NEWS – The Chopard Full Strike Wins the GPHG 2017 “Aiguille d’Or” (And all the results of the Grand Prix)

As you’ve probably seen through the live feed we provided to you, today was the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, also known as the Oscars of the Watchmaking Industry, celebrating the best watches (via 12 different categories, for 16 different prizes) of the year. While in 2016 the “Aiguille d’Or” (the prize for the best watch of the year) went to Ferdinand Berthoud and their superb FB1 watch. Well, if a brand can’t win twice in a row the GPHG, the “Aiguille d’Or” will, however, remain in the hands of the Scheufele family, as the winner of the GPHG 2017 is Chopard and the impressive Full Strike.

Grand Prix/Aiguille d’Or – Chopard L.U.C Full Strike

Let’s start with the big one, the watch that has just been awarded as the “best watch of 2017” with the Aiguille d’Or prize, the Chopard L.U.C Full Strike. This watch, an extremely complex piece (as usual with the Grand Prix) is somehow the vision of the minute repeater watch, reinvented by Chopard: silent and fast mechanism, sapphire gongs for a crystal clear sound, superb construction and decoration of the movement… This watch mixes everything: traditional watchmaking, with one of the most classical complications, and innovation. Bravo to Chopard and to the Family Scheufele for keeping the “Aiguille d’Or” prize in Fleurier, the home of the brand. More details about the Full Strike here.

Innovation Prize – Zenith Defy Lab

The innovation prize, something new for this year (and replacing the public prize) has certainly been created knowing what Zenith had cooked up a few months ago… The Defy Lab. Impressive, innovative, simply never seen before, groundbreaking! Many terms can be given to this watch that simply revolutionizes the concept of the regulating organ and oscillator – more details here. A silicon module, which comprises both oscillator and the anchor, allows for low amplitude and high-frequency… and superb precision. All of that for a price that remains relatively decent.

Revival Prize – Longines Avigation BigEye

For the revival prize, the award of the best vintage-inspired watch of the year, the GPHG 2017 gives credit to the Longines Avigation BigEye… and clearly, this is a wise choice. This watch takes inspiration in a 1950s pilot watch, giving it a modern twist. A very interesting mix of modern and heritage. More details on the watch here.

Ladies’ Watch Prize – Chanel Premiere Camelia Skeleton

The prize for the Ladies watch (meaning non-complicated piece) at the GPHG 2017 is this year going to a quite mechanical watch, the Chanel Premiere Camelia Skeleton. With its skeleton movement and the very Chanel style, it certainly is a highly desirable piece.

Ladies’ High-Mech Watch Prize – Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Papillon Automate

For this category, the GPHG awards the best complication watch for ladies. This year, it is the Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Papillon Automate, a watch with highly poetical complication, featuring a butterfly automaton. Again a desirable piece that deserves its prize.

Men’s Watch Prize – Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic

This is a prize that was hotly contested this year at the GPHG 2017. And the winner is the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic as the best men’s watch of the year, and we couldn’t agree more! As the thinnest automatic movement ever created, merged into a superb and bold design, it is certainly one of the biggest surprises we had this year. Congratulations, this is well deserved.

Chronograph Watch Prize – Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda Chronor Anniversaire

The best chronograph of the GPHG 2017 goes to Parmigiani and the superb Tonda Chronor Anniversaire, an integrated, in-house split-second chronograph with enamel dial. The movement simply is one of the nicest chronographs we’ve seen recently.

Tourbillon and Escapement Watch Prize – Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Skeleton

For the Tourbillon and Escapement Watch Prize, the GPHG 2017 gives the prize to another Bulgari watch, which is the thinnest skeleton tourbillon movement in the world… and also the thinnest tourbillon movement ever! More than justified that this watch is tonight celebrated.

Calendar Watch Prize – Greubel Forsey QP à Équation

The best calendar watch of the GPHG 2017 is given to an extremely complex and innovative piece, which combines artistic decoration of the movement and mechanical innovation, the Greubel Forsey QP à Équation. Again, considering the rest of the watches in the category, this feels totally justified by the work done by Greubel and Forsey.

Travel Time Watch Prize – Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Hemisphères Rétrograde

Another prize for Parmigiani, this time in the Travel Time Watch category. The Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Hemisphères Rétrograde certainly is an extremely elegant and discreet piece. The display is also pleasant and the design distinctive.

Mechanical Exception Watch Prize – Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Celestia Astronomical

This Mechanical Exception Watch Prize awards the beauty of watchmaking in its purest form… Complex, innovative, superbly crafted, which in fact could be the description of the Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Celestia Astronomical. A Superb watch to discover here.

“Petite Aiguille” Watch Prize – Tudor Black Bay Chrono

For the “Petite Aiguille” Watch Prize, meaning the watches priced under CHF 8,000, the jury gives credit to the Black bay Chrono, a great looking and accessible chronograph. Of course, no one will forget that this watch is the result of an industrial cooperation with Breitling, and it allows for a great watch, with great movement, for a very reasonable price.

Sports Watch Prize – Ulysse Nardin Marine Regatta

The sports watch prize of the GPHG 2017 goes to a very cool watch, the Ulysse Nardin Marine Regatta, which certainly is one of the cleverest and most innovative regatta watch ever created. Well deserved.

Jewellery Watch Prize – Chopard Lotus Blanc Watch

Artistic Crafts Watch Prize – Voutilainen Aki-No-Kure

Special Jury Prize: Suzanne Rohr and Anita Porchet

Special prize given to two ladies, experts in enamelling and micro-painting.