There are certain evenings when watchmaking transcends the business of measuring time and becomes a celebration of human imagination, patience and craftsmanship. Geneva, the undisputed heartland of fine watchmaking, sets the stage for one such occasion as the 26th edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) brings together some of the finest creations the industry has to offer. Set against the magnificent backdrop of the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, the 2026 awards ceremony sees 84 exceptional timepieces compete across 14 categories for 19 prestigious prizes, with the coveted Aiguille d’Or Grand Prix standing as the ultimate honour. Judged by a panel of 24 experts, alongside an Academy whose collective vote accounts for a third of the final verdict, the competition celebrates not merely technical mastery but also artistic expression, innovation and the enduring spirit of mechanical watchmaking. The evening’s proceedings are hosted by Stéphane Bern and Arianne Alcorta, who serve as masters of ceremonies as the world’s horological community gathers to discover which creations will take home the industry’s most coveted distinctions.
Aiguille d’Or – Rexhep Rexhepi Chronograph Flyback
The RRCHF marks Rexhep Rexhepi’s first venture into flyback chronograph watchmaking, introducing an entirely new hand wound movement built around an integrated architecture. Slimness was a guiding principle throughout its development, influencing everything from the calibre’s construction to the case proportions and dial design. Its in-house storm blue Grand Feu enamel dial, complemented by smoked sapphire counters, draws inspiration from vintage pocket watch chronographs. The movement features a column wheel, lateral clutch and instantaneous minute counter, with an asymmetrical layout that balances mechanical efficiency and visual harmony. Visible components are meticulously hand finished using traditional Genevan techniques, including anglage, black polishing, perlage and Côtes de Genève. A considered combination of polished steel hands, stepped tips and finely detailed casework completes this refined chronograph.
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Chronometre – Ferdinand Berthoud Naissance d’une Montre 3
Marking the tenth anniversary of Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud, Naissance d’une Montre 3 is the culmination of six years of painstaking work involving more than 80 artisans and specialists from Chopard and Ferdinand Berthoud. Inspired by Ferdinand Berthoud’s Astronomical Pocket Watch No. 3, this entirely handcrafted creation brings traditional horological techniques into contemporary watchmaking without digital assistance. Its movement combines a constant-force fusée-and-chain transmission with a split bimetallic, temperature-compensated Guillaume-type balance wheel, alongside a central seconds display and an open architecture that reveals its mechanical construction. Housed in a specially developed 44 mm case, the chronometer is officially COSC-certified. The project has resulted in 11 timepieces, with each component crafted using traditional tools and guided by the human eye and hand. After approximately 11,000 hours of work, the collection stands as a tribute to patience, craftsmanship and the enduring knowledge of traditional watchmaking.
Time Only – Chopard L.U.C 1860
Marking 30 years of Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier, the L.U.C 1860 Chronometer pays tribute to the original model while incorporating three decades of horological progress. Its 36.5 mm Lucent Steel™ case houses an 18-carat white gold dial finished in an intricate hand-guilloché sunburst pattern. The striking Areuse Blue colour draws inspiration from the river flowing near the manufacture in Switzerland’s Val-de-Travers region. Dauphine hands, polished white gold hour markers and a small seconds display at 6 o’clock preserve the watch’s balanced aesthetic. Powering the timepiece is the automatic L.U.C Calibre 96.40-L, featuring a 22-carat gold micro-rotor, Twin technology and a 65-hour power reserve. Certified by COSC and bearing the Poinçon de Genève, it celebrates traditional craftsmanship and contemporary precision.
Essential – Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton
The Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton brings architectural watchmaking and traditional hand-finishing into the spotlight through an expressive interpretation of the Extra Plat. Retaining the Maison’s signature double-ellipse case, this creation features a remarkably slim 6.9 mm profile, with both its case and movement crafted in solid 5N rose gold. At its heart is the manually wound DR002SR calibre, manufactured in-house at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. Its skeletonised bridges and mainplate reveal an intricate movement architecture built around transparency, lightness and structural rigidity. Particularly noteworthy are the hand-bevelled bridges and numerous sharp internal angles, which demand exceptional skill and cannot be replicated by machine. The result is an exercise in restrained elegance, where mechanical artistry takes precedence over ornamentation.
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Challenge – SpaceOne SpaceOne X Baltic – Seconde Majeure
The SpaceOne X Baltic Seconde Majeure approaches time display through an inventive jumping-hour complication that places mechanical ingenuity at the centre of its design. Developed by watchmaker Théo Auffret, its architecture revolves around three visible components working together to deliver an instantaneous change of hour. Beneath the minute disc, a central driving wheel completes one rotation every 60 minutes before engaging with a 12-tooth hour star connected directly to the hour disc. A specially designed jumper spring maintains the correct positioning while gradually building tension, releasing it in a sudden movement to advance the hour. The dial itself is machined from a single piece of German silver, serving both as the visual foundation and the structural mainplate of this distinctive mechanism.
Petite Aiguille Challenge – Otsuka Lotec No.8
Founded by independent Japanese watchmaker Jiro Katayama, Otsuka Lotec brings an unconventional perspective to mechanical timekeeping with the No.8. Inspired by the layout of professional mixing consoles, the timepiece transforms the conventional dial into an animated mechanical display. Every hour, the hour channel jumps instantaneously while the minute fader, connected to a flywheel, travels back from 60 minutes to zero. Through the side of the crystal, the movement of the minute fader can be observed between the two-layered dial, while a separate seconds disc completes one revolution every 90 seconds. Powering the watch is a MIYOTA movement accompanied by an in-house module comprising 62 components. Its construction also incorporates an ultra-small 1.5 mm ball bearing manufactured by MinebeaMitsumi, demonstrating the brand’s fascination with precision engineering.
Complication – Cleguer Inspiration One
The Inspiration One marks the debut of CLEGUER, founded by Mathieu Cleguer in collaboration with designer Lee Yuen-Rapati. Beneath its understated exterior lies a technically ambitious creation housed in a 38.5 mm white gold case. The multidimensional dial brings the movement into view, featuring an off-centre Grand Feu champlevé enamel display at 2 o’clock, a snailed barrel with a 36-hour power reserve indicator and an oversized 12.9 mm balance wheel beating at 18,000 vibrations per hour. Its defining achievement is the Innate escapement, a contemporary interpretation of the natural escapement developed through five years of research. By introducing an indirect tangential impulse system, the mechanism makes the historic concept self-starting. A hacking seconds function completes this distinctive approach to chronometric performance.
Mechanical Exception – Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie
Representing the most complicated timepiece in Blancpain’s history, the Grande Double Sonnerie is the culmination of eight years of development and an extraordinary 1,053-component movement. Its Calibre 15GSQ introduces a world first for grande sonnerie wristwatches, allowing the wearer to select between two distinct melodies at the push of a button. Alongside the traditional Westminster chime, it features an original composition created exclusively for Blancpain by musician Eric Singer, performed through four hammers striking four precisely tuned notes. The movement also incorporates a minute repeater, petite sonnerie, a 4 Hz flying tourbillon and an integrated retrograde perpetual calendar. Housed in a 47 mm case, the watch combines acoustic engineering with exceptional finishing, including 135 inward angles. Produced at just two pieces annually, it represents an extraordinary achievement in haute horlogerie.
Gemset – Piaget Swinging Pebble
Revisiting an expressive chapter in its design history, Piaget introduces the Swinging Pebble as a contemporary interpretation of its 1972 Kimono pocket watches. The original creations explored asymmetrical forms, ornamental stones and tactile design, ideas that return in this distinctive jewellery timepiece. Each watch features a carved and polished ornamental stone, sculpted from a single slice selected for its colour, natural veining and lustre. Nestled within the stone is a watch case whose dial is carefully matched to the surrounding material, demanding considerable precision in both gem-setting and watchmaking. Completing the composition is a sinuous, twisted gold chain, reflecting Piaget’s longstanding expertise in goldsmithing and chainmaking. The Swinging Pebble celebrates the Maison’s ability to bring precious materials, unconventional forms and horological artistry together.
Tourbillon – Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 2TV
The Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 2TV introduces a new chapter in the Maison’s pursuit of mechanical precision through its Mesure du Temps 1787 collection. Developed over six years, its Calibre FB-TV.FC brings together a tourbillon and fusée-and-chain constant-force mechanism within an elaborate architecture designed to reveal the movement from the dial side. Among its 1,240 components is a striking 15 mm flying tourbillon without an upper bridge. Two additional complications enhance precision, including a stop-seconds mechanism and a flyback-style zero-resetting seconds hand. Housed in a 44 mm white gold case, the timepiece offers a 60-hour power reserve and features an off-centre hours and minutes display. Produced in just 10 to 12 pieces annually, it is an impressive expression of chronometric engineering.
Chronograph – Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux
The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Chronographe Mystérieux reimagines the chronograph through a complication that appears only when required, preserving the understated character of the Tonda PF. At rest, the dial presents a clean three-hand configuration, concealing the chronograph mechanism beneath its restrained aesthetic. A single monopusher integrated into the caseband at 7.30 controls the entire operation. With the first press, three rhodium-plated chronograph hands instantly align at 12 o’clock and begin measuring elapsed time, while the rose gold hands continue displaying civil time. A second press stops the measurement, and a third makes the chronograph hands withdraw by aligning them with the current-time hands. The result is an ingenious interpretation of mechanical complexity, where functionality and discretion coexist without compromising dial clarity.
Calendar And Astronomy- Audemars Piguet 150 Heritage
Celebrating 150 years of watchmaking heritage, Audemars Piguet presents the 150 Heritage, an ultra-complicated pocket watch that brings together horology, astronomy and traditional decorative crafts. At its heart is the Calibre 1150, featuring 47 functions, including 30 complications, within a movement designed specifically for the pocket watch format. Its most distinctive feature is the Universal Calendar, an independent mechanical calculator housed within the caseback. Combining solar, lunar and lunisolar cycles, it displays astronomical indications alongside nine cultural celebrations, including Diwali, Ramadan, Easter and Chinese New Year. The platinum case is adorned with hand engraving, while Grand Feu enamelling and a handmade chain further demonstrate the Maison’s métiers d’art expertise. This creation offers an extraordinary interpretation of humanity’s relationship with time and the cosmos.
Sports – Grand Seiko Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver
Grand Seiko brings its pursuit of precision into professional diving territory with the Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Diver, its first diver’s watch equipped with a U.F.A. movement. Powered by the Calibre 9RB1, specially adapted for enhanced robustness, the timepiece delivers an exceptional accuracy of ±20 seconds per year. It builds on the brand’s groundbreaking Spring Drive U.F.A. technology, introduced in 2025, while adapting its performance to the demands of underwater exploration. The watch features a blue gradient Ushio dial inspired by the tides surrounding the Japanese archipelago, with a textured surface that enhances visual depth and legibility. Part of the Evolution 9 Collection, it combines functional design, wearing comfort and remarkable mechanical precision in Grand Seiko’s smallest diver’s watch to date.
Jewellery – Chopard Mystery Nut
Chopard transforms the familiar walnut into an extraordinary pendant watch with the Mystery Nut, a creation that brings together high jewellery, mechanical watchmaking and imaginative artistry. Crafted in 18-carat ethical rose gold, the walnut-shaped pendant is adorned with brown and cognac diamonds, with a carefully applied patina recreating the natural appearance of its inspiration. A concealed hinge, released by a cognac diamond, opens to reveal a moonphase watch powered by an in-house automatic movement. The opposite half features a three-dimensional scene of a diamond-set dove carrying an olive branch against a backdrop of blued guilloché titanium. Nearly 430 carats of brown, cognac and yellow briolette-cut diamonds embellish its accompanying rose gold sautoir, transforming this jewellery creation into an elaborate expression of peace and craftsmanship.
Artistic Crafts – Louis Vuitton Tambour Taiko Arty Automata
The Louis Vuitton Tambour Taiko Arty Automata turns the watch dial into an animated canvas, bringing together Grand Feu enamel, miniature painting and mechanical ingenuity. Its extraordinary dial features 20 miniature elements arranged across four levels, creating a multidimensional composition through 23 distinct shades of champlevé enamel. Requiring more than 250 hours of handwork, the creation showcases the artistic capabilities of La Fabrique des Arts. A pusher at 8 o’clock activates seven interconnected animations, setting four Monogram Flowers spinning while the heart and eye come alive and the word LOVE transforms into MOVE. Completing the spectacle is a tourbillon shaped like a peace symbol, making one revolution every minute. Powered by the automatic LFT AU05.01 calibre, the timepiece is an expressive celebration of métiers d’art and contemporary haute horlogerie.
Mechanical Clock – La Vallée COSMO
La Vallée COSMO introduces an unconventional approach to mechanical timekeeping through an entire mechanism that remains magnetically suspended while rotating continuously on its own axis. Weighing 14.5 kg, the horological creation completes one revolution every sidereal day, using the relative motion of its components to display an extensive range of time, calendar and astronomical indications. These include standard time, solar time, sunrise, sunset, zodiac signs, lunar and celestial references, alongside daylight saving time. Its patented transmission system, built around two eccentric gears, delivers an extraordinary 406-day power reserve from a single winding. Enclosed beneath a hand-blown Murano glass dome, COSMO also incorporates an acoustic resonator that makes the escapement’s beating audible, bringing mechanical engineering and astronomical observation together.
Audacity – Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing Mystery
Konstantin Chaykin’s ThinKing Mystery represents a remarkable achievement in ultra-thin independent watchmaking, combining mechanical ingenuity with an unconventional interpretation of time display. Measuring just 1.65 mm in thickness, it holds the distinction of being the thinnest mechanical watch produced as an ultra-limited collection. Its construction incorporates several patented innovations, including a double balance with toothed coupling that arranges the regulating components on a single plane to reduce overall thickness. An innovative mainspring barrel eliminates conventional upper and lower walls, while the case itself serves as the movement’s mainplate. Adding an element of horological theatre, two transparent sapphire discs display the hours and minutes, creating the illusion of floating indicators. Crafted from a specially developed antimagnetic, hypoallergenic and corrosion-resistant alloy, each case takes approximately two months to manufacture. The timepiece is assembled and regulated entirely by hand, underscoring Chaykin’s pursuit of mechanical innovation without compromising craftsmanship.
Iconic Watch Prize – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 “150th Anniversary”
Marking Audemars Piguet’s 150th anniversary, the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 represents a significant milestone in the evolution of chronograph watchmaking. Developed over five years, it introduces the new Calibre 8100, featuring a patented mechanism that reimagines the traditional chronograph zero reset system. Replacing the conventional hammer and heart piece with a rack and pinion arrangement, the movement enables a smoother, faster reset while allowing the pushers to operate with minimal force and travel. For the first time in the Royal Oak collection, a flyback chronograph is combined with a flying tourbillon, alongside an instant jump minute counter and an hour counter. Crafted in titanium and bulk metallic glass, the 150 piece edition offers a 72 hour power reserve and a peripheral platinum oscillating weight that reveals the movement’s refined finishing.
