These are the winners of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2024

My inbox is aglow with celebratory emails. Yes, it is Wanted’s 20th birthday but these messages are from the winners at the 2024 edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG).

While the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar took home the Aiguille d’Or Grand Prix, the independents prevailed this year taking home the awards for horological excellence in all but seven of the 21 categories. From the outlandish and complex to the simply exquisite, this year’s entries pushed the envelope for complications and exceptional levels of handcraft.

Here are some of the highlights.

Audacity Prize: Berneron, Mirage Sienna

We’ve been watching Sylvain Berneron for some time now. The former automotive designer known as Holographic Hammer, has an impressive track record particularly with motorbikes, bringing a fresh “outsider” perspective to watchmaking that rekindles a sense of playfulness. Following a tenure as design manager at Richemont then as chief product officer at Breitling, he launched his eponymous independent luxury brand in 2022. While form that follows function can often leave one cold, Berneron’s approach is anything but. The shape of his somewhat Surrealist, asymmetrical Mirage is informed by the architecture of the magnificent Calibre 233 movement inside. Combining art and technical prowess, the Mirage is a fitting recipient in the award category that best represents a non-conformist approach to watchmaking. berneron.ch

Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Brise d’Été

This is poetry in motion, celebrating all that is Van Cleef, from its gifted Métiers d’Art department to the fine craft and ingenuity of its Haute Horlogerie team. This marvel comes to life through the on-demand animation module of its automatic movement, transporting us into an enchanted garden where flowers sway in a light summer breeze (brise d’été) and the butterflies flutter about before settling on “real time”.

Men’s Complication Watch Prize: De Bethune, DB Kind Of Grande Complication

This is a rather modestly named timepiece given that the “Kind of Grande” features the impressive eight horological complications of its Calibre DB2529 in a reversible double-sided case, both with hour and minute display. The “contemporary” side displays the ultra-light tourbillon in blued titanium, jumping seconds, and power reserve, while the “classically restrained” side features a signature starry sky dial with a perpetual calendar, 3D moon-phase indication, and retrograde age of the Moon and leap years. The DB Kind of Grande Complication epitomises De Bethune’s Haute Horlogerie, encapsulating over 22 years of innovation and artistry. The other standout feature is its rotating case on floating lugs, which uses a micro-mechanism to pivot smoothly around its central axis. Comprising more than 60 components — 50 dedicated to water resistance and rustproofing — the system allows the dial to rotate seamlessly between two sides. A cam-operated indexing mechanism ensures perfect alignment with the wrist-hugging floating lugs. https://www.debethune.ch/en

Challenge Watch Prize: Otsuka Lotec, No.6

Created by Tokyo-based independent watchmaker Jiro Katayama, the Otsuka Lotec No 6 is inspired by analogue meters with a Japanese-fan-shaped display. The winner in the category for watches under R60,000 features a silver brushed dial with retrograde hour and minute hands on a single axis. It is powered by a Miyota automatic movement with an additional in-house module for the hours and minutes, central-seconds disc, and date display. For more information on the No 6 and other offbeat novelties, visit https://otsuka-lotec.com/

For the full list of category winner visit gphg.org