards ceremony.
This year’s exhibitions of the GPHG’s finalists are as follows:
- Casablanca, Morocco: October 21-23, 2022
- Geneva, Switzerland: November 2-20, 2022
- New York, USA: December 1-4, 2022
Every year, the watchmaking world comes together in Geneva, Switzerland, to recognize excellence. Please join us in celebrating watchmaking savoir-faire with the GPHG and congratulating all the participating brands in this year’s competition.
