Dubbed the Oscars of the watchmaking world, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie awards are the most coveted in the industry. Take a look at five of the winners.
1 AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK SELFWINDING PERPETUAL CALENDAR ULTRA-THIN
The top honour of “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix went to this watch, billed as the world’s thinnest automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch. This horological feat was achieved by rearranging the perpetual calendar components of the watch, and developing and patenting two innovations, resulting in a movement that is a whisker-thin 2.89mm.
2 HERMÈS ARCEAU L'HEURE DE LA LUNE
Winner of the Calendar and Astronomy Watch prize, the timepiece shows the moon phases in the northern and southern hemispheres simultaneously on a meteorite or aventurine dial, instead of the typical aperture-type display. Two floating date and time counters in lacquer seem to play a game of hide-and-seek with the two mother-of-pearl moons on the watch face.
3 MB&F LEGACY MACHINE FLYINGT
Maximilian Büsser’s three-dimensional sculptural kinetic art piece won the Ladies’ Complication Watch prize. To create a more elegant profile for this watch, the height and diameter of the domed case that accommodates the flying tourbillon cage and movement have been reduced, and the lugs slimmed down.
4 CHANEL J12 CALIBRE 12.1
Same same but different—the J12 has been given a facelift 20 years after its debut. While the ceramic timepiece retains its clean-cut silhouette, there are subtle tweaks in this refreshed version, the winner in the Ladies’ Watch category. Besides design refinements to its dial and strap, the most significant change is the transparent sapphire crystal caseback which allows the wearer to admire the new 12.1 caliber automatic movement, developed specially for this version.
5 BVLGARI SERPENTI MISTERIOSI ROMANI
Truly deserving of the Jewellery Watch prize is a new member of the ever-growing Serpenti family and is the most expensive high jewellery timepiece made by Bvlgari yet. The white gold cuff is encrusted with diamonds and sapphires, topped with a coiled snake covered with scales of baguette-cut diamonds and an impressive 10-carat Sri Lankan cushion-cut sapphire sitting atop its head, which opens to reveal the dial.
BY JOYCE LIM
