17 awards, 72 timepieces and 12 categories. September is the month when the road to the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the most important event that marks this year its 14th edition, gets officially under way. Taking part to the GPHG is for a watchmaker the same as for an actor being nominated for an Oscar or a music band for a Grammy Award.
The 72 timepieces are the ones officially selected this summer by the GPHG‘s jury, made up of more than 20 people coming from everywhere in the world of fine watchmaking such as experts, journalists and fine collectors and are equally divided into the 12 mentioned categories: Ladies, Ladies’ High-Mec, Men’s, Chronograph, Tourbillon, Calendar, Striking, Mechanical Exception, “Petite Aiguille”, Sports, Jewellery, Artistic Crafts, that includes every typology of wristwatch, such as a man’s or a lady’s one, complicated, traditional or avantgarde.
The grand prize is the prestigious “Aiguille d’Or” which was awarded last year to the outstanding Girard-Perregaux Constant Escapement LM, followed by a prize for each of the twelve categories, and other additional six prizes, among which one to award the most brilliant student attending the 1st year at the School of Watchmaking in Geneva.
Even if you’re not allowed to officially attend the final ceremony that will take place October 31st in Geneva or the roadshow from New Delhi, through Beijing and ending in London at the SalonQP, you are entitled to vote for your favorite timepiece by visiting gphg.org and enter in the drawing to win a Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 XXL Petite Seconde.
(photo credit: courtesy of GPHG.org)
Gaetano C. @Horbiter®
