Forbes - Winners Of The World's Most Prestigious Watch Awards

It was an interesting list of winners for the 16th Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, with a broad mix of mechanical marvels and artistic creations. Renowned independent watchmakers shared the stage with some of the most recognized watch brands in the world. Even a watch from a fashion brand managed to snag an award this year. Two watch brands, Girard-Perregaux and Piaget, received two awards from the 14 juried entries.

The top prize, the “Aiguille d’Or,” was awarded to Ferdinand Berthoud, for the Chronomètre Ferdinand Berthoud FB1, a tourbillon marine chronometer made to fit on the wrist. The chronometer is powered by a mechanical hand-wound movement comprising more than 1,120 components, entirely produced in house. The caliber FB-T.FC features a pillar structure and symmetry between its tourbillon and its original fusée and chain mechanism. The fusée is equipped with a differential winding system as well as a “suspended mobile cone” power-reserve mechanism.

“Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix: Ferdinand Berthoud, Chronomètre Ferdinand Berthoud FB 1

The awards event was held Thursday at Théâtre du Léman. In addition to the grand prize, 13 other awards were selected by the panel of 27 experts that made up the international jury. Approximately 1,300 guests attended the awards ceremony jointly hosted by Frédéric Beigbeder, a French writer, literary critic and a TV presenter, and Gaspard Proust, a Swiss actor, and broadcast live on various media.

After stopovers in Seoul and Rome, the exhibition presenting the 72 watches pre-selected by the jury remains on show in Geneva until November 12 at the Cité du Temps. The prize-winning watches of this 2016 vintage will be exhibited in Dubai, November 15 to 19, as part of the second Dubai Watch Week.

The remaining award winners are as follows:

Ladies’ Watch Prize: Piaget, Limelight Gala Milanese Bracelet
Ladies’ High-Mech Prize: Girard-Perregaux, Cat's Eye Tourbillon with Gold Bridge
Men’s Watch Prize: Grönefeld, 1941 Remontoire
Chronograph Watch Prize: Montblanc, 1858 Chronograph Tachymeter Limited Edition
Tourbillon Watch Prize: Girard-Perregaux, La Esmeralda Tourbillon
Calendar Watch Prize: MB&F, Legacy Machine Perpetual
Travel Time Watch Prize: Fabergé, Fabergé Visionnaire DTZ
Mechanical Exception Prize: Audemars Piguet, Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie
“Petite Aiguille” Prize: Tudor, Heritage Black Bay Bronze
Sports Watch Prize: Eberhard & Co, Scafograf 300
Jewellery Watch Prize: Chanel, Secret Watch "Signature Grenat"
Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: Piaget, Protocole XXL "Secrets & Lights" Venice Micro-Mosaic
“Revival” Watch Prize: TAG Heuer, Heuer Monza Chronographe
Special Jury Prize: The George Daniels Educational Trust

In addition to the jury award, the general public voted on a “Public Prize,” casting votes on the Internet and at the various international exhibitions. This was awarded to award the Public Prize to: Czapek Genève, 33 bis Quai des Bergues

Anthony DeMarco / Forbes