THE AIGUILLE D’OR GOES TO GIRARD-PERREGAUX
The jury of the 13th Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) unveiled its prize list on the evening of Friday November 15th 2013. The prize-giving ceremony, presented by Frédéric Beigbeder, took place in the Grand Théâtre de Genève in the presence of the President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr Ueli Maurer. 1’500 guests, all influential stakeholders in the fields of watchmaking, politics and the economy, congregated on this occasion to celebrate the excellence and creativity of the 12th art.
15 prizes honoured the year’s finest watch creations, including the supreme distinction, the “Aiguille d’Or”, which was awarded to Girard-Perregaux for the Constant Escapement L.M watch.
« Winning the Aiguille d’Or tonight is a genuine emotion that will stay with me deeply. I owe this amazing consecration to the work, passion and love of my team for the art of watchmaking » as quoted by Mr. Michele Sofisti, Girard-Perregaux CEO.
The prestigious international jury of this 13th GPHG brought together the skills of watch experts, collectors and authoritative figures in their respective fields, who were called on-stage in turn to announce the winners of the various prizes. Notably, designer Philippe Starck, indian jeweller Viren Baghat, architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, all keen watchmaking enthusiasts, officially presented the trophies to the CEOs of the prize-winning brands.
2013 PRIZE LIST :
“Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix: Girard-Perregaux, Constant Escapement L.M.
Grande Complication Prize: A. Lange & Söhne, 1815 Rattrapante Perpetuel Calendar
Ladies’ Complications Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Ballerine Enchantée
Ladies’ Watch Prize: DeLaneau, Rondo Translucent Champagne
Men’s Complications Watch Prize: Romain Gauthier, Logical One
Men’s Watch Prize: Voutilainen, V-8R
Innovation Prize: Vianney Halter, Deep Space Tourbillon
Jewellery Watch Prize: Chopard, L’Heure du Diamant
Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: Chanel, Mademoiselle Privé Camélia Brodé
Sports Watch Prize: Zenith, El Primero Stratos Flyback Stricking 10th
“Petite Aiguille” Watch Prize: Habring2, Jumping Second Pilot
Revival Prize: Tudor, Heritage Black Bay
Horological Revelation Prize: Ressence, Type 3
Special Jury Prize: Philippe Dufour
The public, which had expressed its views on the Internet and during the exhibitions, chose the winner of the :
Public Prize : A. Lange & Söhne, 1815 Rattrapante Perpetuel Calendar
Organised as a live link-up broadcast with New York and simultaneously translated into English for enthusiasts around the world, the ceremony was streamed live on Euronews.com, Worldtempus.com and on the official GPHG website, Gphg.org.
A highlight of the international watch industry calendar, the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix is a yearly salute to the excellence of global watch production and thereby contributes to promoting the influence of watchmaking and its values around the world. These values are shared by the main partner of the GPHG Foundation, the Edmond de Rothschild group, which has since 2011 annually rewarded the best student at the Geneva Watchmaking School by granting a scholarship.
This year, the travelling exhibition presenting the watches pre-selected by the jury featured stopovers in Beijing, Macau, Dubai and Geneva. To conclude this 13th edition, the prize-winning watches in the various categories will be on show from November 21st to 28th at L’atelier by the Hour Glass, in Singapore.