Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève: ‘Quiet Luxury’ and indie brands set to dominate winners

Ninety timepieces have been nominated across 15 categories including ladies’, men’s, calendar and astronomy, jewellery and mechanical clock. 

The winners will be announced on 9 November following a tour of the nominated pieces in Macao, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, New York and Geneva, culminating in a glittering ceremony held in the Swiss city’s Théatre du Léman.

The winners will be decided by a jury of 30 experts including watch collectors, watchmakers, journalists, auctioneers and the CEO of watch brand MB&F, last year’s winner of the top prize, the Aiguille d’Or.

Nick Foulkes, historian, author, journalist and the president of the jury, said: “More than a competition, [the GPHG] is a celebration of excellence in a field that is historically, culturally and commercially significant to the city of Geneva… What is unique about the GPHG is that it offers a level playing field to all those who participate. Brands and makers unfamiliar to the wider world compete alongside some of the most celebrated names in horology.”

Some of the most promising hopefuls for this year’s competition come from watchmakers who are equally as famous for their jewellery including Piaget who picked up five nominations and Van Cleef & Arpels and Chopard who each have four nominations.

Italian jewellery and watch house Bulgari is nominated in the Tourbillon, Jewellery and Petite Aiguille categories.

Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari told Euronews Culture: “[Being nominated] creates a lot of pride and motivation in our teams. They work hard, it's a tough job: you spend hours and hours working on micromechanical parts. To have your work not only acknowledged by your bosses, and by the final client, but by a jury of experts, is rewarding.”

The brand’s first